Well we decided to rescue this feral kitty............

[compchyk]

From the park (was about 8 months old ish) and its been drama since. This thing has found his way INSIDE the house via crawlspace multiple times. Way too skittish to handle and he's a rough player with the resident feline. What I want to do is to catch the little bugger (he's fast as the wind) in order to take him to go get fixed. Vet gave me something to knock him out - forget it he slowed down just a little but still not catch-able.

Forget a trap - tried multiple times.

Ideas? He's bonded to the other kitty (although the other kitty wouldn't prefer it) and really wouldn't want to make him an "outside kitty"

All ideas to catch him are welcomed...

[Meemur]

Extremely fishy smelling food in a hav-a-hart trap

http://www.havahart.com/store/live-a...FbMEQAodFDu1cA

These do work. It just takes the right food. I spread it thinly in the trap pan.

[Terrwyn]

Extremely fishy smelling food in a hav-a-hart trap

http://www.havahart.com/store/live-a...FbMEQAodFDu1cA

These do work. It just takes the right food. I spread it thinly in the trap pan.

I second that. We have caught, fixed with shots and released over 30 feral cats.
The vets are doing that FLV test now on all feral cats and we had to have 3 put down this last year.

[energy_wave]

Catnip

[Chair Warmer]

Put some food in a cardboard box.

Set the cardboard box on it's side with the flap on top. When kitty goes in, push the flap down to block the open end of the box. Turn box upright and seal the box closed (leaving some cracks for an air vent).

[blackjeep]

On the old jungle movies, they would dig a giant, deep hole, cover it with jungle vegetation and put something good to eat on top. Lions and tigers (actually just over grown kitties) would fall right in. Worked every time!

[LtPiper]

Have to agree food in a container of some type with a lid. Only way you'll get him if you can get him.

[tm1439m]

I like animals but there are far to many wild cats out there already.

[Willow]

The catnip suggestion is a good one...if he is suseptible to it. Some cats are not affected at all. Anyway, set the hav a heart trap with smelly food. Put catnip near the trap so the cat is drugged by the catnip and hopefully he will forget that the trap is a bad thing.

Another option is to continue to feed him until he trusts you a bit more and then try again to get him in a crate. You can try feeding him in a dog crate for an extended time until he is comfortable. Once he goes in easily put a blanket over it so only the door provides a way to see outside. Let him have several days to get used to the crate with the blanket. Then, on the day you want to catch him, put catnip in the crate. If you plan on using this method you might want to give him some catnip to see if it does work on him. Once he is showing the effects of the catnip....slam the crate door shut. You will only get one chance.

Or you can entice him into the house and once in the house work on trapping him in a crate.

As for not leaving him outside...I have found that many ferals want to be outside and feel much more comfortable out there. I have several that I put in big cat cages while they were recovering from their surgery and then just turned loose in the house. Most eventually find the cat doors and spend most of their time outside or in the barn but they know how to get into the house and I see them in here during the worst weather in the winter.

Willow

[dstraito]

I'd try leaving the door open until it left and blocking the other entries into the house.

[Coulter]

Crossbow between the eyes.

I like animals but there are far to many wild cats out there already.

I read an article a few years back where people (with nothing to do I guess) volunteered to follow their cats around for 30 days to see what they killed. These were well fed house cats.

Anyway the average (not hungry) cat killed 6 things a day. One cat they called the super killer - killed 22 animals / birds a day.

I can only imagine the number of animals / BIRDS that these feral cats kill.

Crossbow sounds good to me.

[Y2kO]

Do not let the feral cat near your cat - due to the possibility of contagious disease. If he's a rough player, you're asking for trouble for your cat.

[umhurricane]

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I think it might be worth a try. You said you rescued him from a park and brought him home. When he's outside do you know if he stays around your house or travels to parts unknown?

I live in the country and have a fairly large piece of property. I had a rottweiler and when he was a puppy he discovered we had a feral cat on the property who was about the same age as he was. Needless to say there were quite a few chases between the two of them. The only way the cat could get away from him was to go up a tree. This went on for 13 years and my beloved dog passed on.

We also have a large squirrel population and my husband and I have always had a great love of animals. In the winter Barry would put out squirrel feeders and we would feed the squirrels, we had a great deal of fun watching the squirrels getting the corn out of the feeders. I came home from work one day and Barry said he saw "the cat" watching the squirrels at the feeders and he was pretty sure he was stalking them. Being a feral cat I advised him the cat was probably mapping out his menu. He then advised me the cat had to go. I of course went ballistic and told him I would take care of it.

