Want to do more for a feral/stray I've been feeding over a year

[chalupa]

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• chalupa
• Sep 2, 2014

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• chalupa
• Sep 2, 2014

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• chalupa
• Sep 2, 2014

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• chalupa
• Sep 2, 2014

I've lived in the basement apartment of a house a little over a year and since I've moved here there has been a cat that waits in front of the door. He comes every night after dark and I have been feeding him a can of friskies every time I see him there. He has recently started to eat while I sit near him which is new because he would always walk away before if I did not go back inside after giving him food. A few months after I moved here my cat Chalupa who I had for ten years became very sick from lymphoma and died a little over a month ago. During the time that she was sick I did not even begin to consider doing anything more for the stray/feral I call Stu besides feeding him. While I was trying to deal with the loss of Chalupa I began visiting a shelter near where I work to be with other cats. I quickly adopted a few. I realize now maybe I should have waited and tried to help my friend Stu outside. Now I want to help him and I hAve found someone who is also interested in helping him but we are not sure how to go about this or if it is even a good idea. We don't want to traumatize him. We are not sure how he would be inside.also I really don't want to upset my new cats especially since one is a senior who has been vomiting frequently and have a serious health problem. The other person who work with is interested in helping him and possibly taking him in permanently however they are also not sure this is the right thing to do. We want to get him off the streets by winter. Last winter was like the worst in the history of Chicago and this cat somehow survived, even stopped coming when there was heavy snow and wet food would just freeze. That's all he would eat And it was probably too cold to wait for me to. One home or out to feed him. He returned once the weather got warmer. Since then I see him nearly every night. The other person who I work with currently lives in a place where he could only keep Stu in a crate in an inside porch area of an apartment building . He might be moving in a month or two to another apartment where hopefully he Stu can have his own safe room. We are both willing to pay for any medical costs for Stu and wAnf to have him fixed and treated for fleas, worms, vaccinations, tested for fiv and leukemia. We just don't hAve experience with cats like this and don't even know if we will be able to handle him or if we even should. Any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[ondine]

What a sweet face! It would appear that this cat had a home at one point. Otherwise, he would still be leaving when he saw you. He's getting used to you. Please see if you can find a foster home for him, so you can bring him in sooner, rather than later. He'll need to be vet checked and spayed/neutered if needed.

The crate may not be the best solution but if it is only temporary, it will do in a pinch. So glad that you co-worker is willing to adopt him. Please get together and draw up a plan that will get him off the streets as soon as possible. Thank you for helping him.

 

[chalupa]

ondine . Thank you so much for writing and for your support!

 

[ritz]

It's wonderful that you want to help Stu, and he has such a sweet face.
I think the first priority is to get him spayed/neutered if not already, then finding a foster/permanent home before the cold weather. It's one of the first question potential adoptors ask: is she/he fixed? Up to date with required vaccinations? In this case, he should also be tested for FIV/FeLK.
Here is an article about TNR. Alley Cat Allies also has several videos, articles about trapping cats. While ACS's articles are geared towards feral cats, the principals are the same. There are several low cost spay/neuter clinics in Chicago; here is one. And here.
He will need a place to recuperate after he is neutered; a bathroom is fine. See how he reacts; that may give you a clue how easy it will be to transition him from being an outdoor to an indoor cat. Also, neutering generally make cats calmer.
Let us know how it goes.

 

[chalupa]

ritz thank you very much for writing and all the helpful info. Will definitely let you know how it goes. Probably will have more questions since this is my first time doing this. Also the other person could possibly back out leaving me to have this cat with my 2 recently adopted girl cats. Thank you again!

 

[chalupa]

Just wanted to add that Stu's tail looks injured recently. Also several people I know think it would be cruel of me to take in Stu with the other cats saying it would stress out the girls too much. If anyone has any thoughts about this please share. I care about Stu and my two cats I want to help all of them.

 

[ondine]

It might be far less cruel than leaving him on his own. I would see if you can get Stu to the vets for a check on the tail. Once he's fixed up (and neutered), you can keep him inside for a day or two and see how that works. He'll need a room of his own at least for a bit, so you can introduce him to the girls slowly. That helps everyone get acclimated.

It will also give you time to perhaps find another home for him. Maybe the person you mentioned needs a little adjustment time, too. But I would act quickly on the tail and neutering to give yourself time to assess and make your decision before winter. If he goes outside again, he'll need a shelter, so you'll need time to get that together, too.

Please try to contact any rescues or spay/neuter groups to see how much help and support you have available to you.

 

[msaimee]

No, it's not cruel to take in another cat. Cats adjust to one another, and your two adopted cats will likely adjust quickly to him because you only recently took them in, too. I've taken in lots of shelter, stray, and feral cats over the years and have observed that cats have a tendency to work out their differences with each other much more quickly than humans do.  I would not recommend putting him in a crate. Even domesticated cats hate to be confined, and if Stu is a feral, he will go crazy if confined in a crate. It would be kinder just to leave him be and continue feeding him until you have a solid plan in place. I hope you will trap and neuter him so if you don't take him inside he will at least stay close to home in the winter. Perhaps you could provide him with a pet house or some other shelter near your apartment.

 

[chalupa]

Hi just wanted to add the property is not mine and I cannot make a shelter for him or nearby. There is also a dog who is outside right near where Stu usually waits during daylight hours mostly after it's dark a little while is usually when Stu comes. Still trying to decide what to do . Things are kind of crazy right now and not sure it's good to deal with this, but I will if his life is in danger like from an injury, I know his whole life is dangerous and stressful.

