Feral Cat Behavior

I believe I have found the best place for Maverick. As a response to my ad, a woman contacted me today. She owns a foster home for senior citizens and she would like them to benefit from having a cat in their midst. There are only four seniors in the home, they are on assisted living, but are still fully in charge of their mental state.

I am going to meet with her tomorrow and take Maverick there for a trial run. I did tell her that it will be some time before Maverick will venture out, she is quite timid, but in time, I believe this adoption will be beneficial for all.

It has been quite cold here, record cold in fact 29 degrees last night. Tonight it is supposed to drop even lower to 23 degrees. Dash has been coming into the house and claiming a spot by the furnace. I closed two of the doors of the tunnels last night, after checking to be sure all the cats were in the house, so that the cold air wouldn’t come into the dining room. I closed it early enough so if the cats were going to freak out, they had time to settle down first. I will be doing the same thing tonight. Gave the horses extra hay as well-

When the four kittens first arrived here at our home, they couldn’t find places to hide fast enough. Discovered in an abandoned campground on the Oregon coast by two Good Samaritans, we quickly whisked the kittens off to the vet’s office. Found to be extremely malnourished, dehydrated and flea -infested, the kittens were treated here in our home with subcutaneous fluids and antibiotics. When they first arrived, they wouldn’t eat anything. Not cat food, dry food, or baby food.

Racking my brain, I decided since they lived their early years in a campground, they might eat camp food. Sure enough, they devoured hot dogs, potato salad, cold beans and hard cooked eggs. Slowly over time, they started the weaning process off the campground food. Now they eat both dry and canned food (though I feed them small sausages from time-to-time for treats).

Christened: Chaplain, Dash, Tipster and India, the kittens were ingenious in finding hiding places within the confines of the cat room. Every time I entered the room, the kittens fled, scattering in four directions looking for the safest place away from the human invasion.

Chaplain became a formidable force. Cornered during “medicine moments” (also known as pilling a cat) he would puff up like a poison adder from head to tail, arch his back hissing and growling his warning of “Back Off!”

One day, tired of his charades, I knelt down before his hiding place. I took a deep breath a large leap of faith and closed my eyes. I gently snaked my bare hand into this cubicle and made contact!

Once my hand touched his sides, he snarled his distrust. I will admit to being scared of being nailed, but keeping my breathing even and my eyes shut, I stroked his soft fur. I felt him visibly relaxing. We stayed that way for about five minutes, and then I withdrew my hand. I repeated this process over the matter of the next few weeks, until one day he found his courage and began to trust me, coming out into the room whenever I entered.

As the kittens grew, it became clear that Dash was not part of the litter; she was the mom-cat. Once the kittens had stable weight and good health they were neutered and spayed.

Dash- named because she has a small-dash of white on her face, stayed true to her name and dashed out of the room every time we entered. Chappy however, stands his ground. He will stay out in the room as long as we don’t glance in his direction, or begin to walk toward him. This has became his standard method of operation. We resigned ourselves to the fact that until they truly felt safe, these two kittens wouldn’t be easily approachable. They got along fine with the rest of the cats; the human element became something they were unsure about.

The kittens grew into lovely cats. One summer I was struck with a bad cold. Taking to the couch at night to sleep, so that Mike wouldn’t get sick, I began to have nocturnal visits from Chappy! The minute the lights went out and I lay down on the couch; he would leap up on the back of the couch and nudge my shoulder. Gently moving my arm up, he allowed me to pet him. He loved being clucked under the chin and having his ears rubbed. Stroking his sides bothered him. He would reach over and take my forearm gently in his teeth- not breaking skin and reposition my hand toward his head. This became a normal occurrence. If I turned on the light and tried to pet him, he would flee. His security comes from the darkness, perhaps a way of reconnecting with that first bonding moment, when I touched him with my eyes shut?

Today, he and his mom and brother continue to live among us. His affection and snuggling times are late at night when I lie down on the couch for about an hour and we go through the petting ritual. We lost his sister to illness some months back. She turned out to be the most affectionate of the group and we miss her to this day. But Chappy, Dash and Tipster are thriving.

