Strange happenings

[Norachan]

That's so sad! I'm really sorry to hear that @JMJimmy  What kind of toxins does the vet think caused this? Could he have eaten something poisonous? I hope your other cats will all stay safe.

RIP Sissy, you will be missed.

 

[dahlia]

I am so sorry to hear about Sissy.  This happened to one of my sister's dogs and she thinks that someone poisoned her by throwing something over the fence.  Another common culprit is anti-freeze.  I am glad Sissy had a home with such caring people.

 

[JMJimmy]

 
That's so sad! I'm really sorry to hear that @JMJimmy  What kind of toxins does the vet think caused this? Could he have eaten something poisonous? I hope your other cats will all stay safe.

RIP Sissy, you will be missed.

Thanks Nora & all.

I haven't talked to the vet, he mentioned it right after giving us the bad news and I really didn't want to get into it just then - I'll be following up though because I want to know what it was to keep the others safe.

 

[Norachan]

It's really hard with outdoor cats to keep them completely safe. One of my friends who has a small colony lost a cat because of weed killer last year. They think the cat must have walked through some long grass after it had been sprayed, licked the spray off her coat and was then poisoned by it. She had to be PTS due to liver failure.

It's so sad. We do what we can for these little guys, but it's impossible to protect them from everything.

I'm glad Sissy had a happy life with you, even if it was so short.

 

[tarasgirl06]

<3 ((((((((^^)))))))) <3 Fly free, handsome panther king Sissy 

  I am so very sorry to hear of your loss, and I send my heartfelt condolences to you and your family.  These toxic substances should all be outlawed.  

 

[JMJimmy]

The story goes on.  While we're working on many issues with them still, we had a moment today that I thought I should share

1group.jpg

• JMJimmy
• Oct 24, 2016

Such sweet boys.  Normally they want a bigger buffer (out of paws reach) between each other but today they were a little freaked out by the construction noises so all huddled together.  It was a pretty big step for them, especially with Scotty in the middle like that.

TNR work has been slow to get going, the expense of getting up and running is a lot more than I was expecting.  I'll be taking a pair of colony cats to a home in Oshawa this weekend who were TNRed by a local woman.  They've lived in the colony for some time and have shown they're friendly and it's finally their turn to come in from the cold.  (a bit of their story: https://www.youcaring.com/fenomenal-feral-felines-677364 )  If we ever get our patio back I'll hopefully be helping with the TNR of a new colony of at least 14, mostly kittens, which includes Bobbie - a tailless tabby I'd like to adopt.

We're also preparing to 'encourage' Julius and Morgan inside this winter.  They've stuck around the building despite balcony repairs and their home being torn down.  With a tough winter ahead we're expecting them to be seeking food/shelter.  Our plan is to ask the neighbours to stop feeding them so we can take over and bring them in slowly like we did with the others.  If we can get Morgan inside then Julius will stay - the two of them have bonded quite strongly.

 

[tarasgirl06]

Beautiful photo of the sweet catpile 

 and very good to hear of the progress.  Sharing your YouCaring to social media in hope that those who are so fortunate will consider helping.  *PRAYERS* and best wishes for all success with providing safe haven and necessary care, as well as love, to these very deserving little ones! 

 

[Norachan]

That's a great update. I'm glad to see they are slowly becoming more comfortable with each other. Sleeping close together like that is a great sign.

Good luck with the colony and with trying to entice Julius and Morgan inside.

 

[JMJimmy]

Hey all,

Things have really settled into a groove here.  I've been volunteering with Fenominal Feral Felines, feeding 2 of the colonies a few nights a week.  One colony is down to just 3 members.  Delilah (renamed Sierra by FFF), a former member of that colony, ended up not being a kitten, just a very very small cat.  She had 2 kittens and was pregnant with 6 more by the time she was trapped.  7 survived and are all now adopted or in foster care with Annex Cat Rescue. 

This tiny tiny kitty:

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

Is now this majestic beauty

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016
• 1

And these are 3 of the kittens that went to foster homes:

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016
• 1

I posed about Ash and Stormy last time, FFF was able to get them into a home and they're doing very well, they also came from that colony.

