Feral Cat Behavior

Pushing contact with him, because in a few days I have to put him into a carrier and take him in to be snipped. As long as I stay low to the floor, he doesn’t view me as a threat. His baptism of the computer chair is becoming overpowering. I ordered Tuff Oxi for Pets today to see if I could save the chair and my sanity. Unaltered male cat pee reeks!

The torn ears that I mistakenly thought were done during the mating ritual, turns out of be possibly skin cancer, or a deliberate attempt of someone to burn her ears off. Won’t know for a few days what it is, she has been started on medication today after going to the vet. I have found that I need to give her a treatment that might result in an early abortion. But if she does have skin cancer, that danger far outweighs the early miscarriage. It was so strange though, what the vet said and how it left me so cold. “If she were a pedigreed cat, I would never even entertain starting her on a small dose of steriods in her ear ointment, but since she is a stray….” So typical how just because they are strays they are more expendable. A cat is a cat, whether pedigreed or stray or feral.

See if this works

The kitty who was growling and hissing at me has now just headbumped me! I love it when my process works with these terrified kitties. He is a gorgeous boy, we had a real petting fest before he retreated back to his den (underneath the futon). His ears strike me the most attractive, they are whitish-pink framed in gray. Looks like a natural color, not a skin disorder.

He is about 6 (I am guessing) his teeth aren’t in the best shape. Really muscular with a set of gonads the size of Texas! In the book I am currently writing, I share my processes to reach older feral cats. I will share a sneak preview for anyone who might actually read this.

Scenario: You have recently trapped and neutered an older stray/feral cat. When f inally released from the trap, he bolted for cover (under your bed). You know he is under there; he growls every time you step foot in the room and for added flavor he also hisses. The growl is low and menacing, and if you stopped to think for a minute, you might be scared of him. The food is vanishing, the litter pan shows action and the water level in the bowl is lowering, but he won’t budge and show his presence while you are around. Unlike a kitten, this boy has no curiousity toward your ankles or feet. He just understands that you are going to eat him at any given second, so he stays put.

Here’s what you do:
Lie down on the floor on your stomach. If you are like me, this may cause you to groan a bit, your knees to cave and your back to protest, but go with it anyway. Reward is just around the corner. (Tip test-sniff the floor area first, because your nose is going to be flat against it for a bit. Unpleasant surprises aren’t pleasant). OK, so you are now picturing yourself flat on the floor, nose to the carpet or tile (you might NOT want to try this method in a bathroom though). With your eyes closed, turn your head in his direction. Keep your eyes relaxed but closed. Talk to him softly. Tell him anything, just keep talking. Don’t move (even if it means you will be reaching for the aspirin after this manuever). Just lie very still, the only thing moving is your mouth.

He will come to you. You have removed two threats. You are now lower to the ground than he is- therefore his predator minds sees you as non-threatening. Your eyes are lightly closed not squinched shut, so you are not asking him to do the battle dance. He will come out, circle you, maybe sniff you. He will even walk on your back- DON’T MOVE. Let him explore.

Once he is free from any contact of you, slowly slide your hand along the floor until is either sideways straight out from your body, or up over your head. Extend your palm, snap your fingers gently. He is going to be very curious. When he sniffs your fingers, keep your hand still. Let him sniff, he will explore your scent. He may headbump you, or even lick you. These are both good signs. Keep Your Eyes Shut the entire time. Once he is clear of you, keeping your eyes closed, rise up slowly to a sitting position. Also forgot to say that you need to be talking low the entire time all this is going on.. talking to him and keeping your eyes closed.

Okay, you are in the sitting position, extend your arm so it is pointing to the floor. Snap fingers, extend fingers, he should come up and nudge you. Open your eyes but not all the way. When you can see the blurry image of him, pet him once briefly, then slowly lower your hand.

* I go on to say that you take your cues from him. Consider the two of you dance partners. If he moves toward you, pet him gently and quickly. If she stays around, go ahead and pet him some more. When he rolls on his back, you have to touch him on his head, not his belly. Your eyes should be open now, but not looking directly at him.

I did this process upstairs with Wyatt (Grey Guy) He loved it and we had a regular pet-fest. I was careful to not over-stimulate him and he was cautious about letting me touch him. Afterwards, he crawled back under the couch to sleep.

I know, a campy saying, but it’s true…

A few days ago some butthead dropped in the middle of the night on our property five feral cats. I know, because I heard the car drive up, saw the headlights in the window, heard the door slam. But the dogs kept quiet, the doorbell didn’t chime. I was bushed from the day’s activities so I fell back asleep.

