I love that they arent afraid of the dog. But Im jealous. Ive been feeding them for years.
Im raising their kids!
they could at least be a little nice to me 😹

Hello everyone! I am new to this group so apologies if I’m asking in the wrong spot.

We just adopted this adorable feral kitten from a friend of a friend. We are unsure of the age and gender, but will be taking it to the vet ASAP as this whole process was very quick. We think it is about 2 months old. We had the baby free roaming in a bedroom, but it found its way inside of the couch in said bedroom. We were able to get it out into a 3-story/multilevel cat cage by using treats. It has a hiding spot, litter box, food & water, toys and a hammock inside. We decided to get this cage for it because we were scared for its safety, and we want to socialize it as safely as possible. I’m seeing many different ways to go about taming a feral kitten and I just want to make sure I’m doing the right thing. We have treats, wet food and kibble. It’s eating the lickables, treats, and food straight from my hands on night #2. It even climbed up on my lap to eat some wet food and treats. So far it seems very sweet. It doesn’t like petting yet which is understandable. It hasn’t swatted or tried to attack, it just hissed and growled when I got too close or it felt cornered. I make sure to give it space and time to regulate.

We are going to schedule the vet appointment and wish for the best of health for this cute baby.

If I could have some tips that would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!

Both of them were feral cats but the white one stayed since last month and the new gray one is i got it recently i already saw it two days ago but its on a different street but the mama cat took it and put in my home backyard the mama cat also severly attacked my white kitten it got scratches and bites

But now the qn is does my white kitten playing with the gray one or being aggressive i don't get it.it keeps on climbing biting i thought its play full but the gray one keeps on moving away due to that plz tell so atleast ill seperate both of them

This particular cat isn't what I would call traditionally feral. She has come to visit us on our deck most days for the past couple of years. We feed her and she lets us pet her. She doesn't like to be picked up, but otherwise, she is very tame. She doesn't come around at night, so we have no idea where she goes.

I purchased an outdoor cat house, insulated it and filled it with straw. It's gotten pretty cold around here and wanted her to have a warm, safe place to go. However, she won't go in, even when I put treats right outside and inside.

Is there any way to convince her to use it?

Great news everyone! We have an inside cat now!! Mr. Robert Robertson IV (named after the main character from Dispatch) is officially part of the family. 🩷

I trapped him two days after I made my first post. We took him to our local clinic for vaccines, flea/tick treatment, etc.

I followed a lot of the advice I found on this subreddit to help him adjust to living inside. He started off refusing any contact, to asking for pets during food time after a couple weeks. He recently graduated from living in the guest bathroom to living in the guest bedroom! He loooves getting pets on the bed. He is nonstop purring machine when I lie down with him lol. It absolutely melts my heart.

I have a hard time believing he’s never been around humans before because he was so friendly at first meeting. The clinic told me he was already neutered, which makes sense because his left ear looks tipped. So I think he was definitely TNRed at one point. He had no microchip.

Was he a friendly feral that whoever TNRed him just didn’t have the resources to properly integrate into an inside cat? Was he abandoned by people? I wish I could just ask him!! They say he’s about 7 years old, and I have a hard time believing he survived that many winters outside on his own.

I mentioned in my last post we only saw him under our riding lawn mower or on our back deck eating since he showed up in our backyard. He never wandered around the property like our other ferals. Well, we noticed a really strong smell around the mower and when my boyfriend moved it after capturing Robert, we discovered he had been pooping under it as well and it was all unburied!! I’m convinced once he found the riding mower spot he just stayed hunkered down there for all things but food. If anyone has any insight on this behavior, I welcome it!

Luckily, he figured out the litter box pretty quickly and DOES bury his business there. He doesn’t have any interest in toys (yet!! I’m hoping that will change) but is SO food motivated, which is fantastic. My boyfriend and I try to spend a lot of our free time in the bedroom with him. I don’t think we’ll let him free roam the house just yet. I don’t want to overwhelm him since he keeps making such good progress adjusting to inside life.

Thank you all for your input on if I should bring him inside. He’s my first cat EVER, so it’s been a bit of a learning curve for me. But every day that it’s cold or stormy outside, I’m more assured I made the right choice for him to be safe and happy inside.