I went and bought a bag of cat food and started leaving a small bowl of food and water out for him in the evening when I got home from work. The next morning the food was gone. I then started putting the food and water out after we had supper and sat on the
porch step. It took about a week but he started coming to eat while I was sitting there. The next thing I did was went outside on the porch after supper and waited for him to come before I would feed him. Much to my surprise a few days after that when I pulled in the drive way after work and got out of the car he would meet me on the porch waiting for his supper. All during this time I never tried to pet him but I did talk to him.

I vividly remember it was a saturday morning and we had a severe thunder and rain storm, naturally I was worried about the cat since I now had become attached to him. I went out on the porch and sat down on the step never expecting to see the cat. The next thing I knew I had a soaking wet cat in my lap, I figured it was now or never. I took off my shirt and dried him off, hollered for Barry to bring me a towel. he curled up on my lap and started purring. He never tried to scratch or bite me or Barry.

After that we more or less let him come or go as he pleased until he got used to being in the house and around people. It took about a month.
So patience is going to be your best bet. When I finally was able to take him to the Vet I had to put him in a carrier as he and the Vet didn't get along for a long time. Everytime I took him in the Vet had to tranquilize him before he could do anything. That also changed with time.

One thing I learned about feral cats is that they are definitely nothing like a domestic cat. Ours was more like a dog than a cat in his behavior and a real joy. He had a personality that will always be unforgettable. The Vet figured he was about 21 years old when he passed away last year.

Good luck and I hope things work out for you.

[Hansa44]

Thanks umhurricane and welcome to TB.

That is a very heartwarming story about (I hesitate to say your cat) the feral cat. Feral cats belong to no one, but if they decide you're ok, they will let you feed them. LOL

I have found almost all animals respond to love. But like us, trust is a bit harder to come by. But all creatures have worth(except ticks) and your love for that cat proved it.

Good job.

[Peregrinus]

My neighbor likes her feral cats and traps and fixes several each year. True feral cats, not runaways have a very hard time getting used to being touched and will defend them self's with a fight to the death attitude. Generally speaking they really don't make for good house pets. I agree with Umhurricane's advice for lots of patience. If patience is not an option and the cat is truly trap wise I would recommend a ground mounted net trap but only if you intend to sit and monitor the trap while it is set. Our feral rescue is named Fred, he was rescued as a kitten and is a good smoke alarm and has alerted me to a kitchen fire, he's a lot more reliable then the store bought types. On one occasion he was acting weird so I went to see what was wrong and caught some low life screwing around with the window. Now we often call him Hero Kitty when we praise him. He seems to like that. A good cat is worth trying to save. Good luck.

[Maryh]

i have taken in feral cats also. Patience is definitely the way to go. Once they are inside, you always have to watch the open windows and doors because mine tried to go outside again. One even went through a screen but was later killed by a wild animal. Cats who live inside definitely have longer lives and don't get as many parasites. It can be done but takes time to build trust. Thanks for taking care of him. Google the poem "Elliot, the life of a feral cat" You will love that guy so much after reading it! My latest feral is a part Maine Coon cat. He's a big guy and we just love him. Good luck.

[tm1439m]

By the way I am not a cold person when it comes to animals but. I just think there are to many out there. When you have animal shelters overrun and no homes then it is time to start controlling the population a bit.

We have taken in many animals over the years that were strays and or dumped on the side of the road where we used to live. Kept a cat for 14.5 years that was a stray and eventually it became a lap cat that would not let me sit down without jumping in my lap and staying there until I forced it to move when i had to get up. But when we first got it and for about 2 years you could not even touch it or it would attack you.

Had a stray dog that we fed for months before it would even come into our yard. Every day we would put food in the field across the street and then watch it eat from our front door. If we came out the door it ran off. It was skin and bones and had clearly been beaten. Eventually we would set on the front porch and it would come and eat in the field. At that point we moved the food closer and closer each day. It would pace around and hesitate then finally run and eat the food then run off.

One day we put the food at the end of our drive. It would not cross the street. So we had to go back to going inside the storm door and then it would eat. Finally we worked our way back out the door and it would come over.

One day my son walked out to set the food down and it just walked up within 10 feet or so and stood there shaking and trying to smell him.

From that day on we moved the food inches closer each day until he finally would come up to us.

I reached out to pet it one day and it fell to the ground as though it thought I was going to beat it. I finally learned if I came at it from above it would cower. I had to work my hand over to it's head from near the ground and palm down in order to touch it at first. We were finally able to make friends with it but it never could accept a hand coming at it from over head. Must have been beaten and never petted by the previous owner. We had that dog for several years and it was an amazing runner. Looked to have greyhound in it. I would drive to some power lines with my son to go for a hike and that dog could run beside the truck at 30 to 35 miles per hour without even trying.

