For all you cat lovers out there..

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BlackSG91 said:
I'm glad you are helping out feral Puddy Tats. You're doing a really good thing. And it's great to see you still on this forum. :)
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Just my luck too, I went out to check on the trap, 0 cats. Went down the hill to put trash in the can and heard a rattle noise. Got back to the landing by the door and the trap door was shut with 0 cats inside. Set the door back open and went inside a sec then back out, I saw White Spot in the driveway but he was looking under my truck and not in the direction of the food in the trap. That is when I SPIED the Large Grey Tabby that bothers both WS and Blackie.

I figured that on trapping night, he would show up after I haven't seen him for maybe 5 days/nights. That one is totally wary of me and usually exits when he sees me.
 
Boubou said:
Been there done that got the t-shirt, twice. Good luck
Both live inside now and have adapted really well
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Boubou, that is great. I started with 3 and a trespasser back in Winter 2021-2022. TNR'd the momma on a Monday by accident despite Friday's being surgery days. They took her early for us. Then I got her 2 sons 2 days later as I went to release her. Figuring I would take her 2 boys on Friday, I wound up capturing the trespasser too. To make their story short, Blackie's brother, Orangie got hit by a car because he went wayward out of our yard and thru the neighbor's. Momma lasted about 2 more years before she failed to resurface after Winter 2923-2024, This left the Tux in the pic above. He learned that I am his human and he is my boy, so he learned to reduce his fear by age 3 and slept in our bed for the first time in Aug 2024. Been an Outdoor/ Indoor baby ever since.

Then like I said, we now have White Spot who I began seeing maybe 2024 or possibly 23. But, he was mostly scarce and only spotted a few times a year. Ever since last Summer or Fall, he got a little more regular until Winter where he disappeared. Then about a month and a half ago he began appearing to get fed. As we returned from a trip to the In laws, I went to feed Blackie and saw White Spot who appeared and seemed to want fed too. Either that night or within a night or 2, I was out in the driveway due to yowling. I thought it was Blackie and White Spot, but I put Blackie in the house and the noises continued. Then, I saw why. WS and Tabby were on opposite sides of the undercarriage of my Step Van.

Seeing this event, and the fact that when I first saw White Spot return for feeding after our Ohio trip, he had wounds and was walking 3 legged due to his painful left front leg. So, of course I have been working on getting traps, vets lined up, clinics, and even managing to get White Spot at ease enough with me that he lets me pet him while he eats, and he began to give me rubs on my hand with his face and whole body.

Needless to say, I am doing my best to figure it all out on how to go from what was 1 cat, now up to 2 more with uncertain health and reproductive scenarios.
 
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Well, I had to make an executive decision since the cats did not go in or eat the food in the trap. I don't want to leave it out all night for the ants and raccoons etc to be attracted. I put the food in the fridge, and propped the trap door open with a bungee. It looks like I may not be making my AM appointment at the clinic tomorrow. Good thing they said they are understanding in regards to ferals.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
Well, I had to make an executive decision since the cats did not go in or eat the food in the trap. I don't want to leave it out all night for the ants and raccoons etc to be attracted. I put the food in the fridge, and propped the trap door open with a bungee. It looks like I may not be making my AM appointment at the clinic tomorrow. Good thing they said they are understanding in regards to ferals.
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Yeah, not easy to plan with the vet. We slipped gabapentin into a piece of chicken a couple of hours before trapping it, to make it easier for him at the vet. We had been feeding him for a year. Feeding him In the trap for about a week, I used wrap ties to lock the trap open, just to get him used to it. On that morning , just snipped the wrap ties
 
Boubou said:
Yeah, not easy to plan with the vet. We slipped gabapentin into a piece of chicken a couple of hours before trapping it, to make it easier for him at the vet. We had been feeding him for a year. Feeding him In the trap for about a week, I used wrap ties to lock the trap open, just to get him used to it. On that morning , just snipped the wrap ties
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You did the same as I did 4 years ago while making my first attempt at catch our original 3 ferals, right up to tying their trap doors open. What is crazy about this little black one with the white spot is that where he used to flee when I'd put a food bowl down. After I began feeding him regularly the past few weeks next to Blackie, he would let me pet him on his neck and back while he eats. Now in the last week, he has begun to rub his cheeks to my hand and now even rubs the sides of his body to my hand. He is a loud mouth too, bossy when hungry.
 