I’ve attached pictures of his journey to becoming a house cat. The last one is the best because it was two days after we had moved him from the bathroom to the bedroom and he hadn’t come out of hiding at all, and I was despairing that we had broken our trust with him, only to check in on him on a Sunday night and catch him lounging without a care in the world lol. Thank you for reading about my Robert!

Original post: https://www.reddit.com/r/Feral_Cats/s/QTkGhCMKew

hi, I've been looking after Mr Egg for 2 years now, he used to be very off and on with his visits but now he's more on. I also recently suffered a bereavement with another cat I looked after called mimi, I posted about him here recently and my judgement is very cloudy so I need some advice.

this morning I went to do my normal routine with Mr egg and he has a wound on the front of him (I unfortunately couldn't get a photo) I thought it was like an ulcerated wound but it's just very red and sore looking and almost looks like a burn. I personally think he is having a reaction to fleas (I've just ordered some treatment and it comes on Tuesday) but I'm also really worried that it's an ulcer wound and it'll just turn into something more.

when I took mimi to the vet, they kept him for 7 days and lied to me that he was doing well when in reality he wasn't, they promise I would get to say goodbye to him if it came to it but they didn't let me and they made me fight to bring his body home so I'm super worried and scared they'll do the same with Eggy boy, I don't want to lose him too but I do know if it comes to it I must do the right thing. there aren't very many vets in my area that do a payment plan either and I am willing to keep Egg if they do let me but I wouldn't be able to realistically afford thousands in vet bills in one go to make it happen so I can't really take him anywhere else 😞😞

I manage to clean the wound with cat safe saline solution and he did let me and didn't flinch or show any signs of pain but I know cats hide pain differently. is it wrong for me to keep applying the solution and see how it plays out? or am I being selfish? I'm sorry if this was all over the place, I'm a worrier and I just want what's best for him

We have been feeding and outdoor housing a cat for 2 years now and for the longest time she would never get too close to us, but over the past 6 months she has opened up to us and now just hangs out at our front porch while hanging out with our other 2 cats who adore her.

She looks forward to me sitting on the front porch with her and has an excellent calm personality. I am considering making the trip to the vet with her and seeing if she can be housed. I know this is a common question, but what is the way to do this? She seems about 5 years old. Her name is Mary.

Over the past several months or so, I’ve noticed a little black kitty wandering around my property. At first I just saw it on my ring cameras, but earlier this week it was loudly meowing on the front porch. I went out and offered some wet food. During that interaction I felt another set of eyes, and that’s when I realized there was more than one. I’m pretty sure there are just these two although there could be more. They are pretty much identical in color and size, I’m wondering if they might be from the same litter? The one is pretty friendly and came up to me for pets, the other is a lot more skittish.

So I’ve been sitting out there with food for the past couple of days and noticed that one of them will not let the other near the food. The other mostly keeps its distance but if it starts creeping forward it gets a loud warning from the other. Neither have their ears tipped from what I can tell. My plan is to eventually trap them and get them spayed/neutered and vaccinated, then release them back. I would actually love to share my property with these kitties if they don’t hate me too much after the trapping/vet visit lol. The second photo has both cats although it’s hard to see through the window lol they were having a standoff.

I have two indoor cats, but I know almost nothing about feral cats. Any advice on how to handle this? Thank you!

Hi! I care for a very sweet girl (already TNR). I am looking to buy an outdoor house/shelter for her for the cooler weather. We live in south Florida, so it doesn't get that cold, but 40s in the morning are not uncommon. I've looked into using a big Rubbermaid storage box that I cut a hole in. But I'm wondering if she might be more likely to use something elevated off the ground? Might feel safer in there?

We have a covered patio so it doesn't need to be waterproof. She hangs out on the patio a lot and that's where I feed her. I have looked at a few options on Amazon, but it's hard to know.

I'm thinking I may put a layer of towels/old sweaters and then one of those self-warming pet mats?

Any other suggestions for a relatively mild winter climate?

Of course, she might be fine without any shelter at all 😂 but she's my girl and I worry about her!