5:30 a.m. during the feedings, I noticed 5 cats in the pasture. I had never seen them before and 2 years ago, I had the stray/feral cat population under managable control. These cats were gathered together, however I noticed two were giving each other the “controlling eye.” I surmised they were the clashing alphas, the others were either submissive males or females.

A black cat, small frame, narrow faced (female) peeked at me through the grass. Another larger, beautiful (though dirty) yellow cat, a golden boy, a white kitty and a gray and white. I tried to get close to them but they ran off.

Most of my traps are on loan. I had one left, I set it that night. Captured the white one. She was a mess. Her ears had been torn off (the surface flesh and a small section) suspect during the mating ritual (she’s very pregnant). I put her upstairs in the cat room. When I let her out of the trap, she twirled around and around my ankles, I thought she was going to fall-over! I call her Twirl. She is very affectionate, but then, her hormones are out-of control.

The next night, I captured Golden Boy. He was put in the introduction cage. He kept getting out! He had two fresh wounds on his head (courtesy of my alphas) when I finally discovered the escape hole and patched it. Once he was confined and couldn’t get out, he settled uneasily down. I call him RodneyD. A friend of mine, when she saw his glowering photo- said he reminded her of Rodney Dangerfield.

The following night, the trap was again set, but I came up empty. The grey and white guy is very trap savvy. I watched from a distance as he jumped on the trap, walked around it, lay next to it, pawed the food (or tried to) but he wouldn’t go in it! I tried all the tricks I knew, tuna, mackeral, canned dog food, dry dog food, stinky cat food. He seemed to gravitate towards the dry dog food (it has a stronger smell) not recommended as a permanent diet, but successful for hard to catch cats.

Although, he wanted the food, he wouldn’t go in. I happened to be talking to my friend Cimeron (Project Bay Cat Founder and Director) she told me to put a small amount of the dry food outside the cage about 2 feet away. “Use the paper bowls” she said. “Put both the foods in the same kind of bowl. Once the appetite is whetted, the cat looks around for more, sees the bowl in the cage and walks right in.” TA DA! Worked like a charm! Grey and White (no name yet, very feral) is upstairs probably baptizing the room as I type.

I haven’t trapped the other ones yet. I am simply out of rooms to put them in. My path has crossed with another woman who also rescues. She has ties to an organization that pays for spaying and neutering. They work with a vet who spays and neuters early! YAY! 2 pounds, is the minimun the kitten can weigh. Except for Twirl, the cats are going in on Weds to be neutered. I should have the rest of my traps back before that, so on Tuesday night I will set them all. I might trap a possum, a skunk, a coon but hopefully the other cats as well. They will go to the same place to be fixed.

I am so relieved! I still owe a king’s ransom to my vet for the last spays and neuters from late last year. I wouldn’t have been able to get these cats fixed for at least another month.

Going upstairs now to treat Twirl’s ears and see if the grey guy will come out of hiding and say hello (doubtful this early) there is feral written all over him.

And for the low-life who dropped these poor creatures off here. I wish for them- a nice stint on a fire ant hill buck -naked!

One of my websites www.kitten-rescue.com a labor of love between me and a fellow rescuer who happens to live across the world from me, garners a lot of email, especially during this time of year (kitten season). Some of the emails break my heart, others anger me, taking to me a dark place where I swear if I could I would hang every animal abuser in the world. I don’t like to go there though and thankfully, I don’t often. Others, give me hope. That there are others such as I was so many moons ago, who after finding my website, decide to take the plunge. They sacrifice their life for a long period of time, to bottle feed every few hours round the clock, agonize over every breath a little kitten takes, second-guess themselves trying to figure out if the kitten is going to fade or thrive. Many times, I get follow up emails after I reach out. The kitten has grown, the person has kept the kitten and I get updates from time to time about how much love this kitten is capable of giving someone.

Tonight, I received a sad email. In a town about 75 miles from me, there is litter of kittens. I believe the queen is out the picture (details are still sketchy). Several in the litter have already faded. Four remain, three are thriving, one is not. The person who has found themselves in this situation, is overwhelmed at the responsibility that round-the-clock bottle feeding can cause. They want to surrender the kitten over to me. They DO NOT want to take it to the vet. It sounds to me like the kitten is quite ill, more than likely he/she is the runt of the litter. They do thrive, they just do it later.

I wrote back that I am willing to make the drive to pick up the kitten. But it is going on 11:00 p.m. It is possible that the person didn’t expect a response so quickly. I know from past experience when you contact rescue organizations, you rarely get a quick return. So I wait, and I pray that this kitten has the staying power to hang in one more day until I can get to her/him to see if I can help.

