Tips for helping feral cat recover?

[Freddieandchip]

Does anyone have tips for fostering a feral cat? I have a feral cat that I’ve been caring for and he is sick. He is going to the vet as soon as I trap him and he will have to recover in my house. I have fostered before but never a feral cat. I’m planning on buying a large crate for him to stay in with everything he needs. i want him to be as comfortable as possible. He has bad eyes and also has a cut on his side, it looks like he may have been bit by an animal.

 

[roguethecat]

he will want somewhere to hide. Box with cut-out hole should do. He also won't know how to use the litter box (I'd put one in his crate anyway) so you'll want to line the crate with newspapers to throw away when soiled or rags you can wash.
Thank you for taking care of him!

 

[kittychick]

How kind of you to not just notice this poor guy, but to take the extra step of taking action to help him.

Obviously since he’s injured, the quicker you can get him medical care the better. But first - even before you buy a crate, you’ll want to get your ducks in a row. That way everything is as easy as it can be on both you and the kitty.

Since he’s feral, are you able to get near him at all? If he truly is feral (vs stray) does he have anyone who functions as his caregiver - - someone who feeds him/provides shelter, etc.? He’ll need that if he ends up unable to be socialized and needs to be rereleased after medical treatment (which will hopefully also mean getting him neutered!). If he doesn’t know you at all - now’s the time to at least start building trust until you can trap him. If it’s possible, visit him a few times a day with some canned cat food. And if you can do that - it’d help to sit in the area (a bit away from the food) and talk to him (standing will likely cause him to avoid you - - it makes him feel like prey and triggers his sense of “fight or flight.”

You’ll want to talk to the vet you want to take him to once he’s trapped, because many vets don’t treat feral cats at all. If yours doesn’t (or you don’t have a vet yet), check online for spay/neuter clinics in your area and give them a call to find out their procedure for bringing in a feral cat. You’ll also want to check to see if they’ll provide medical care also. If they don’t - ask them who in your area will do both (fix and treat). They’ll likely have a few vet names for vets who will treat ferals. Note that most shelters do not take in feral cats as they don’t have the time/staff/etc. to handle the special needs of a feral. Consequently, many shelters don’t take in feral cats/kittens.

Since it doesn’t sound as though you’ve live trapped before, I’d suggest checking with the spay/neuter clinics and shelters in your area to see if you can borrow a trap and be shown how to use it. Many clinics loan traps out for a refundable deposit. And some even go as far as actually coming out with you to help you set the trap in place, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask - - most shelters/clinics are thrilled to have people like you who are willing to go the extra mile!

As far as care inside your home - - many members in this forum in particular have lots of trapping/feral experience, and many of us do things slightly differently. It’s basically a matter of advising based on what’s worked for each of us. I do use a crate (a very large one - ours is Great Dane sized) to keep the cat safe and and as secure and calm as possible during recovery and/or socialization. We put our crate in a guest bedroom - -and I’d strongly recommend you set him up in a separate room just in case he gets out. Getting him back in is much easier if you’re only dealing with one room. It also keeps him from having any contact with any animals you already have (if you have them). I also cover the crate with a few large sheets, leaving only the front panel of the crate exposed. He’ll feel safer if it’s covered.

I have to step off the computer, but will post some links tomorrow for you of articles that’ll help familiarize you with the process of helping a feral kitty (other members may beat me to it!). And keep coming back with questions - -lots of us here have been through it and are happy to answer anything. Keep us posted!!!! And again - thanks for caring enough about this guy.

 

[Freddieandchip]

he will want somewhere to hide. Box with cut-out hole should do. He also won't know how to use the litter box (I'd put one in his crate anyway) so you'll want to line the crate with newspapers to throw away when soiled or rags you can wash.
Thank you for taking care of him!

Thank you! I feel so bad for him, I want to make it as comfortable as possible. I actually have a cave like bed that I originally bought for foster kittens, I’m not sure if he’ll use it but I’ll make sure to have a lot of room for him to hide. He’ll be in his

How kind of you to not just notice this poor guy, but to take the extra step of taking action to help him.

Obviously since he’s injured, the quicker you can get him medical care the better. But first - even before you buy a crate, you’ll want to get your ducks in a row. That way everything is as easy as it can be on both you and the kitty.