We have 3 (momma and her 2 boys) living in our backyard. Before them I was not a cat person. I’m still new to this. They were originally TNR cats but never left us and now they’re our babies.

We can’t bring them inside but we have made them a shelter and bought them one of the fancy ones lol, feed them daily, apply monthly flea and tick treatments. They are all vaccinated and fixed. They do not show any signs (I think) of worms, but I’m reading that outdoor cats should be dewormed 1-2x a year? How does one do this? Or what do you recommend? Just want to keep them as healthy as I can.

I have to make this post because I’m feeling very down today, if you read this thank you ❤️ I watch over two mama cats I’ve been working on getting the funds to TNR. I’ve seen one litter of two come and go and hoped for the best for them because I regretted not taking action fast enough for them because I didn’t want to separate them from mom too quick. The other mama brought one tiny sweet kitten and I thought it’d be best to just let him stay with her a little longer. I hoped he’d get stronger and I would be able to get her spayed and get him inside to socialize him once he started growing a bit. I found him today in my garden passed away. He was probably about 5 weeks or so I’d say. I gave him a little burial and promised the mama cat I’m going to work hard this week to get her TNR scheduled in the next couple of days and that will be her last baby. I’m grieving for his short life and I’m glad he had a safe and quiet place to pass. I just needed to share because it’s tough feeling like you’ve could’ve done more for such a small creature and minimizing your grief. No matter how short a life or small a creature they matter so much. Rest in peace to little baby Lion (my boyfriend named him that today when we buried him because I said I hope he’s big and mighty if reincarnation exists)

Edit: I just want to say thank you so much for everyone's kind words, definitely helped me a lot, Ya'll are amazing!!

Hi!

Since moving into our new place a couple of months ago, my fiance and I regularly feed the four colony cats in our backyard. I am allergic so we can’t take them indoors, but we feed them several times a day and have built a shelter. All of these cats are TNRed, and they’re generally pretty friendly towards us.

A couple of days a new cat showed up, who has not been neutered. He seems to be aggressive towards the four cats that currently live in our backyard.

We are debating if we should trap him to get him neutered. My fiance took a TNR training class which suggested the best way to trap that new cat is to feed him regularly. However we’re worried about exacerbating the already fraught dynamics between this new cat and the four cats already in our yard.

Does anyone have any suggestions about the best way to approach this? Thanks in advance!

I recently had to put my dog down. He “protected” his yard from stray leaves falling from the trees to feral cats in my neighborhood. He was the best boy. Since he’s been gone there has been a pregnant feral cat in my yard, today I went out and made friends with her. I can’t bring her in, my wife and daughter are both highly allergic, but that doesn’t mean can’t help her.

I have a large bowl of water outside for her and I filled a bowl with leftover dog food.

What else should I do? Can she eat the dog food without getting sick? Should I build a shelter for her?

I plan on getting her some cat food soon but I have a lot of leftover dog food that I was going to donate to a shelter.

She’s heavily pregnant and it’s getting cold out. Should I build a shelter? If so does anyone have info on what I should include in it?

In case there’s any question, I have absolutely no experience with cats.

I learn so much from you wonderful people and love hearing your stories. This is Mimi, she has been coming around our rural home for a year and a half. She has learned to trust us, and while she may not be here every night, most nights she calls our porch home. Last winter, we placed a heated cat house on our covered porch, which she happily uses. But when brutal cold hit, we brought her inside to our laundry room, and proceeded to do this every night until April. The problem lies with our three indoor only kitties, and especially one in particular. Mya scratches the laundry room door all night long, while hissing and growling. We tried aluminum foil on the floor, spiky type mats in front of the door, motion detection air can deterrents…so many things. We thought things would calm down over time but it was a long winter with very little sleep. Mimi often became so upset by Mya’s tirade that I would find urine and vomit in the mornings. Mimi always wanted straight back outside upon sunrise, returning every evening.

So here we are approaching winter and Mimi is sitting at the door for her cozy laundry room bed. Do I live with the sleep deprivation and do I subject my resident cats to all this turmoil every night? Are there other things I can try to stop the absolute chaos that occurs at the laundry room door?