He would let the cat sleep on his back in the winter. The cat would walk around in circles clawing at him and the dog would get this awful looking face till the cat finally laid down.

[seeking one]

We have a feral cat named Peanut that adopted us about 4 years ago. We have other outside working cats who are fed (auto feeder) in the garage that is accessible to them by jumping onto a small platform about 3' above the ground and then entering a cat flap door to a cage inside the garage that holds their food and water. This allows us to feed the cats without feeding the raccoons and opossums. One morning, when I walked into the garage, there was about a six week old Peanut in the feeder chowing down. Meanwhile, our oldest cat, Spook, stayed on the back porch where I would pet her every morning while I drank my coffee on the porch. Peanut would watch from a distance that she shortened each day. She would watch Spook roll around on the deck while I petted and talked to her, and move closer and closer to us. After about six months, she got close enough to pet. About 3 months later, we got her into a carrier and to the vet for spaying. Now four years later, she comes when called and loves to get her head scratched. She is still skittish at fast sudden movements, and is not a lap kitty for sure, but I think she is happy. She spends at least half her time in the woods and the other half on the porch. She seems to be quite happy now but still maintains her wildness and independence.

We don't own cats; they own us.

[Flashyzipp]

I've used a wild animal trap on feral cats many, many times . . .

[Lone Wolf]

I don't know if this will help you or not, but I think it might be worth a try. You said you rescued him from a park and brought him home. When he's outside do you know if he stays around your house or travels to parts unknown?

I live in the country and have a fairly large piece of property. I had a rottweiler and when he was a puppy he discovered we had a feral cat on the property who was about the same age as he was. Needless to say there were quite a few chases between the two of them. The only way the cat could get away from him was to go up a tree. This went on for 13 years and my beloved dog passed on.

We also have a large squirrel population and my husband and I have always had a great love of animals. In the winter Barry would put out squirrel feeders and we would feed the squirrels, we had a great deal of fun watching the squirrels getting the corn out of the feeders. I came home from work one day and Barry said he saw "the cat" watching the squirrels at the feeders and he was pretty sure he was stalking them. Being a feral cat I advised him the cat was probably mapping out his menu. He then advised me the cat had to go. I of course went ballistic and told him I would take care of it.

I went and bought a bag of cat food and started leaving a small bowl of food and water out for him in the evening when I got home from work. The next morning the food was gone. I then started putting the food and water out after we had supper and sat on the
porch step. It took about a week but he started coming to eat while I was sitting there. The next thing I did was went outside on the porch after supper and waited for him to come before I would feed him. Much to my surprise a few days after that when I pulled in the drive way after work and got out of the car he would meet me on the porch waiting for his supper. All during this time I never tried to pet him but I did talk to him.

I vividly remember it was a saturday morning and we had a severe thunder and rain storm, naturally I was worried about the cat since I now had become attached to him. I went out on the porch and sat down on the step never expecting to see the cat. The next thing I knew I had a soaking wet cat in my lap, I figured it was now or never. I took off my shirt and dried him off, hollered for Barry to bring me a towel. he curled up on my lap and started purring. He never tried to scratch or bite me or Barry.

After that we more or less let him come or go as he pleased until he got used to being in the house and around people. It took about a month.
So patience is going to be your best bet. When I finally was able to take him to the Vet I had to put him in a carrier as he and the Vet didn't get along for a long time. Everytime I took him in the Vet had to tranquilize him before he could do anything. That also changed with time.

One thing I learned about feral cats is that they are definitely nothing like a domestic cat. Ours was more like a dog than a cat in his behavior and a real joy. He had a personality that will always be unforgettable. The Vet figured he was about 21 years old when he passed away last year.

Good luck and I hope things work out for you.

Feral kittie...

Back about 20 years ago while living in Freeport, The wife had made friends with an orange colored cat. Nice cat for one so wield.

Anyway The wife would go out in the evening and hand feed the cat just at dark.. heh

This night along came the kittie. Only this time it brought a friend...A nice black and white kittie...

So the wife was hand feeding the orange cat and the black and white kittie then she was scratching his little head...

She thought gee what a rough coat he had... the black and white kittie...

Then she came to and realized this was NOT a cat..but a full grown elderly SKUNK...