chilipeppermaniac said:
You did the same as I did 4 years ago while making my first attempt at catch our original 3 ferals, right up to tying their trap doors open. What is crazy about this little black one with the white spot is that where he used to flee when I'd put a food bowl down. After I began feeding him regularly the past few weeks next to Blackie, he would let me pet him on his neck and back while he eats. Now in the last week, he has begun to rub his cheeks to my hand and now even rubs the sides of his body to my hand. He is a loud mouth too, bossy when hungry.
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I made a plywood shelter insulated with styrofoam and had a heated plate on the bottom to keep him warm. First year he didn’t use it much second year he figured it out , every time we went near the front door we would peak out and see him sleeping curled up in there. We decided to trap him before the winter got too bad, he spends most of his days sleeping on our bed
 
I have an Update up to a point.

As I woke up for about the 3rd time, it was approaching 7 AM and with an opening time of the clinic set for 8:15 AM. I was considering abandoning the effort to trap White Spot and deciding whether to call the clinic to say I was unable to catch him. However, when I took my Tux- Blackie downstairs and outside to feed him, White Spot was waiting by the door. Long story short, I was able to get him to try to eat in the trap, and it caught him. So, we made it to the clinic to drop him off.

Now I wait their call between to tell me he is ready between 1-3.
 
Boubou said:
I made a plywood shelter insulated with styrofoam and had a heated plate on the bottom to keep him warm. First year he didn’t use it much second year he figured it out , every time we went near the front door we would peak out and see him sleeping curled up in there. We decided to trap him before the winter got too bad, he spends most of his days sleeping on our bed
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My issue with building a winter shelter has been that we started out with 3 Ferals that were MOM, and her 2 boys. They used to go down in our partially dug out basement/crawlspace through a hole in the 1850's built stone wall. Our furnace is down there and the cats knew to hide from me when we first encountered them. Then a fourth ( Intruder cat) MEAN and fought with ours, found his way down there. This was circa 2021-2122 Fall/Winter.

Flash forward from circa 2023 till now, we have had multiple ( intruders) to encroach on my lone surviving feral's property/ home turf. Blackie the Tux, resides in our yard/driveway gardens etc., but he travels sometimes to our neighbors' yards behind and beside us, ( gets fed at one) Regarding the presence of "intruders/visitors" these are the 2 known current cats that come looking for food etc, I presume one or both, plus my Tux are responsible for bite/scrtatch wounds that White Spot feral showed up with last month, plus the scratch marks I feel or see on Blackie over the past year up till now. In other words, Blackie, White Spot, and the Grey Tabby are likely having 1 on 1 fights, 2 on one, etc. So, I am now doing what is needed to attend to Shots and Surgeries to Spay/Neuter the 2 remaining ferals that have unknown status of these things, plus wound care and future wound prevention type measures.

Once I get off here, I need to go out to our garden and retrieve and clean our old large wire dog crate to put White Spot in once I get him back from Surgery today. If I can keep him isolated, he should recover well, and be ready to return to his new turf of our yard that he has grown used to here lately. Having said that, I am still in a bit of shock that he has warmed up to me in the past week or so that he lets me pet him while eating, and then would come to my outstretched hand when I call his name. Then he rubs his face on it and even began to rub his body front to back. Crazy stuff from a feral.
 
We brought in another feral, Jimmy, eventually in the middle of the night he had a major fight with one of our other cats, Checkers, so, one of our friends adopted him, live with her happily for a few months , until early one morning he attacked her , this went off for about 45 minutes until she was able to get out of the house. Spent the day at our house. I loaned her protective gear but Jimmy was back to normal. However , the next day we decided to have him put down he was too dangerous. Looking back, when Jimmy showed up in our neighborhood all the other cats disappeared, I think he was nasty.
On the other hand, Bee and Pantaloon, our 2 feral are thick as thieves, get along with Checkers and Billie the big bad dog
 
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