Feral and stray cats

[FireGoddess]

I thought I''d pose this question to the PSers, thinking someone has encountered this sort of situation before? We have moved and now live on a pretty busy street. We noticed a feral cat while we were moving (it ran right into the empty house when we were moving some boxes) and was very affectionate, rubbing against us and purring, etc like it was used to human contact. It did try to play a little too aggressively though, actually nipping me and breaking the skin. I shooed it out after that. Anyway, it is hanging around the house and the neighbors houses all the time. I also noticed 2 more stray cats in the backyard last week. I call them stray because I did not approach them and do not know if they are friendly or not.

Anyway, being an animal lover with my own cat I have several concerns. I am not going to attempt to interact with the strays but the little feral kitty keeps trying to come in the house. The other morning I was outside and it ran between my legs and wanted to be petted. I asked the neighbor if she knew whose cat it was, and she said she didn''t, that it was always hanging around going from house to house, and she couldn''t take it in because she already has a cat and 2 dogs. I decided to feed it and see how it reacted - it was like the cat had never seen food before. That led me to believe nobody owns or is feeding the cat. There is no collar on her either. I have been debating trying to catch her and bring her to the ASPCA or something so she could be scanned for a microchip and if there is none, be checked out and placed in a good home. I''ve seen the cats dart across the busy street and it''s seriously an accident waiting to happen. I''d also like to avoid the 3 cats I''ve now seen becoming something like 30 cats if they aren''t neutered or spayed.

So...the question! Has anyone dealt with strays? Have you taken them to the ASPCA or somewhere else? The cat doesn''t appear abused so I don''t think calling the ASPCA to come find her would be appropriate? Any advice appreciated!

BTW - I would consider taking her in (after being checked out of course!) but my current kitty is a ''one cat only'' pet. I''d love to keep the feral around and feed her myself but I think it''s selfish to want to see her instead of find her a good home. However, I don''t want to catch this cat and take her somewhere that there''s a chance of her being put down. If that''s the case, I''d rather just make sure she''s fixed and then leave her be.

 

[hopefulheidi]

It almost sounds to me like that overly friendly kitty may be in heat.

In the past 4 years I''ve taken in 4 strays - 2 male, 2 (pregnant) females.

I was able to take the two male cats to our local humane society immediately, although they do not accept strays/ferals; only owner surrenders. When I called I mentioned that one in particular was a stray but the worker at the Humane Society made me play along that the cat was mine and that I was surrendering him as such. I think it cost all of $35 to turn each one over. While I could have tried to rehome them myself I really didn''t have the resources to find a good/safe home for them so I was more than happy to leave it to the experts.

The two overly friendly female cats were decidely pregnant so I took them in, allowed them to have their kittens, and fostered the entire cat families for a number of months. One mommy and kittens were exported to New Mexico to the parents of my boyfriend''s work friend. The other mommy and two kittens were also surrendered to my local humane society before it was a humane society and they spent a short amount of time at Petsmart before they were adopted out.

And I kept 3 kittens for myself eheh

The only thing I would advise against is taking any of these cats to a Kill Shelter. If they''re at all skittish it will be nearly impossible for them to find a home within the 72 hour grace period before euthanization.

Your best bet is to try to locate animal rescue groups in your area. They may not have the available space to take in these kitties, but oftentimes they can point you in the direction of some really valuable local resources.

~Heidi

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hey FG - good for you for wanting to help this little one. I think, technically, that if the cat will allow human contact, its stray but not feral (a true feral would never approach you voluntarily or purr from contact, is my understanding). I know that there are a number of organizations in the SF Bay Area and throughout California that could probably give you good advice about this. A lot of them advocate "TNR", or trap-neuter-return for true ferals and will provide you with the equipment and resources to do that. I don''t know how that would apply in this case since its not really a feral cat, but I think your instincts of wanting to get the kitties all fixed (VERY important) and not giving them to a place where they will be euthanized are perfect. Here are some links that will hopefully help you do that and they can probably advise you about whether its best to try TNR, or try to place one or more of the kitties in a rescue to hopefully be adopted. I''m sorry I can''t give more specific advice - I really only know more than this about programs in San Francisco proper, since I volunteer at the SF/SPCA. Anyway, I hope these help, and please keep us updated and let me know if I can do anything else to help.

