HELP!!!!!

[POOH267]

I AM A DOG PERSON....AND I HAVE THIS STRAY CAT THAT I DISCOVERED A FEW MONTHS AGO...AND STARTED FEEDING IT...'CAUSE I THINK HIS/HER MOTHER CAT ABANDONED IT AFTER IT WAS BORN...I FEEL IT EVERY DAY...I EVEN PUT A RUG OUTSIDE IN THE BUSHES THAT IT COMES TO EVERY DAY TO BE FED....IT'S STILL LEARY AND SQUEEMISH ABOUT ME...WHY WON'T HE/SHE LET ME TOUCH HER? IF SHE WOULD LET ME PET HER AND HOLD HER...MAYBE I COULD INTRODUCE HER TO MY GOLDEN RETRIEVER AND MY BORDER COLLIE AND SHE COULD BE MY INDOOR CAT...WHERE SHE'LL BE SAFE WITH 2 OLDER DOG BROTHERS....SHE WOULD HAVE A FAMILY...RATHER THAN HAVE TO LIVE OUTSIDE..I FEEL SO BAD WHEN IT RAINS...I THINK SHE GOES UNDER OUR SHED IN THE BACK YARD....BUT THAT STILL DOESN'T HELP ME FEEL BETTER..I WORRY...BUT SHE WON'T LET ME TOUCH HER...SOMETIMES I CAN SIT ON THE PORCH AND TALK TO HER WHILE SHE EATS OR PLAYS IN THE FRONT YARD....BUT I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO GET HER TO THE VET AND TAKE CARE OF HER...SHE NEEDS A FAMILY....BUT SHE WON'T LET ME NEAR...WHAT CAN I DO?

[4 feline house]

It is unclear from your post if this cat was a newborn when you first discovered her. If so, you stand a good chance of being able to tame her down. Even if not, she still will need to go to a vet to be spayed, and then released back into the yard. Most animal agencies rent or lend (with a refundable deposit) humane traps that you could set out for her. If you do decide to attempt to tame her and keep her inside, she'll feel safer if you can keep her in a crate or a small room by herself away from the dogs, other cats, and noise of the household. There are many old posts that give excellent tips on taming feral cats - Jasper's mom had a very successful attempt last month. I am at work on my lunch hour so I don't have time to search and link the old posts or to explain how you can find them, so if you're not a bulletin board pro and want to find these old posts, anyone here can help you with it, just ask. And, bless you for wanting to help this little girl.

[POOH267]

THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH FOR RESPONDING TO MY CRY FOR HELP....I THOUGHT OF THE LITTLE DOGHOUSE THING....I COULD PUT IT WHERE I PUT HER LITTLE RUG AND FOOD SO SHE COULD HAVE SOMEWHERE "INSIDE" IF SHE NEVER LETS ME TOUCH HER....UNFORTUNATELY WE DON'T HAVE A GARAGE TO INCH TO...BUT WE HAVE A HUGE SHED...I THINK SHE GOES UNDER THERE WHEN IT RAINS OR IS COOL...RIGHT NOW IT'S SUMMER HERE SO IT GETS VERY HUMID...THIS PAST WEEKEND..I PUT ONE OF THOSE IGLOO ICE PACK COOLER SQUARES ON HERE LITTLE RUG BY HER FOOD..SO IF SHE GETS REAL HOT SHE CAN LAY NEAR IT TO COOL OFF...I WAS JUST READING ON THE TRAP/NEUTER/RELEASE PROGRAM...AND ARE REALLY LEARY ON "TRAPPING" HER TO SPAY/NEUTER HER...THEN SHE'LL NEVER TRUST ME!!... WAS THINKING ABOUT MAYBE NOT FEEDING HER FOR A DAY OR TWO...AND THEN OFFERING HER FOOD FROM MY HAND...?????????? WHADDYA THINK?