Stormy:

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016
• 1

Ash:

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

The other colony is a larger one, 14 cats in all, almost entirely kittens less than a year old.  8 have been TNRed by FFF in a big push to get them done before winter.  3 of them remain inside, a food aggressive but social marbled tabby, a light orange long haired tabby, and a tiny calm observant tabby I mentioned before:  Bobbie (renamed Thawny by FFF due to naming conflict).  She suffers from Manx syndrome and has no tail at all.  I'm trying to convince Alpha Kitty (the wife) she belongs with us - no luck yet.

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

On the home front Junior and Scotty have finally stopped fighting altogether and while Junior is still slightly tentative, he's realized that if he doesn't freak out Scotty has no interest in him.  Junior has also suddenly decided that Alpha Kitty is the best thing since catnip.  He climbs on top of her, plops himself down wherever her hands might be, and nudges them until she starts petting him.  Most of the time he does this while she's having a nap or first thing before she's woken up. 

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016
• 2

Scotty's doing well, he's still got separation anxiety issues (which he'll likely always have) - he doesn't like us leaving the apartment one bit.  That said he's starting to become a very playful cat too and absolutely LOVES q-tips of all things.  Go figure.

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

Mama (below, left) is as grumpy as ever, he has perfected the disapproving death glare.  That said, he sleeps at my feet constantly, his FHS is barely noticeable these days, and he's become far more trusting.  I can touch any part of him that isn't an FHS trigger spot, without him getting upset.  I even managed to pick him up the other day which was a first.

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016
• 1

Unfortunately, we did have a bit of trouble with them last week.  Mama started shaking his head and scratching.  Sure enough, ear mites.  We can't figure out where he got them from since they've been locked inside for months due to construction on our building.  Regardless, it was time to for another Mama first:  Going to the vet.  If you remember the last time we tried, Mama not only showed us he knows how to get out of a carrier at will, but will struggle with every last bit of energy not to go in one in the first place... then disappear for a day or two to show who's "in control". 

Well, we purchased a 3rd carrier and set a vet appointment.  The next day I tried enticing him in with his favourite treat: tuna.  No luck, as soon as I tried to close the door on him he's gone.  I calmly chase him into the bedroom - give him a quick scruff and head first into the carrier he goes.  Bingo!  Just like that he was ready to go.  Last time it took over half an hour of attempts.  I wrangle the other two into their carriers and head out...

...straight into a white out snow storm.

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

(image from CBC News)

A 20 minute drive turned into a 1 1/2 hour slog to the vet and 3 hours on the return trip.  Over 500 accidents on the roads that night - but we made it there and back safely!  All of them got checked out, treated for ear mites/worms, got Mama's nails trimmed, etc.  The irony is, big dominant & tough Mama turned into a tiny fearful submissive wimp of a cat!! 

They kept commenting on how well he was behaving.

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

Apparently we caught the infestation early on (only eggs visible no live mites during testing) and they should recover fairly quickly.  It wasn't all good news though.  Mama has gingivitis and Scotty has the early stages of stomatitis.   We scheduled them both for cleanings early in the new year, got some dental chews & tooth brushes to try to help in the mean time.  It's going to be an expensive few months to say the least. 

We had set aside money to get Morgan & Julius vetted so they could be brought in (they were supposed to be trapped last week).  Sadly the vet visit wiped out those funds.  The woman who runs FFF emailed me today to let me know she's trying to fund raise their vetting so we may yet be able to bring them inside.  I really hope so as it's going to be a particularly bad winter (already had -20C and 20cm of snow) and the construction has taken away their shelter/we can't get access to give them a new one.  Our landlord actually told us if we tried to go past the construction barrier to help them we would be evicted.  They're huddled under a BBQ right now   For whatever reason they are glued to that spot though.  I'm so worried about them, it's going down to -22C tonight and I can't open the patio door for them (it's sealed off).

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

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• JMJimmy
• Nov 9, 2016

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• JMJimmy
• Mar 21, 2016

The pair of them are inseparable these days and both have spent time inside with us before.  They belonged to the same colony that Mama/Scotty/Sissy came from.  Anyway, we'll find a way to get them inside somehow.

On a lighter note:

Junior will turn anything into a toy - that's the box the carrier came in lol

1game.jpg

• JMJimmy
• Dec 18, 2016

 

[tarasgirl06]

TYSM for updates.  Your landlord sounds like a *expletive deleted*.  Wish you could send Junior over here to talk to my Baby Su, who is so cowed by our most recent addition to the family, Elvis, that she spends most of her time hiding under the bed in the master bedroom.  