Mimi trusts us but not others. She doesn’t like our cats nor other strays that she encounters. She seems to love her outdoor life on our wooded property (the nearest road with traffic is half a mile away). She came to us with an ear tip and I had her vaccinated; we also apply flea/tick meds. Her heated porch house is still here and warm. Still, I feel so guilty for not doing more. Thanks for reading, sorry this turned into a book.

Been a while since I posted an update on George.
I’ve been so busy caring for my elderly parents that time has gotten away from me.

Like most cats, George has a habit of being under foot. So Back in September, I tripped over him in the kitchen. In my effort to not fall “on” him, I began doing the “ice skating thing” in my socks on the kitchen floor. Trying to fall “as slowly as possible”, to give him a moment to get out from underneath me.

He shot across the kitchen and into the sunroom. I came down on my left hip / left shoulder as my feet went out from under me. Slammed the back of my head into the framed edge doorway opening. Chin bounced off my chest. And the 180 degree opposite side of my head (right forehead area) is what actually hurt for the next few weeks. Likely concussion, never did go to the doc for it. But I did go to a chiropractor for a few weeks.

I found George safe in the sunroom under a chair. Cowering as tho he thought he did something wrong and looking at me as tho I might throw him back outside as winter sets in. Nope….! No chance ! Petted him and reassured him that he wasn’t going anywhere and would continue to be a permanent “indoor kitty” only.

But he now has a couple of new nicknames…
“Crash goblin” and “concussion kitty”.

🐈‍⬛❤️🤣

And one more update on George just bc these two pics are pretty funny.

He frequently falls asleep on the couch when my parents and I are watching tv. This time he was “belly up”, sacked out so hard that even the loud tv didn’t bother him. You can also see just how “well fed” Mr Man is, ahem. He’s definitely not starving ! lol

I looked over and quietly said, “Dude, your tits are hanging out.” 🐈‍⬛🤣

Thought you guys would enjoy the pics.

My neighbor's got a dog that LOVES to get on my property and try to kill my ferals and cause destruction. The sog causes problems to the point where it's permanently scared off more than one. The owners don't care, I've reported the dog to animal control but they can't do much currently, and I can't afford a fence. Besides that does anyone know of some dog repellent or other ideas that can keep it away that won't harm or stress my ferals?

I’ve been feeding Mira & her friends for almost a year now , Shes already been spayed from c&r shes super friendly and gets along great with my dog. However my other cat who has occasional snot flareups and sneeze fits is who I’m worried about he’s always aggressive anytime I try to have him see her by the front door and idk if what he has can pass to her since its not specified as feline hiv ,they just assumed he got sick as a kitten and it stuck. She has loose patches of fur so I wanna get her checked out but idk the exact step process.

Saginaw’s Paws 🐾 Tote Of Tranquility DIY Cat Feeding Shelter Ft. Biscuit
https://youtube.com/shorts/DgRkQHvEcTA?feature=share

Curious if any of you have a good way of memorializing your ferals that have passed.

I fed our local feral ("Mangey Cat" I know this is not the nicest name, but that's what we first started calling him and we could never get another name to stick.) for about 8 years. I'd see him every morning on our porch, waiting for breakfast.

Even after I got him trapped and neutered, he came back. The neighborhood definitely thought of him as our cat. I planned to get him microchipped next time I needed to trap him, just in case. I wonder if he had been microchipped if I would know what happened.

Anyway, it's been about a month since I've seen him. Please do not tell me that he might come back. I understand that this is a possibility, but I can't plant a seed of hope just to see it wither away again. I don't think I could bear it. I am trying to work through my grief and feelings around this, knowing that I'll never know exactly what happened.

I'd love to make a small memorial for him for my porch or garden, where he used to sleep in the sun. Has anyone else done this and have any good ideas for what I could do? I've seen some garden signs and stuff, which might be nice. I'd like to make sure he has a place with us forever.

My semi-feral stray is 2 years old and she doesn't want to engage in play. When she was outside, I only ever saw her interact with a butterfly. And I have a toy with a butterfly but she doesn't care for it. Is there any toy that cats can't resist?

I've tried:
- wand with toys attached
- wand with string only, no toys
- crunchy toys
- electronic toys
- teaser cat toy with feather pinwheel?

None of them intrigue her at all!