Originally posted by SpencerTheLion:
<STRONG>Can you improvise a 'dog house' with food and water? It would not be as big, but a place she would be comfortable with. If you could inch it towards the garage, then maybe it could live in the garage. I don't recommend getting it with the dogs any time soon. It may have never had human contact - a feral cat. It is going to take a long time to win it's trust most likely. See www.alleycat.org and http://www.amby.com/cat_site/ on taming/trapping feral cats.</STRONG>

[POOH267]

SHE WASN'T "NEWBORN"....BUT SHE WAS DEFINITELY A KITTEN...I AM TRUELY HOPING THAT I CAN TAME HER TO BE PART OF OUR FAMILY...EVENTUALLY...MY 2 DOGS SIT IN THE DOORWAY AND WATCH HER EAT AND DRINK AND LAY IN THE YARD...THEY DON'T EVEN BARK AT HER ANYMORE...WELL...THE GOLDEN RETRIEVER NEVER BARKS AT ANYTHING...HE WOULD BE EXCELLENT WITH HER..THE BORDER COLLIE WOULD JUST NEED AN ATTITUDE ADJUSTMENT...HE USED TO BARK AT HER TO SCARE HER AWAY...NOW HE RESPONDS TO "BE NICE TO KITTY" - THEY BOTH JUST SIT AND LOOK AT HER NOW WITH INTEREST...I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE TO KEEP HER SEPARATE FOR A LITTLE WHILE....BUT I AM ALSO CONCERNED WITH HER HEALTH....DON'T CATS NEED SHOTS? JUST LIKE DOGS? AND OF COURSE TO SPAY/NEUTER HER...AND WHAT ABOUT HER LIVING OUTSIDE ALL THIS TIME...FLEAS OR MITES OR ????? I'D HAVE TO TRAP HER..GET HER TO THE VET...GET HER CLEANED AND SPAYED/NEUTERED AND POSSIBLY DECLAWED BEFORE SLOWLY INTRODUCING HER TO THE HOUSEHOLD...AND IN THE MEANTIME..I CAN'T STOP BUYING CAT FOOD.... ....I HAVE SURFED THE ALLEY CAT SITE YOU SUGGESTED...AND WILL DEFINITELY VISIT THE OTHER ONE..AND MAYBE FIND MORE...I CAN FIND MY WAY AROUND THE INTERNET PRETTY GOOD...THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE!!! WISH ME LUCK!!!


QUOTE]Originally posted by 4 feline house:
<STRONG>It is unclear from your post if this cat was a newborn when you first discovered her. If so, you stand a good chance of being able to tame her down. Even if not, she still will need to go to a vet to be spayed, and then released back into the yard. Most animal agencies rent or lend (with a refundable deposit) humane traps that you could set out for her. If you do decide to attempt to tame her and keep her inside, she'll feel safer if you can keep her in a crate or a small room by herself away from the dogs, other cats, and noise of the household. There are many old posts that give excellent tips on taming feral cats - Jasper's mom had a very successful attempt last month. I am at work on my lunch hour so I don't have time to search and link the old posts or to explain how you can find them, so if you're not a bulletin board pro and want to find these old posts, anyone here can help you with it, just ask. And, bless you for wanting to help this little girl.</STRONG>[/QUOTE]

[4 feline house]

Yes, you are correct, she will need quite a bit of "doctoring up" once she is captured, possibly including de-fleaing, de-worming, and de-earmiting. It is not necessarily true, though, that she would never learn to trust you after the shock of TNR- especially if you are her only food source. I would strongly discourage declawing her, though. Besides the cruelty factor, you will not know in the beginning if taming her will be successful. If it doesn't work out and you conclude she is happier going back to living outside, this will then become impossible if she has no way to defend herself.

[mruffruff]

4 Feline House is correct. Please do not declaw her in case she can't become an in-house cat.
I have done Trap/Neuter/Release on two cats in my neighborhood. Both come to my house every night for dinner. One will eat out of my hand and let me pet him on the head (only). But it took almost three months of sitting quietly every night while he ate.
I trapped them both, took them to the vet, and let them loose within a 24 hour timespan. The female bounced off the walls of the cage until I got her to the vet. I still can't sit on the porch while she eats. I have to watch from the window, even though she knows I'm there. Ghost, the male, was quieter in the trap. He knows I have dogs in the house so he won't come in. One day I hope he will venture in when the dogs are outside. I'd like to be able to let him have a doggy door of his own where the dogs can't get to him so that maybe he'll introduce himself to the dogs when he's ready.
There are two more cats that come for dinner at night. Ghost watches over them, and I swear he has told them it's OK to come to my house.
The vet here gives me a discount so I only paid $125.00 per cat for feline leukemia test, annual shots, rabies, and neutering. Also be careful that she doesn't scratch you when you try to pet her. They can be real quick
Let us know how you are doing. Just don't be discouraged if it seems to take forever.