They no longer hide, but they are wary in the daytime. Their protective shields lower as the sun sinks in the sky and darkness arrives. I know the minute the lights go out, and I lay my head down for a snuggling session that Chappy will arrive. He has never been late for a performance yet! The other night, I heard a large cat creep into the room during the Chappy performance. Turned out to be Ms. Dash. Apparently, he told her about the kind human interactionwe both share. Perhaps she just wanted front row viewing so she could see for herself!

Not an easy task to give a stray cat that isn’t used to you a bath. The same can be said for feral cats but sometimes, a bath is essential.

Having endured my share of bites and scratches over the years, I have developed a way to bathe cats unused to being handled. I wish to go on record that I do not believe any cat ever NEEDS to be bathed except if they are show cats, or there are health issues involved. Cats were given the perfect tool for grooming from Mother Nature, their tongues. They rarely need any help from us, but if you do have to bathe your cat here is my process:

Tools you will need-

3 deep buckets- two filled with warm to hot water, one with the bath water barely filled.

Pet safe shampoo. Do not use any human shampoo on your cat or kitten. Since the cosmetic industry no longer tests on animals, there are a lot of products out there that are unsafe. DO NOT use flea shampoo unless your vet has directed you to do so. If you are just giving a flea bath, any regular pet shampoo will work to stun the fleas. Then use a flea comb to get the fleas off your cat.

Warm towels cycled in the dryer

Brush or flea comb

Piece of screen that fits the bottom of the bucket

Prepare the room before fetching the cat.

Make sure the room is warm enough. Bathe in the bathroom, not in the kitchen sink. You want an room that can be closed off to drafts. This is especially true when bathing a kitten. The only time I bathe kittens are when it is a matter of health issues- heavy flea infestation would be one reason.

Cycle the towels in your dryer while you are bathing your cat. Your cat will appreciate a warmed towel over just one pulled off the shelf. They tend to snuggle into the warm towel instead of fleeing from it.

If possible, clip the claws! This will save a lot of bloodletting if you can possibly clip the cat’s claws. Using the scruffer plug www.campbellpet.com this can give you about a 4 minute window of compliant kitty.

You want a deep bucket to bathe in, not the bathtub. At the bottom of the bucket place a small piece of screen and tap it down. Put water in the bucket only enough to cover the rear of the cat if the cat was standing on two legs- trust me, she will be standing on two legs, but instead of gripping your arm, she will hopefully be gripping the top of the bucket.

Make sure the water is warm enough and not to hot or to cold. Test it on your wrist before placing kitty in the bucket. The tall sides will keep the warm water warmer than an open tub. You need other buckets of warm to hot water and a scooper nearby. These will be your washing water and rinsing water.

Open the shampoo bottle and leave it nearby. I pour it out into a small scoop, it is just easier this way.

You should be ready-go fetch the cat. Be sure the water in the bucket isn’t going to cover over half of her body if she is standing upright. For kittens, use less water.

Place the cat carefully, rear first into the bucket. She will immediately clamp on to the nearest object, which will be the edge of the bucket. Keeping her scruffed gently by her neck, begin to pour the warm water from one of the other buckets on her body. Don’t get her face or ears wet! You will see fleas scrambling for higher ground, but don’t get her face wet, not yet.

Add a small amount of shampoo and lather her up. Keep out of the way of her bite by scruffing her on the neck. Never lift her up by the scruff, her back claws should be firmly holding the screen, her front claws gripping the bucket’s edge.

Tip the bath bucket and let the water run into the tub, keeping her out of the way of the water. Then bring the bucket back up and start rinsing her off with the water from the other buckets. Make sure you get all the soap off (which is why a little goes a long way).

Once she is rinsed, snuggle her into the towels. Keep her wrapped up with only her head exposed, she will be shaking. Try and get as much water off her as possible, before using the other warmed towels. When transporting her back to her room, be sure she is securely wrapped up in the towel while you are traveling. A wet, totally pissed off cat can do a lot of damage if she can get free to do it.

Place her inside a room that has been warmed up. Sit on the floor with her, and scruffing her neck, use the flea comb to remove the fleas. Then release her.
Do not go back into the room for a few hours as she will upset with you. Let her simmer down first. When she starts eating that is a clue she is safe to approach.