Now that was funny.. they
those two buddies came back several evenings after that for goodies...and they got them..

lw

[ainitfunny]

My mother lived in a very rural area, on 5 acres, up against a state park land. Eventually, there were SO many feral cats nearby (over 40) that all the normal population of squirrels, rabbits, quail, pheasants, and other small wild animals and even certain birds literally DISAPPEARED. I think they must have been attacking and eating the babies of even larger animals like possums, coons and other small critters.

[China Connection]

Can you give cats sleeping pills? - Yahoo! Answers

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/in...8181511AARjI9l

Benadryl is safe for cats, the usual dose is 1-2 milligrams per pound. Always speak with your Vet before giving any over the counter medication. Although Benadryl is safe, I do not know your cats medical history.

There are mild sedatives you can give, but these would have to be prescribed by your Vet. Speak with them and they can give you the best option. Most need to be given 30-60 mins before stressful situations or car rides, or you can get them and keep them on hand just in case she needs them.

Either way, be sure to give her some breaks during the ride. You can get a large collapsible crate you can put her in outside (at rest areas etc) so she can stretch her legs a bit. Ideally, if you have a big enough vehicle, a large crate (rather than a small carrier) would be best for her.

Good luck!!
Source(s):
Vet Tech


0% 0 Votes
shadowbaby4 shadowba...
You could try a product called Feliway, which is a synthesized pheremone that mimics the pheremones produced by nursing queens. Feliway has amazing calming powers that I can personally attest to, having used it on my cats before. It comes in a spray that you can use to spritz the inside of the carrier periodically. You may have to buy it from your vet; I'm not sure if they sell it in pet stores or not, but I know it is considered an OTC drug. Or you could have your vet prescribe a sedative, but as far as I know, there isn't anything you can get over the counter.

[Terrwyn]

I read an article a few years back where people (with nothing to do I guess) volunteered to follow their cats around for 30 days to see what they killed. These were well fed house cats.

Anyway the average (not hungry) cat killed 6 things a day. One cat they called the super killer - killed 22 animals / birds a day.

I can only imagine the number of animals / BIRDS that these feral cats kill.

Crossbow sounds good to me.

I am an archer and love the idea of using my weapons on a cat killer.

[Willow]

With apologies in advance if this is inappropriate. The original poster asked for ways to save this cat. Perhaps those that feel the cat shouldn't be saved should start their own thread instead of making comments that have nothing to do with the original request. Whether there is an overpopulation of cats or not (and there is) has nothing to do with one person asking for advice on how to save the life of this one cat AND prevent it from adding to the overpopulation problem at the same time.

If compchyk had asked whether he/she should kill or neuter the cat....ok...then the kill statements would apply. But the request was for help to save this one cat. I can't help but wonder why every request to save an animal always has one or two that decide the animal should be killed and they voice that opinion even when it has nothing to do with the request or the focus of the thread.

I'm not trying to start an arguement but there are times I hate to open a request for help with an animal because there are always those that must get a bow and arrow or a bullet into the conversation...whether it is appropriate or not. When someone asks for help in saving a life...why automatically tell that person the animal should be killed? I just don't get it. And to be clear, there are times when an animal does need to be put to sleep and I am not opposed to shooting the animal if done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Willow

[compchyk]

With apologies in advance if this is inappropriate. The original poster asked for ways to save this cat. Perhaps those that feel the cat shouldn't be saved should start their own thread instead of making comments that have nothing to do with the original request. Whether there is an overpopulation of cats or not (and there is) has nothing to do with one person asking for advice on how to save the life of this one cat AND prevent it from adding to the overpopulation problem at the same time.

If compchyk had asked whether he/she should kill or neuter the cat....ok...then the kill statements would apply. But the request was for help to save this one cat. I can't help but wonder why every request to save an animal always has one or two that decide the animal should be killed and they voice that opinion even when it has nothing to do with the request or the focus of the thread.

I'm not trying to start an arguement but there are times I hate to open a request for help with an animal because there are always those that must get a bow and arrow or a bullet into the conversation...whether it is appropriate or not. When someone asks for help in saving a life...why automatically tell that person the animal should be killed? I just don't get it. And to be clear, there are times when an animal does need to be put to sleep and I am not opposed to shooting the animal if done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Willow

Thank you Willow.. I'm from the school of thought "take from the earth ONLY what you need" so an arrow to the head of an animal I have no intentions of eating I don't agree with at all.

That being said...

This animal is IN my home... I was able to corral this thing once to get it to the vet when we found him. It's healthy and its not a strain on the ecosystem (other than my home). My issue is CONVINCING the little bugger to get into something that I can take him to the vet to get fixed....