[POOH267]

GOING BACK AND READING MY NOTE.....I GUESS I LEFT OUT SOME PRETTY CRUCIAL INFORMATION...
"MY KITTY" IS A PETITE CALICO (I THINK) WITH THE ROUNDEST MOST BEAUTIFUL LIGHT GREEN EYES
ANY LITTLE GIRL COULD HAVE.....SHE HAS A FEW FRIENDS OUT THERE....'CAUSE WHEN I STUCK MY HEAD OUT THE DOOR TODAY...HER LITTLE BLACK PERSIAN FRIEND WAS WITH HER....SHE ALSO HAS A "MR CHOCOLATE" (BROWNISH-GREYISH KITTY)AND A GREY TABBY I CALL "FESTER" - I THINK THE BLACK PERSIAN BELONGS TO SOMEBODY THOUGH 'CAUSE HE HAS A RED COLLAR.....BUT HE LAYS OUT THERE WITH HER...ABOUT 3 FEET APART AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO MIND ONE ANOTHER....ON A MILDLY WARM DAY..SHE'LL ROLL IN THE YARD AND WATCH ALL THE SQUIRRELS COME UP TO THE PORCH TO GET PEANUTS...(I FEED THE SQUIRRELS TOO) SOMETIMES SHE CHASES THEM...UP THE TREES...BUT DOESN'T SEEM TO WANT TO KILL THEM....SOMETIMES I WATCH AND I TAP ON THE GLASS AND THEN SHE JUST LAYS DOWN AND TWITCHES HER TAIL IN CONTENTMENT...SHE'LL CHASE FLIES OR MOTHS OR WHATEVER FLIES PAST HER FACE AND PAW AT THEM...THAT'S HOW I KNOW...SHE FEELS PRETTY HEALTHY....SHE DOES WATCH THROUGH THE GLASS OF THE DOOR AT MY DOGGIES (BLAZE & LUCKY) WHO JUST STARE BACK AT HER IN CURIOSITY...BUT I DON'T SENSE THAT SHE'S AFRAID...'CAUSE SHE KNOWS THEY'RE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLASS AND THAT SHE'S SAFE...SOMETIMES SHE SITS AT THE FOOT OF THE PORCH WHICH IS ABOUT 5 FEET AWAY FROM THE FRONT DOOR WHERE THE DOGS SIT...KNOWING THAT THE ONLY THING BETWEEN HER AND MY DOGS IS THAT GLASS THING....BUT SHE DOESN'T SEEM AFRAID....BUT IF YOU OPEN THE DOOR SHE SCURRIES....UNDER A BUSH AND WILL WATCH YOU FROM A DISTANCE....LAST NITE I SAT AND SPOKE TO HER AND GAVE HER SOME POUNCE - SHE WAS ABOUT 2 1/2 FEET FROM ME....SHE WANTED TO COME TO ME AND TAKE IT OUT OF MY HAND...BUT IT MAY STILL TAKE QUITE SOME TIME BEFORE THAT HAPPENS....THANKS FOR ALL YOUR NOTES...WILL KEEP YOU POSTED ON MISS KITTY..THE CALICO....WITH THE PRETTIEST GREEN EYES.....

[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: POOH267 ]

[ July 17, 2001: Message edited by: POOH267 ]

[auggie]

I hope that you'r able to catch Miss Kitty. It might take a little time for her to get used to you and the Dogs, but I'm sure she will adjust.
Your Dogs sound wonderful. Love to see a Picture.

[anoushka]

Hi there. I don't know how old the kitty is that you found, but I found my kitty, Isabelle, when she was about 4 months old. She was a feral kitten & it took me about 1 month to gain her trust enough to be able to grab her when she was eating. I brought her inside & she joined my existing 2-kitty family. My oldest kitty did not get along with Isabelle & picked on her. My other kitty got along with Isabelle just fine. It is now 10 years later & my other kitties have passed away, but Isabelle is still with me. She is still not a cuddeler, but she is a very sweet and loving kitty who loves to be petted. She loves her younger brother, but hides when people she doesn't know visit. She is strictly an indoor kitty.

The point in this is that wild kitties can become used to humans, but they may never be the lap-kitties. My experience is that they get along very well with other animals (in my case, cats), but will always have some fear of humans. How old is this kitty?

I didn't have to "trap" Isabelle. I just grabbed her. I got closer & closer to her as she ate unil I could be within a foot or two. I have never regretted making her a part of my family. She has always been the very first among my kitties to make friends with any new kitty family member.