A website I am involved in recently won a Certificate of Excellence from The Cat Writers’ Association. I am so pleased at this achievement. I am always grateful for the opportunity to educate and learn about cat care and behavior.

The Cat Writers’ conference is in 22 days! I am getting excited at the thought of being in such delightful company. I have learned so much from this group and admire each member for their work and talents.

Revisited the site of my terror today. The place where the coyotes were. Lei and I went back this time, my intention was to remain on the main trail. But that intention was short-lived, because hunters had been there and left remains of elk and deer behind. Many of the “kills” were clearly poachers. Carcasses left but the head and antlers taken. Hunters generally only leave the gut pile, and never on the main trails! They are supposed to drag them out in the woods.

Lei kept diving into the kills- so we had to turn back. She got stung for her trouble, because the first carcass had so many wasps and bees in it, it looked like a bloody hive. I feel so bad for these noble creatures, shot down by drunkards and scoundrels. I have no problem with a person hunting because the family needs meat, but to kill just to kill or for the trophy is senseless and idiotic! If I knew who did all this damage, I would call Fish & Game and report them for the poachers they are.

So now, the walking area is ruined and I am back to taking Lei to the dog park. We worked with her today on the basic commands. She did okay, she is learning. It is a slow process, but it is happening.

She still chases the barn cats in the yards. The chase is not harmful, it is playful but still unacceptable for her to do. I am hoping next month when we get her spayed, that this might slow her down a bit. She also will need to have her hernia repaired, it is quite visible right now.

In 23 days I leave for the catwriters’ convention. Mike will be left behind to deal with my routine of feeding and caring for all the critters. Poor man has no clue what I do in the first 3 hours when I wake up each day. He asked me to write down my routine, and I did. The routine is 8 pages long!

When you figure that I scoop out twenty litter boxes three times a day, feed 17 cats three times a day, manage the high-maintenance care of two horses and one overly exuberant German shepherd puppy, it is safe to say that 8 pages doesn’t really cover all of it!

Received a new writing assignment tonight, writing about the ban on certain dog breeds. Just like the feral cat problem, the banning of “dangerous” breeds is a people problem, not a dog problem. The problem of breeding just to be able to breed the feared dog breeds. The problem of mishandling the dogs bringing out their aggression and protective nature. Will be interesting to see how this article unfolds. I have in mind several professionals that I will interview.

The weather is definitely turning colder. Traveler has his winter coat starting, Racer is still sleek, but I notice this each year. Perhaps it is because Racer is a mustang, but it seems like his coat suddenly appears overnight, right before the really cold snap starts. Trav who is thinner, gets his hair in quicker to offer him better protection.

The cats have been getting up on the kitchen counter at night. Not sure why, I have been faithful in cleaning with a lemon scented cleaner to deter them, but last night, I put all our empty soda cans on the counter, and this morning most of them were on the floor being batted around by the group. The weather just turns on their predatory nature, the mice are out trying to find food, the spiders are active and the birds are busy. The cats can’t sleep at night, so they climb and knock things down. Such is our life~

She worked tirelessly throughout the night. Although the air was damp and heavy with fog, she was active through most of the night, securing her place in the world. Artistic by nature, she carefully crafted her home. Strand by strand it slowly came together. By morning, when the fog lifted, drops of dew enhanced her home allowing the web visibility in the low light.

She had placed it between the century-old pine tree and the supports of the cat enclosure. Her colors were vibrant, blue and green a typical garden-variety spider. I could see her web from the kitchen window as I scrubbed the breakfast dishes. She was about the size of a nickel and her web looked well constructed, tight and secure. She was feasting on her own breakfast, a yellow-jacket had bungled into her net, a left-over remnant of summer now that the nights were growing colder. I doubted the yellow-jacket had put up much of a fight as she dealt him a paralyzing bite and secured him with her silken strands.

She thought she was safe in her world. Perhaps she would have been had the cats not noticed her swaying in the wind. Intrigued, their predatory nature on full alert, several of them huddled on the overhead ramp pressing against the wire. Tentatively, paws would reach out and attempt to play with the spider.

She held on through much of the day. Several times when I passed the window, I would glance outside and see her in her web, or up on the limb of the tree waiting for the next snack to arrive.