 

[playerdark]

If he is a feral cat it will take a long time to even be able to touch him. I have a feral cat in my garden. She was young when she came here and it took me over a year before I could touch her. Now she is very trusting, comes to me and lets me scratch her all over, but that is about two years now and she was very young, so with feral cats, its very difficult. I started by sitting next to her when I gave her Fancy Feast hardfood which she loved best. I was then able to touch her without being attacked as it was the case without that food, but again it takes a long time for feral cats.

It's always best for cats to get off the street for various reasons, I hope you find a solution

 

[lynnew1]

One of my feral cats had an infection at the top of his tail. It smelled progressively worse and got worse. Luckily I found a vet who would work with ferals and he was able to shave the area and clean the infection. The tail healed even in the dead of Winter in a WI but had the infection gotten even worse it would have been bad. Please take Stu in if you can. Does one of the Chicago Humane Societies do TNR? You could get him fixed and treated at the same time. You will need to live trap him with that wet food. Actually everyone says that they like KFC chicken even better. They will lend you a live trap to catch him.

 

[chalupa]

Hi I finally trapped Stu the cat actually not because of his tail which seemed better but because he was limping really bad. It took taking videos of him to get someone to help me transport him to vet. Vet said he had a very badly infected wound, abscess, on his right shoulder that was causing him to walk funny . Didn't seem to have any broken bones according to vet. He got neutered, an antibiotic injection, and ear tipped, they shaved the area and cleaned his wound. Also they gave him rabies vaccine. I've been holding him in a trap in my bathroom since. Holding him for him to recover and because very bad weather, windy and raining and will also be tomorrow. Not sure if I should hold him longer maybe ond more day. This will be his third night tonight. He has been very resourceful with new newspaper I stick in his cage. I have been giving him baby food spread on small paper plate slipped under door. When he eats it if he doesn't use it as bedding I pull plate out. Did baby food because it's neater and maybe has a lot of water I hope. He's been eating it all. Sleeping well, considering he's in my only bathroom. Very quiet. Wish I could take out the peed on newspaper at the bottom of his bedding. The trap is on top of cardboard with a puppypad inside my tub. He is very feral I think and does not like me poking around in his cage. The whole time not one meow. Had to be sedated at the vet. Can't really keep , and now I think the person who might have been willing to take him in kind of doesn't want to because he acts and looks very wild.

 

[chalupa]

It was my first time trapping, I borrowed the trap, from throop st ferals, I used sardines in oil, put the trap down right in front him while he was waiting for food. I used an ice cube tray to put the sardines in and put it under the trap itself at the end where he has to step to get door closed. I put trap in front of my window and just watched as he walked in to find that smell. Took minutes. Then I put him in my back porch area until our ride came in morning. Kept the trap covered with a beach towel. Trap was lined with newspaper. He was very freaked out but keeping trap covered seemed to help. He was an excellent silent traveler, way better than my two cats are. Took him to vca Berwyn 24 hour emergency animal hospital.

 

[chalupa]

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• chalupa
• Oct 13, 2014

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• chalupa
• Oct 13, 2014

 

[chalupa]

He is really good in the trap, by the way, even after all this time. He seems to not mind being forced to rest. He doesn't make a sound except when he is adjusting his bedding, which I would love to watch him do but he freezes when I'm around. Besides the infection Stu, got a very good health report card. Thankfully no external parasites present.

 

[mani]

Oh, good for you!!

Keep us posted.

 

[chalupa]

Stu may have a home permanently in a month or two. I was told it would be really hard to get him out of a cage once he's in there. For now he is on a 36 inch trap. I need to get a divider. I can't really keep him too long landlord doesn't want me to have more than two cats. He is doing so well, I just don't want to let him out , it's raining. Is it possible to let him out and trap him again? Just don't know what to do. If anyone has any ideas please let me know.

 

[shadowsrescue]

It would be very very difficult to trap him again.  He now knows all about the trap.  I hope that you can find a home for him or try to keep him yourself.  Lots of us here have integrated a feral/stray into our homes with other cats.  It can be done, yet it takes work and dedication.  Also the first step is determining if he is FIV or FeLV positive.  If not he can safely be around your other cats.  I would explain to the landlord your situation if necessary.

 

[chalupa]

Not going to make him deal with my cats if anything he will have to stay in a cage in a separate room. Seems like he has not pooped since I had him , might be healthier to let him go. Working on a cage possibility too. Seems really increasingly hissy and restless. Seems like he's feeling better and really wants out

 

[chalupa]

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• chalupa
• Oct 16, 2014

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• chalupa
• Oct 16, 2014

The weather let up so I let Stu go last night. Since I have had him a beautiful black cat has been waiting for food in his place(when it's not raining). Stu was getting feisty and more irritated and looked and seemed a lot better. Was hard to see his abcess anymore. Was worried he hadn't pooped. Good bye for now Stu and good luck.Let him go, he bolted, hopped a fence, stood there a moment looked at me then ran on top of garbage cans, then onto a thrown out couch, paused thought about peeing, no time, took off down the alley, but stopped and looked at me one more time. He forgot to limp!!!! I think he's ok now
Stu, please help the little black cat out there waiting for you, she's gorgeous! Maybe I will take her to the vet next.