Received a phone call today. A couple is interested in adopting out three of my cats. They live on a 92 acre ranch, so they are looking for primarily outdoor cats to keep the rodent population out of the grain. I am going over there tomorrow to look at the place and meet them up close and personal. Then, sometime next week, they will come over and meet the cats.

The ones I would adopt out (if everything looks kosher) are: Tipster, Mercedes, Buzzy and Cole. Everyone else is here to stay.

Bad weather slammed us today. The dogs got so muddy splashing in the creek and then rolling in horse manure (their favorite pastime). I put the horses on the other pasture, only because the creek has started overflowing and half the pasture is under water. Racer got started on magnesium today to counteract the rich grass he is now grazing on. Gosh, I wish he was like Trav who can munch long-bladed green grass every day and not break a crest! Sometimes, I feel like I am not doing right by these guys. I haven’t exercised Racer since he last foundered. They aren’t being abused, but they also aren’t being used. I suspect they are bored just being out in the pastures all day. I don’t want to sell them, and I couldn’t really do that anyway. What with the founder that Racer is prone to, Trav’s white line disease and mud fever, I doubt anyone wants horses with those types of problems. I do think that Racer would be great in a handicapped kid’s training program. He is so good with people and has such a loving character. I can see him bonding with the little ones and walking them quietly inside a ring.

Should probably say wild goose chase, but this is feral cat behavior. I suppose some people would consider me quite odd, should they learn how I spent the better part of my morning.

I heard a sad story involving 40 cats where a demented farmer supposedly opened up and shot almost every cat he had cornered in his barn. Then, as the story went, he threw the cats into bags, drove to a remote part of the mountain on a certain road and threw the cats over the cliffs. The person relaying the story to me said that at the time of the dump some of the cats were alive.

After I heard the story (last night) I had trouble sleeping. This morning, I convinced Mike to drive me along this remote stretch of land so that I could (using binoculars) try and find the dump spot. If I found it, I would have called the sheriff office.’

The area was vast, and though we traveled quite a distance, I didn’t see any massive pile of “garbage bags” no buzzards circling, no crow activity all that would key me to the dump spot. Finally we gave up and came home.

I pray that the story is untrue. I don’t know what type of individual would do such a thing, or maybe I do which is why I went on such a hopeless quest. I am unsure what I expected. I hoped, I guess, that I would find the pile and be able to help any cats caught up in such a horrible situation.

Today, Mercedes began acting a bit strange. I watched her go off into a corner and she peed what looked to be a swimming pool of urine. There was no litter pan where she urinated, she chose the puppy pen in the front room to let loose. I am so glad that I put down a large sheet of plastic several days ago to catch puppy mistakes. I didn’t think I would have to catch any cat pee at the same time.

I put Mercedes upstairs in the cat room and she freaked out. She is so used to being able to roam at will, the house and the enclosure. She used to spend a lot of time in the room, but that was when she was a small kitten.

I watched the pet food recall debacle on CSpan today. I say debacle because basically most of it was a joke. Senator Byrd, Good Lord, the man needs to push himself away from the political arena. I didn’t see much being said, a lot of back-pedaling and talk, but really nothing concrete was even decided. No answers to the concern of the pet-loving public as to when our animals will be safe again. The only one I was impressed with was Senator Durbin. He asked some tough questions and stayed on point.

I know that it is illogical for me to feel guilty about feeding the pet food to my cats, but that doesn’t seem to stop the guilt. Cleo is slipping downhill. He hasn’t budged from his sleeping hole, a place I made him on the porch that is quiet, dark and low enough to the floor that if he perceives danger, he can flee.

Both cats are losing fluids so quickly that sub cu’s aren’t staying with them much. Not even long enough to form a pocket. I have changed out Guinevere’s litter pan completely twice today already, due to her enlarging pool of urine she produces. Both cats have access to their own Drinkwells which I keep supplied with a combination of water and pedialyte.

I heard of a vet back east that is taking this pet food fight to heart. She has been taking the kidneys of the deceased animals and preserving them for an outside lab to test. Apparently, she has more than her fair share of pet deaths in the last few months.

I wonder if we will ever real know the true ramification of this tragedy, or will be, like other disasters, with the real numbers being kept under wraps so as not to cause a panic? One thing is clear, the pet food industry needs to be regulated with stricter guidelines towards better QC.

Until then, like I told my friend Lei who is also fighting the fight. We need to take it a day at a time, if not a day, then an hour, if not an hour then take it minute by minute. It’s the only way to proceed due to the circumstances.