Toward evening, I noticed her web had been broken. Apparently, one of the kittens had successfully made his way through the wire fence with his paw and swiped her down out of her web.

I wonder if she will be there in the morning? She had a good location prey-wise, several captive insects had been secured during the day. I doubt she thought she would be preyed on by a cat. With their elevated platform, they had a front row seat to this fascinating insect show. I am sure many of them turned away in frustration after attempting to hunt her down. It was the smallest of paws that managed to uproot her from her new home.

Getting out of the car with a sack full of groceries, the sack burst open and cat food cans rolled out on the ground. One rebellious can decided to hide underneath my car. When I bent down to retrieve the can, as I reached for it, I felt and heard something pop in my shoulder. “Uh oh, “I thought, “not again!”

Originally fighting this shoulder injury had taken me took over two years. X-rays and MRI’s revealed no torn rotator cuff as originally suspected by my orthopedic doctor, but instead I had severe tendonitis, arthritis and scar tissue built up. Pain killers, muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory drugs were only band-aids. They covered the hurt for a little while, but as soon as the high went away, the pain returned. Not until I went into alternative medicine as a means to control the pain, did the pain leave. Three months of acupuncture treatments had done the job. I had been pain free for about 8 months.

Now I knew that I had seriously re-injured the shoulder. Movement was limited. Unable to raise my arm over my waist and fighting major pain spasms, I stumbled into the house. Lying down on the couch only increased the agony. Tears of pain and frustration poured down my face and I grabbed for the Advil bottle, a heating pad and went to lie down in the bedroom.

Easing myself down on the bed, openly sobbing from the pain, I heard my cat Guinevere leave the safety of her bed. Guinevere had been with us for about 6 months. Horribly treated by her owner, the abuse he inflicted on her left her unable to move in cat-like style. She had been rescued from the shelter and now inhabited our master bedroom. A chaise cushion on the floor and heated bed mat provided her with a low-lying comfort zone as she was unable to climb without major difficulty. A friend of mine had thoughtfully provided me with carpeted cat stairs that she used from time to time. The stairs were propped against the bed.

I could hear her get up and start the climb unto the bed. This endeavor took several minutes as she tried to maintain her balance in her stumbling gait. Soon she was beside me. I was lying on my good side with my back toward her. I told her that I welcomed her presence, but there was no way I could move and pet her. She answered me by climbing up and onto my shoulder. Using her front claws, she gently hooked them through the blanket that covered me. She eased herself up and over the most painful part of my shoulder and neck. Then she settled her full weight down on me. Although the added weight increased the pain, I had no energy to remove her. Then she began to purr and the sound was different. Not like anything I had ever heard her make before. Her head, so close to my ear directed her purrs right into my ear canal.
We both slept this way all night.

In the morning, I found I could move the arm, and instead of constant pain there was only a gentle ache. My neck which was so stiff the day before showed great improvement in movement.

I talked to a friend of mine that morning. Dusty is a wonderful, intuitive, intelligent lady who knows cats. She told me about studies that reveal that cats can use their purrs much the same way a physical therapist uses electrodes to shock frozen limbs and stiff muscles into movement. The MHz which the cat puts out is comparable to the machines without the shock factor.

Amazing to me, is the concept of this cat with a broken body, being empathetic enough to understand my pain. Intuitively she knew she could help me. Perhaps return the favor of me removing her from the shelter and bringing her into our home, by her offering her warmth and healing purrs in gratitude for the save.

I had to laugh today, the kitten’s couldn’t make heads or tails out of what those drops were outside the window. McKinley and Taylor were quite entertaining to watch as they chased the raindrops in the bay window.

I am so glad to see the rain! (Did I really say that?) But with the well running dry we really need the moisture.

I decided to stop interfering with Prowler and Maverick when they went at it. Although there were a few frightening days of heavy meows and growls and chasing, it seems to have dissapated now. I believe my interference was making the conflict worse. Now, they simply hiss at each other when they encounter one another a far cry from what they were doing.