Since he’s feral, are you able to get near him at all? If he truly is feral (vs stray) does he have anyone who functions as his caregiver - - someone who feeds him/provides shelter, etc.? He’ll need that if he ends up unable to be socialized and needs to be rereleased after medical treatment (which will hopefully also mean getting him neutered!). If he doesn’t know you at all - now’s the time to at least start building trust until you can trap him. If it’s possible, visit him a few times a day with some canned cat food. And if you can do that - it’d help to sit in the area (a bit away from the food) and talk to him (standing will likely cause him to avoid you - - it makes him feel like prey and triggers his sense of “fight or flight.”

You’ll want to talk to the vet you want to take him to once he’s trapped, because many vets don’t treat feral cats at all. If yours doesn’t (or you don’t have a vet yet), check online for spay/neuter clinics in your area and give them a call to find out their procedure for bringing in a feral cat. You’ll also want to check to see if they’ll provide medical care also. If they don’t - ask them who in your area will do both (fix and treat). They’ll likely have a few vet names for vets who will treat ferals. Note that most shelters do not take in feral cats as they don’t have the time/staff/etc. to handle the special needs of a feral. Consequently, many shelters don’t take in feral cats/kittens.

Since it doesn’t sound as though you’ve live trapped before, I’d suggest checking with the spay/neuter clinics and shelters in your area to see if you can borrow a trap and be shown how to use it. Many clinics loan traps out for a refundable deposit. And some even go as far as actually coming out with you to help you set the trap in place, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask - - most shelters/clinics are thrilled to have people like you who are willing to go the extra mile!

As far as care inside your home - - many members in this forum in particular have lots of trapping/feral experience, and many of us do things slightly differently. It’s basically a matter of advising based on what’s worked for each of us. I do use a crate (a very large one - ours is Great Dane sized) to keep the cat safe and and as secure and calm as possible during recovery and/or socialization. We put our crate in a guest bedroom - -and I’d strongly recommend you set him up in a separate room just in case he gets out. Getting him back in is much easier if you’re only dealing with one room. It also keeps him from having any contact with any animals you already have (if you have them). I also cover the crate with a few large sheets, leaving only the front panel of the crate exposed. He’ll feel safer if it’s covered.

I have to step off the computer, but will post some links tomorrow for you of articles that’ll help familiarize you with the process of helping a feral kitty (other members may beat me to it!). And keep coming back with questions - -lots of us here have been through it and are happy to answer anything. Keep us posted!!!! And again - thanks for caring enough about this guy.

Thank you! I leave food out for the cats every day, he only comes about once a week but I live in an apartment complex and I know a lot of other people care for the feral cats. I have had help to get all of the other ferals in the area spayed and neutered but all of them recovered at the vet, not in my house. I am borrowing a drop trap from someone, I actually trapped him in a regular trap but he got out within a few seconds. I am working with someone in my area that gets vet care for stray and feral cats, she is going to take care of the vet appointment but she told me that due to the amount of sick and injured cats in the area they have no room for him to recover at the time, which is why I will be taking care of him until he is recovered. He will also be neutered, he is the last cat that I know of in the area that is not fixed.

I have been feeding him for about a year but he comes very irregularly, I actually had multiple previous neuter appointments for him that I had to cancel because he never showed up for me to trap him. I’m very new to this but I love cats and I want to keep helping as much as I can. As far as I can tell he seems to be feral, normally when I feed them I sit by the screen door and gently talk to them while they eat to try to bond with them. There is a feral cat that this worked great with, she is still definitely very scared and I can’t touch her or go close to her but now she will roll around on her back while I talk to her. This has not been the case with him, he is so scared, if he happens to come before I put food out I will try to put some out as quietly as possible and it scares him so much that he doesn’t even come back most of the time.

I have a separate room for him to stay in, it’a a room that I use for storage which is the main reason why I plan on buying a crate for him. I am going to make sure he has room to hide and provide blankets and stuff for him to be comfortable. I have other cats but they will not have any access to the room. Thank you for all of your suggestions! I will definitely keep everything I learn on here in mind while setting up his area

 

[kittychick]

It sounds like you're at least surrounded by people who care ----and again - so great of you to take this on. It sounds like you truly love and care for these guys.

You're not alone in the "trouble keeping feral TNR appointments" - most shelters/clinics have a smaller staff right now and smaller donations so they've had to cut back to "appointment only" for ferals. Unfortunately, feral cats and kittens can't read a calendar or a clock, so they rarely show up right when you need them too. Our largest local clinic has done that too, and many of us are finding it almost impossible to keep appointments.

We've had a family emergency pop up, but I'll find time to post a little more later today or early tomorrow re: the room, etc. I've done it often enough I think I can help you through it (like tons of people on here). And I'll try to get those links then too - I haven't forgotten you!!!!