 

[Norachan]

Wonderful update, thank you for letting us know how things are going with you.

Does Bobbie/Thawney suffer from incontinence? That often affects cats with Manx Syndrome. If she is incontinent you'd have to keep her restricted to one area or try getting her to wear diapers.  I understand why Alpha Kitty is reluctant, but it can be done. She's such a pretty girl.

You've done an amazing job with all the cats in your neighborhood. Good luck with Morgan & Julius. Is it possible to make a shelter for them right outside your patio doors? Or is that construction site too?

Your indoor cats all look so content and the kittens are gorgeous.

Thank you for everything you've done for them.

 

[JMJimmy]

 
TYSM for updates.  Your landlord sounds like a *expletive deleted*.  Wish you could send Junior over here to talk to my Baby Su, who is so cowed by our most recent addition to the family, Elvis, that she spends most of her time hiding under the bed in the master bedroom.  

I never thought Jr./Scotty would get along but 8-10 months of patient guiding, tweaking of the environment, feeding them wet food as close to each other as possible, picking up and holding one in front of the other, then repeating with the one that just watched, and "double play/pet sessions" is all it took.  LOL - sounds like a lot typing it out, didn't seem like it.  The rest was just letting them feel the other out.

You'll get there!

PS: Landlord is an expletive but they're getting a nice lawsuit from us come January/February due to them constantly ignoring the law.  

 
Does Bobbie/Thawney suffer from incontinence? That often affects cats with Manx Syndrome. If she is incontinent you'd have to keep her restricted to one area or try getting her to wear diapers.  I understand why Alpha Kitty is reluctant, but it can be done. She's such a pretty girl.

You've done an amazing job with all the cats in your neighborhood. Good luck with Morgan & Julius. Is it possible to make a shelter for them right outside your patio doors? Or is that construction site too?

We're not sure about the incontinence issue just yet, she's been restricted to a cage at the moment so it's hard to tell.  She was fixed too late in the year to return to the street with her belly shaved.  She's not great with cats she doesn't know, and is in a house with 10+ cats currently, so she's been isolated from the rest until we can figure out what to do with her.   She's got such big eyes too, almost exotic like.

Thanks for the praise, I am not the one doing the bulk of the work though, that is entirely the woman who runs FFF - I just support her however I can (rides to the clinic, feeding, keeping track of local cats, that kind of thing).  She does the hard work of trapping/recovery/arranging fosters/fundraising/etc.  I don't have he equipment to do it myself and it'll be a long while before I do.

As to shelters for Morgan and Julius, the building is surrounded by construction fences for the winter.  Construction has stopped, most of the work is unfinished, so we're kind of in limbo.  The nearest we could setup a shelter is 100m+ away from where they are "glued".  Past experience has been that they'll get destroyed/vandalized if they aren't in a backyard

 

[tarasgirl06]

TYSM for encouragement and suggestions -- I will try those, thanks!

And *PRAYERS* and good thoughts for the colony, and Bobbie/Thawney!

 

[trudy1]

Don't give up hope! It may take some work but there are cat groups, rescue groups, etc that supply vouchers for neutering. Get on google, call vets, shelters, etc. they know who these people are. Even in our rural area where a big town is 10,000 there are such cat warriors willing to help.

The top priority should be to get these guys neutered so you don't have more to deal with.

Sounds like you are the recipient of either an abandoned litter or colony somebody was feeding and they quit.

-35 wow try to get them inside at least for the nights.

Food sources again help from the above people. Also don't overlook the pet food people. Calls to customer support with appropriate praise for their products and a short explanation can yield all kinds of coupons.

Bless you for what you are trying to do. "I was cold and you clothed me, I was hungry and you fed me"

 

[JMJimmy]

Thanks Turdy1, I'm guessing you're just catching up on the thread for the first time 

  We've gone through all that, got TNR certification, and there are lots of options available with that.  The OSPCA negotiates with the pet food companies on our behalf so we get semi-regular shipments.  Recently Iams donated 2,000kg of food which was given to TNR volunteers - we're about halfway through what we were given (30kg).  The rest of the time we fill in with Food Bank donations, Costco/Walmart Wiskas/Friskies, etc. 