Maureen called me today. Her sister is dying from cancer. The breast cancer the doctors had supposedly removed many years ago has come back with a vengenace and entered her lymph system. She is now completely bedridden the cancer has eaten the bones in her neck and gone into her chest. I didn’t know what to say, so I just listened to Maureen’s anguish and told her I was here for her if she needed me. I hate this getting older. Life catches up to all of us eventually, but the older I get, the more I become exposed to death and sorrow.

Being a knifemaker’s wife can be quite hazardous to my health. Today Mike sharpened my kitchen knives. They are gorgeous, a set of five made of Alaska coral that we found out on the Bering Sea over 20 years ago.

Anyway, now that they are sharp, I had to test it by slicing off the tip of my thumb- just the skin not the bone. I wasn’t using the boning knife thank God!

I am grateful that yesterday I finished all my assignments; two articles for Cat Fancy and one article for the Christmas edition of Quilters Home Magazine because I have to say, typing one-handed kind of sucks.

I am getting ready to attend the Cat Writers’ Convention next month. Looking forward to seeing old friends and making new ones. The networking opportunities there are tremendous. This year I am in charge of securing the door prizes and I am so pleased that many merchants came forward with wonderful donations when I asked. I was beginning to feel like a cyber beggar standing on the side of the cyber highway with a sign: “Will beg for worthwhile causes.”

Astounding to me was the fact that so many of these companies field numerous requests for “free products” every day! I guess I am a bit naive about that aspect of it, which is why I started to feel like a cyber beggar.

Soon I will be shipping boxes containing pet feeders, water fountains, food and water dishes, cat toys, lots of cat toys, books, cute decorative switchplates, dog toys, treats, cat litter scoops, all sorts of wonderful items. The bigger items donated were cat condos, cat houses, cat ramps, beds, heated beds, cat carriers, my head is still spinning. It was so much work, but hopefully everything will arrive on time and intact. I know some pet authors who will be thrilled this year to get their gift bags!

Our irrigation well dried up today. We haven’t had as much rain as we generally have this time of year so the well went dry. There is supposed to be rain in the forecast for Saturday on- so hopefully we will soon have it replenished. I am glad we have two wells though and hope the house well won’t dry up.

I need to update my website EquineLove.com It has been awhile since I have been able to sit down and think about how far Racer has come since he foundered over three years ago. I always get nervous this time of year, because this is when he foundered - actually he foundered on Thanksgiving Day! Hmmm Does this make him one of our Foundered Fathers? Ok sorry, being goofy here.

Speaking of goofy it is coming up to the time when the kittens need to be neutered. This year there will be 3 spays and 3 neuters- total cost of this vet bill will be around $500.00 OUCH! But one of those neuters is Lei.

I still can’t walk right since the great coyote chase. My ankle is still swollen in the back, the tissue around the dorsal bone is swollen. Dorsal, what am I a dolphin?

All the cats are doing well. We still have some confrontation between Prowler and Maverick, generally taking place in the wee hours of the morning. I have Maverick listed up for adoption and I hope I can find a loving home for her without a bunch of cats to terrorize her. She deserves to live out her life in peace and here, that isn’t possible. Pariah cats do not do good here for very long.

An article in the NY Times has come to my attention. Apparently a biotech company in San Diego, CA has come up with a hypoallergenic cat.

These cats being touted as “lifestyle pets” are facing a daunting task. They must produce enough sneeze-free kittens to fill a waiting list that has been accumulating for over two years!

They estimate that cats ordered today from Allerca will take between 12-15 months to deliver. The cost? $4,000.00 apiece (probably does not include shipping cost).

The full story can be found on the NY Times page

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/06/science/06cat.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

You have to be registered, but registration is free.

So now we have a scientific based kitty factory in effect, where these cats need to produce enough off-spring to feed the frenzy of hundreds of allergy sufferers. Although the article talks about stringent application policies, one has to wonder, if money is talking here and nothing else? One female can give birth to up to 10 kittens . That’s $40,000 folks, if all the kittens live.

One statement in the article bothers me deeply “You’re not just buying a cat; it’s a medical device that replaces shots and pills.” Already cats are seen as objects, not as living breathing wonderful creatures that they are. Putting them into this type of category continues to be in the best interest of the person not the cat. I also wonder how many cats were experimented with before this “mutated gene” was located?