Moral Q regarding feral cat

[Ohyouknow]

I saw something on youtube once about some stray cat group. I guess these people down on the boat docks fed all the strays that came around, named them, and get them vaccinated and all that good stuff. They also make them homes for in the winter, barrels and such stuffed with hay and other insulation, with a cubby area for them to snuggle into and keep warm and out of the weather. They'd slowly but surely work on getting them all fixed, named them and loved them.

I think it's definitely doable, to make a little shelter - and it may make it easier for you guys to catch him when the time comes.

[purplecandle]

I have had this same thing happen to me.

When he started coming around, we could tell he was an older cat, at least 5-6 years old.

My other cats did not care for him, but eventually they would let him eat with them.

After about 3 years, he would let me pet his head, for about 30 seconds.

When we were going to move, I knew that the cat would probably starve because we had become his only food source.

So, I trapped him and took him over to the new house.

He absolutely freaked out and sprinted away once at the new house.

About 3 months later he started showing up, very skinny (He was in a new place and could not find a food source)

So, we started the dance again..feed him, try to get close. He had lost all trust in us because of the move.

Then one day he shows up with a nasty abscess on his paw pad. He could barely walk.

So, I trapped him again. And planned to take in to the vet in the morning. I tried all night to get him calm enough to see the vet, I was sure that the vet would not treat a feral cat and would instead push me to euthanize.

In the morning, I let him out of the carrier so he could use the liter box, and he could not use it and instead urinated on the floor.

I put him back in the carrier. And walked outside to put him in the car..and he went ballistic.

He put up such a fight that the carrier door slipped out of position, and he sprung out and ran for the woods.

That was the last time I saw him years ago.

The whole situation from beginning to end was a complete disaster.

Do not try to move him, he will lose trust in you and he will not be able to find a decent food source in time to prevent starvation. Not to mention you will be releasing the equivalent to a wild animal into a habitat that is probably not prepared for him (equate it to releasing a tiger into the suburbs).

Do not leave him behind, he will probably starve without you.

Contact your local wild life services or animal shelter and ask them to trap him, or at a minimum trap him your self and take him to a shelter.

Will they euthanize him, yes. He is not a domesticated animal he is a wild animal, a wild animal that could be considered an invasive species.

There is no hope in this situation, there is no rehabilitation, there is no chance that he can ever be fully domesticated.

The best you can do is to make sure he does not die a slow death from starvation, or a painful death from exposure.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Once, we picked up a stray that ultimately could not stay. He fought with our other cat and sprayed, even though we got him fixed. We gave him away. After the location change, he ran away. He was never able to fully adjust to life with people.

However, this is NOT always the case! Many feral cats CAN adjust.

Maybe this cat can't adjust to indoor life with other cats or to a new location. However, who's to say that he'll automatically starve without a human feeding him? He made it fine before he started coming around J-P's place.

[xrayjeeper83]

I disagree, ever cat has a different personality and this cat may have no problems with the move. Just cause you have one bad experience doesnt mean this one will end badly also.

JP I say go for it. Build the home, move the cat with you. I think the thought of just killing the cat when you dont know what will happen is just absurd

[Flutter]

There is no hope in this situation, there is no rehabilitation, there is no chance that he can ever be fully domesticated.

I disagree completely. Here are some pictures of my cat at home. He was completely feral before my aunt started feeding him. In the first few pictures you'll see that we got him very soon after his capture. I don't have any recent photos but the rest are either from a few months or a few years after he joined us. Not once has he ever even tried to leave the house. He likes to look out windows but that's it.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... ce1b41e676

[purplecandle]

There is no hope in this situation, there is no rehabilitation, there is no chance that he can ever be fully domesticated.

I disagree completely. Here are some pictures of my cat at home. He was completely feral before my aunt started feeding him. In the first few pictures you'll see that we got him very soon after his capture. I don't have any recent photos but the rest are either from a few months or a few years after he joined us. Not once has he ever even tried to leave the house. He likes to look out windows but that's it.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2 ... ce1b41e676

I meant for J-P's cat. It has been this long and J-P still can't get close to it. I have known a few cats taken in the same way you describe. I would argue that some of them were not totally feral, such as cats found in the city who are at least somewhat familiar with humans because they see them daily and eat from their trash.

But, In J-P's case the cat is literally from the wilderness. Have you seen the woods around J-P's house?

[Flutter]

Patience is a virtue They don't work on our schedules

Besides, you don't need to get close to it to trap it. Once they're trapped they're SOL All the ones I know were trapped long before anyone could get near them. Trap them, isolate them, then have one or two people take care of them and slowly gain their trust.

[J-P]

thanks for the input!!

Yea.. my mother thought this cat was a cross between a domestic and a wild cat. He is HUGE. My 2 domestics are about 10-12 lbs. This guy is at least 17+ His paws are about 1/2 the size of my palm.

Getting the info off the website, which is excellent BTW and I sent them a thank you e-mail for having it up, there is a certain way to relocate if necessary. Kind of like fishless cycling for us that know better

Apparently it is a 4 week process, and there are techniques that you use so that when it does run away (and it will), it will know how and where to return.

One of the main points was that while it is in an enclosure for that 4 weeks, you take the feces and spread it around the outer edges of the property. Changing the litter box 2x daily and the debris is its attractant. You put it in the garden, along the fence line etc...

They also don't recommend relocation because it breaks up the group and stresses out the cat. Well, this guy is solo. I never really though of cats as pack animals like dogs are, but they do have a social interaction. This one started coming around the day after the bears started making their rounds. Other outdoor cats (the neighbors) have stopped coming on to our property. So this guy had definitely marked his territory.

The site gives specific reasons for relocation and one of the biggies is: Lack of a care giver. If the care giver is gone and the cat has become dependent and NO ONE ELSE is willing to act as a care giver, then relocation may be necessary. Other reasons include construction, demolition of their habitat and food sources etc...

Anyway.. relocation is something for the future and I believe possible if done correctly. As far as domesticating it... I HIGHLY doubt it. It is too old and too strong. It can only be domesticated if it chooses to.

If it will accept the move in time I'd be happy, but I'll see if the new owners would be caregivers first.

(yes I spent a lot of time reading last night)

[Cuchulainn]

I think the thought of just killing the cat when you dont know what will happen is just absurd-Quote
+1
Tru Dat!

[J-P]

ok ... finally started the house build today. Without a table saw and only a hand saw it was more than a little off

I got the top and floor done. Next will be the walls.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Nice - it's even insulated! That's pretty fancy. Good for you, J-P!

[J-P]

thanks!

I wasn't planning on a super structure... but when we hit -35 to -40 C this winter .. I thought it had better be good.

All the walls will be insulated and have vapor barrier as well. To help with the water saturation, I have a bucket of black driveway tar available. The only thing I had to purchase was the plywood @ $33.

[LilGreenPuffer]

Nice!!! I wonder if your local Humane Society would be interested in instructions on feral cat shelters - it might be a neat project for the community.

[J-P]

I highly doubt it... I can share the plans .. but the reason we have feral cats is because people here don't care.

More die every year than are saved. Small town mentality ...

[Nick]

What kind of entrance are you going with? Small but totally open is easiest for the a cat to learn on its own, but in the deep cold, even a simple rubber flap makes a big temperature difference.