Compchyk

[tm1439m]

Thank you Willow.. I'm from the school of thought "take from the earth ONLY what you need" so an arrow to the head of an animal I have no intentions of eating I don't agree with at all.

That being said...

This animal is IN my home... I was able to corral this thing once to get it to the vet when we found him. It's healthy and its not a strain on the ecosystem (other than my home). My issue is CONVINCING the little bugger to get into something that I can take him to the vet to get fixed....

Compchyk

Make sure when you get it trapped you keep it that way. I took a cat to the vet one day. Got in my truck and all seemed fine. Started easing down the road and all still seemed fine. The cat looked out the window and I guess it freaked out. It ran around the inside of my truck several times bashing its head into the windows, scratching me to pieces, and trying to get out before finally settling under my break peddle. I had to pull the emergency break to get stopped. He was normally a relaxed cat but the moving vehicle must have drove him crazy.

ETA: as far as the cat not taking from the earth. If it gets out at all it is most likely killing just to kill. I have watched my neighbors cats kill probably over 100 birds in my yard alone. We have had cardinal babies next to our back porch every year for 10 years and every year the neighbors cat kills them. I have caught him doing it. He walks all the yards in sight of mine stalking every tree and bush then climbs, tortures,kills and walks away leaving the helpless dead birds to rot.

I have also seen cats play with baby squirrels and chipmunks then finally kill them and leave them to rot as well. These are well fed cats that have nothing better to do than kill other animals. Species of birds are going extinct because of domestic cats.

[Mixin]

For many years, I took in strays and ferals, spayed/neutered and vaxed them.

There was only 1 condition they had to meet in order to live here and be fed; and that was they must let me handle them. I sat with the food dish and when they came to eat, I would gently pet them. They quickly learned: no petting = no eating. It was no time at all before they enjoyed being handled like all the other cats.

[bw]

On the old jungle movies, they would dig a giant, deep hole, cover it with jungle vegetation and put something good to eat on top. Lions and tigers (actually just over grown kitties) would fall right in. Worked every time!

Hopefully, Compchyk's home is not a jungle. But on this forum, you never know.

[homepark]

I admit it. We take in strays. The last one we got last fall. He was pathetic looking. Had been living under a neighbors shed. He was only a few weeks old. He crawled under my wife's car one day, and would not move. I reached to pull him out, he was so emaciated, no muscle tone, that was why he would not move. We brought his little self in. Lordy, I would almost tear up everytime I interacted with him. If you pet him, you could feel his bones, and would fall over with little pressure.

We kept him isolated from the other cat and our dog for a month. During that time, took him to the vet. Got him wormed and de-flea'd. I fed him a steady diet. He is a real pistol now. He is still very feral when it comes to food. However, he loves pets, loves to play with most anything, he sleeps each night on my ankles.

This 6'1", 225lb martial arts guy and gym rat loves that little kitty. Although, he and the older cat now do a dance on me at first light, demanding their tuna, white chunk Albacore, of course. He has even learned to keep the big old Basset in line.

[compchyk]

Make sure when you get it trapped you keep it that way. I took a cat to the vet one day. Got in my truck and all seemed fine. Started easing down the road and all still seemed fine. The cat looked out the window and I guess it freaked out. It ran around the inside of my truck several times bashing its head into the windows, scratching me to pieces, and trying to get out before finally settling under my break peddle. I had to pull the emergency break to get stopped. He was normally a relaxed cat but the moving vehicle must have drove him crazy.

ETA: as far as the cat not taking from the earth. If it gets out at all it is most likely killing just to kill. I have watched my neighbors cats kill probably over 100 birds in my yard alone. We have had cardinal babies next to our back porch every year for 10 years and every year the neighbors cat kills them. I have caught him doing it. He walks all the yards in sight of mine stalking every tree and bush then climbs, tortures,kills and walks away leaving the helpless dead birds to rot.

I have also seen cats play with baby squirrels and chipmunks then finally kill them and leave them to rot as well. These are well fed cats that have nothing better to do than kill other animals. Species of birds are going extinct because of domestic cats.

actually I meant HUMANS taking only what they need. cat was being a cat in your instance.

since you already appear to have me pinned as an idiot - I can assure you that the animal WILL be fixed and WILL be remaining in my home.

The Compchyk

[tm1439m]

since you already appear to have me pinned as an idiot -.

The Compchyk

Not quite sure why you said that? I in no way insinuated you are an idiot. I like animals. I said there are to many cats. That is how I feel. And they do kill for no reason. I have observed that since I was a child and always thought how could something so cute and cuddly be so evil?

Sorry if I offended you. It was not my intention.