I love the idea of the dog-style house for shelter until you can bring the kitty indoors. The fact that your dogs are begining to get used to the kitty is a good sign. Try inching towards the kitty when you feed it so that it gets used to you.

Best of luck to you!

[anoushka]

Another thing, I did have Isabelle spayed right away. I honestly do NOT think she was traumatized by this at all. Far better this than more unwanted litters. If she is at least 5 months old, I would begin to worry about the other kitties in the neighborhood becoming "interested" in her.

Even though Isabelle doesn't like to sit in my lap, she sleeps at my feet every night and is very, very affectionate. I have never regretted grabbing her & bringing her inside.

[POOH267]

I too would feel better about not using a trap. This week I've gotton within 2 feet of her - giving her the "pounce" treats out of my hand....I put my hand down and offered and she came and stopped at what she thought was a safe distance....and just watched me...
Somehow I just "read" her face....as if to say..."Just please put them by my food place"...So I did....but hopefully she'll get closer as the days go by....I'd rather not trap her...I'm gonna try and work with her till the fall....and hopefully before it gets too awful cold she'll let me pet her...then maybe I could eventually get her in a little kitty crate to go to the vet...The neighbors are complaining that some cat sprayed her bushes....I'm not sure it was Miss Kitty....It might be one of the other cats....I just apologized....and said I can't stop feeding her now....and told them of my plan....to make her an indoor kitty....Thanks for confirming that I won't need to "trap" her....I'm gonna try and do the "grab" thing...but in a more gentler tone....

[POOH267]

Don't worry....I'm not gonna "grab" her....I'm gonna try and get her to "come" to me on a regular basis for treats and petting....once she's comfortable with that....maybe she'll LET me hold her....Thanks for the warning....though....I will be extremely careful....not to spook her...and certainly not to get bit or scratched....I just would like an alternative to "trapping"....I don't like cages for dogs or cats....but I may not have an option here....but I will try the gentler approach first....Good News!!!! A shelter by me called and I spoke to one of the ladies that runs the place....and I asked if I could come visit the shelter...and maybe help out some and educate myself with cats and cat behavior....She also told me where I could borrow a trap from if it came to that...and we talked about spaying and shots & toys and catnip and other kitty interests...I'm gonna bring Miss Kitty a couple ping pong balls that I had here at my desk at work that I never use...and she said they like to bat around crumpled up pieces of paper....and on my next trip to the grocery store or pet store...I'm gonna pick up some catnip...she said it might get her to come closer to me....I'm not gonna hurry her though....She's got 2 more months of summer weather...and probably would be okay a little into the fall.....I will be careful though.....THANKS FOR THE WARNING!!!!

[4 feline house]

I understand that you want to be able to "grab" her instead of "trap" her, and in order to do that you will have to take the next several months gaining her trust. But the red flags that go off in my head about that plan is that she is sure to get pregnant in the meantime. You may already have an unneutered male around, hence the spraying of the neighbor's shrubs. Although spraying can be done by males and females, altered and unaltered, it is most commonly done by unneutered males. While all of us abhor the thought of animals living in cages, an animal under short-term stress usually feels more comfortable in a cage or carrier, because they know they are confined and therefore safe. I know you are having trouble getting your mind around trapping her, it does sound extremely cruel and traumatic, but in this case the means does definitely justify the end. She must be spayed as soon as possible or you will find yourself having to feed, capture, tame, and adopt maybe up to seven cats instead of one. I'm not telling what to do, just giving you another perspective since you are not yet very familiar with cats or feral rescue.

[anoushka]

Sorry for the alarm my use of the word "grab" caused. What I meant was that I simply picked Isabelle up after she became used to me. She was (and still is) a small cat and there was no danger to me at all. It was obvious to me at the time.

I simply saw that Pooh didn't want to trap Miss Kitty and was offering my experience as an example.

I do think think that the caution about getting Miss Kitty fixed soon is good advise. Kitties can become momies at a very young age.

[anoushka]

Sorry for the alarm my use of the word "grab" caused. What I meant was that I simply picked Isabelle up after she became used to me. She was (and still is) a small cat and there was no danger to me at all. It was obvious to me at the time.

I simply saw that Pooh didn't want to trap Miss Kitty and was offering my experience as an example.

I do think think that the caution about getting Miss Kitty fixed soon is good advise. Kitties can become momies at a very young age.