Cat lovers--HELP!!

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  • mittmott
    mittmott Member Posts: 409
    edited January 2008

    Hi Mizssissy, any luck with the animal rescue groups.  I do believe your feral guy can be mean, and can bite and hurt any neighborhood cats, but I've never seen one cat kill another, but still, obviously you can't take him in, and he's going to continue terrorizing other cats in the area.  I just wanted to point out, that regardless of what your neighbors say, a feral cats life is always hard.  Just because there are small rodents, etc, doesn't mean hunting is easy,and trust me, barn cats don't have good lives.   They carry diseases, that they don't get treatment for, they eat sporadically, etc.  Most feral toms, will look large and well fed, but it's really his winter coat, making him look like that.  I bet, he's really thin under all that fur.  But again, back on point, he needs help, and you and your neighbors need him removed from the area.  Call every animal rescue group, and beg, beg, beg.  Some of these people have attitudes, they think everyone has to do the same for animals that they do, but I understand, that it's not for everyone.  Ignore the attitudes if you get them, and continue to beg, beg, beg, for help.  I don't know your finances, but if you can make a contribution, it makes it easier also.. Good luck,  and keep us posted as to whether you were able to get someone to help you and this poor guy. Randi

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  • Mizsissy
    Mizsissy Member Posts: 371
    edited January 2008

    Well, I've been trying to trap him, but to put it literally, he's cagey.  He knows how to get food out of the trap without setting it off.  So I tied some bacon in tight with string, and he managed to get off part of that without getting trapped as well.

    I've been in touch with some of the Feral Cat Colony management groups and they do not recommend trying to domesticate a feral cat, especially if you already have domestic cats.  Another problem we are having now is that the shelters are full; Michigan is in the midst of a depression and hundreds of thousands of people have left the state in the past few years. So we will try to relocate him in on a farm.

    Keep in mind too that this is a rural location, it is not a city...and wildlife abounds here; this is not your typical urban environment where kitties go begging up alleys with garbage cans; fresh food abounds.  He has moved in here with the idea that this neighborhood is his new territory...so he is trying to eliminate the competition; this is probably why he is getting into so many fights with the neighborhood cats.

    Miz 

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  • mittmott
    mittmott Member Posts: 409
    edited January 2008

    Mizsissy, it's not always best to relocate, they sometimes just insist on finding their way back.  It's true, though, that if he's that feral, he may never adjust, although I have several feral in my home. They don't let me touch them, but they eat my food, sleep on my furniture, etc, they are contented. I keep them in a cage with a litter box for a while, until I know they know to use a litter box, and then I release them (in the basement where my llitter pans are kept), and they usually do just fine.  Tell the animal groups you  aren't having luck with the trapping, and maybe they'll come do it for you. 

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  • biondi
    biondi Member Posts: 223
    edited January 2008

    MY BIG BOY, FERAL CAT, I TRAPPED HIM AND GOT HIM NUTERED AFTER I FED HIM IN MY BACKYARD FOR AT LEAST 5 YEARS. HE WAS VERY AGRESSIVE FROM LIVING IN THE WILD AS THEY SAY, WOULD HISS AND TRY TO BITE ME IF I TRIED TO PET HIM. FINALLY AFTER I TRAPPED HIM, HE GRADUALLY WOULD COME IN THE HOUSE TO EAT, AND THEN WANTED TO GO BACK OUTSIDE. NOW, HE IS A BIG BABY, AND SITS BY ME, LETS ME BRUSH HIM AND IS VERY LOVING AND SWEET. I HAVE TWO FERALS, BIG BOY AND CICI. THEY REWARDED ME WITH SUCH DEVOTION RIGHT AFTER MY SURGERY. WOULD SIT BY ME AND PURR.. I JUST LOVE MY "WILD CATS". NUTERING BIG BOY CERTAINLY CALMED HIM DOWN, ALONG WITH PATIENCE AND LOVE FROM ME.. SUCH RETURN THEY GAVE ME..

    P.S- SOMEONE FROM "SAVE OUR STRAYS" GROUP, GAVE ME THE SPECIAL CAGES NEEDED TO TRAP WILD CATS, AND SHOWED ME HOW TO SET THE FOOD IN THE CAGE. THEY ALSO GAVE ME THE NAME OF A VET WHO WORKS WITH THEM, AND I ONLY HAD TO MAKE A DONATION TO THE ORGANIZATION IN PAYMENT.. I HAVE TRAPPED 7-8 CATS SO FAR, AND FOUND FAMILIES FOR MOST OF THEM..  

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  • Mizsissy
    Mizsissy Member Posts: 371
    edited January 2008

    Hi gals,

    For the time being, it seems that our Tom Cat has vanished.  The weather is warmer and he's probably enjoying other hunting grounds... Maybe he's smart enough to know that I'm trying to trap him and has decided he doesn't want any part of it!!!   

    Miz 

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