There are a lot of cat warriors out there, it's a constant drain and donor fatigue sets in quickly, but the generosity is amazing. 

As to neutering, all of our cats have been done. 

All the TNRs get:

 - Spay/Neuter

 - Rabies/FVRCP

 - Microchip

 - Revolution (de-flea)

 - Deworming

 - Nail trim

 - Ear tipping

Everything is done for free.  Unfortunately, they won't cover the cost when removing a cat from the colony, only if you are TNRing them.  Otherwise they're considered an adoption and we have to cover the costs.  An entirely reasonable policy which we don't abuse.  We are/were fully prepared to pay this ourselves as we are adopting them, however, our medical fund being unexpectedly drained the same week we going to trap them was horrible timing.  In 4-6 months time we'll be able to afford it again, it just means they have to spend another winter outside. 

If it was like last year I wouldn't be too worried but they're calling for "exceptionally cold-if not downright frigid-winter weather" and "exceptional snowfall".  If we can't get them inside or into a decent shelter I am worried they won't make it.  Because they are in such an exposed area and refuse to move I'm worried they'll freeze to death.  I think that's why FFF is trying https://www.youcaring.com/caronlavallee-718821 - normally she'd insist on the costs being paid those doing the adopting.  They're already looking skinny for cats that are regularly fed, especially Julius who shouldn't look skinny being a DLH.  He always stands back and waits for Morgan to eat her fill before he'll have anything.  It's incredibly sweet how protective he is.

 

[JMJimmy]

Well, we've started trapping outside the building to try to get Julius and Morgan inside.  We were worried that Julius was gone as he hadn't been seen in 2-3 weeks.  Two failed days of trying to get Morgan, we start on a 3rd and out of nowhere Julius shows up.  Within 5 minutes he was in the trap.

I brought him in as we continued trying for Morgan.  Alpha Kitty wasted no time... she let him out as soon as I left, gave him some catnip and started petting him for the next 10 minutes.  He would nudge her hand if she stopped!!!  So cute!  He's way way too skinny for this early in the winter but he's now out of the cold with all the food he can eat.  All the other kitties have introduced themselves and other than a single hiss from an anxious Scotty - everything was great!  We pet Scotty into a purring coma to relieve his anxiety and sure enough all the kitties just accepted that they had a new roommate. 

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 30, 2016
• 1

In one of the hiding spots he's discovered.  We'll give him some time to come out on his own but the vet visit will come soon.  Normally we'd keep him isolated but we found out that they've been to the vet in the past 2 months thanks to a kind construction worker.

Morgan refuses to pay any attention to the trap no matter what bait we use... tuna, salmon, friskies of all kinds, kibble... not even a pause to take a sniff.  Trying a new tactic in the morning - if it doesn't work we'll have to get a drop trap. 

 

[Norachan]

Good work @JMJimmy  !

Have you tried hot KFC as bait? That usually proves irresistible to even the most trap-shy cat. Another thing that might work is putting a thin layer of straw on the trap floor and just outside of the trap. Some cats are wary of the wire floor under their feet.

I'm glad Julius has settled in so quickly. Lucky boy to be out of that cold.

 

[JMJimmy]

 
Good work @JMJimmy  !

Have you tried hot KFC as bait? That usually proves irresistible to even the most trap-shy cat. Another thing that might work is putting a thin layer of straw on the trap floor and just outside of the trap. Some cats are wary of the wire floor under their feet.

I'm glad Julius has settled in so quickly. Lucky boy to be out of that cold.

A roasted chicken from the deli is our last resort if all else fails.  (we're vegetarian so we'd have to buy one special for her).  She just seems to be a creature of habit... food is given in a specific spot and a specific spot only so she runs past the trap to get to her feeding spot.  Tomorrow we're going to take the covering off the trap, place it next to the fence at her feeding spot and see if she'll get the idea of going inside

 

[JMJimmy]

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• JMJimmy
• Dec 31, 2016

Morgan was trapped first thing this morning!   10 minutes and she was in.  She just needed to be able to see the food to figure out how to get to it.  In the end, good old fashioned kibble+hunger was all that she needed.

 

[Norachan]

Awesome!

She really is pretty. I bet she'll be happy to see her friend Julius again.