List of Organizations with Feral Cat Rescue Programs in CA

Feral Cat Network Homepage

Stanford Cat Network

No-Kill Feline Adoption Center Serving Santa Clara, CA

 

[FireGoddess]

Oops AG, you''re right. The 2 cats I haven''t had contact with may be ferile, but the other one is definitely some sort of stray that seeks out human contact. Thanks for the links and info so far!!

 

[WTNLVR]

I had a cat come around my house for over a year. I thought it was a stray cat. Turns out it lives 2 houses down and is just an experienced begger. Your local animal officer might know if feral cats are common where you live, or know if someone has lost a pet. I almost took "our" cat to a shelter because I thought it was a stray. Good luck with whatever happens.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 4/24/2007 5:25:15 PM
Author: WTNLVR
I had a cat come around my house for over a year. I thought it was a stray cat. Turns out it lives 2 houses down and is just an experienced begger. Your local animal officer might know if feral cats are common where you live, or know if someone has lost a pet. I almost took 'our' cat to a shelter because I thought it was a stray. Good luck with whatever happens.

Yes, that is exactly why I haven't done anything up till now! And why I asked the neighbor if she knew whose cat it was. I don't want to assume that just because there's no collar, there's no owner. Hopefully the cat would be microchipped (my cat has no collar as a strictly indoor cat, but if she ever were to get out, she is microchipped). The reason I fed her was to see how she would respond - I figured if she were someone's cat she'd be happy to have the food, but not wolf it down like she didn't know when the next one was coming.

AGH!

 

[JCJD]

Oh FireGoddess. You clearly have never been exposed to Starving Kitty Syndrome, you sweet naive soul.

You know, the strange phenomenon in which well-fed, even fat cats will beg and cry for food appproximately 30 mins after feeding them? And then either pounce on the food as if they haven''t eaten in months or look at it like you''re serving them radioactive fertilizer? Oh kitties...

If the "stray" isn''t S K I N N Y, it''s getting food somehow - mice, other handouts, a home, etc. I''d keep asking the neighbors (good excuse to introduce yourself!), and search out a no-kill cat shelter in your area. If you''re worried about 3--> 200 cats, ask your vet if they know of any spay/neuter and release programs in the area too. In some communities, shelters and vets will volunteer to fix stray animals who simply aren''t fit for adoption and releasing them to try and counteract the feral overpopulation problems. Better than euthanizing in my book!

Since it''s perfectly fine with coming into your house, I wonder if it belonged to the previous owners...

 

[Madam Bijoux]

I fed a female cat who was born and lived in somebody's yard from the time she was about 6 months old. I was walking past their house and saw her in their yard. They told me that I was the only person who ever took any interest in her. She was friendly to me from the start, but was basically afraid of her own shadow. I paid to have her neutered and I fed her every day. She lived in those people's yard until she was about 9 years old, when I was able to take her home with me. She remained an indoor cat at my house and lived to be 19. Her name was Elizabeth.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

My DH used to let in a stray cat (turned out to be our neighbors though) and we got so flea infested it was horrible! So obviously beware of that. I have a friend that used to work for animal control in CA and she said to always call a shelter to have them picked up. Otherwise they multiply at a very high rate.

 

[FireGoddess]

Hehe JCJD. My parents' cats are like that - one was a 20 pounder and he still cried for food. LOL.

The friendly stray isn't so thin it's starved (ie. ribs clearly separate and showing) but it is quite skinny (which means it's even skinnier without all the fur). I really hope it has a home - that hope is why I have been watching the cat for the last 3 weeks but haven't done anything. I'm so conflicted. It's stressing me out!!!

ETA: I met the previous renters when we checked the place out and they didn't mention a cat, though if they left it behind, then

. I have wondered the same thing.

 

[FireGoddess]

Date: 4/24/2007 5:58:28 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
My DH used to let in a stray cat (turned out to be our neighbors though) and we got so flea infested it was horrible! So obviously beware of that.

That''s right Tacori. Not only that - I don''t know the health of this cat, if it has anything contagious that could be passed indirectly from me to my cat, which is why it is absolutely not allowed in. Though I have petted her.

 

[VegasAngel]

just an idea: Can you maybe take the cat in for a little bit then post found flyers around your neighborhood & see if anyone claims it? If not you can always let the cat go, or get it spayed if the cat needed it & you are willing to cover the cost.

 

[JCJD]

LOL, my little 8 pound Sammy will whine and whine at the bedroom door every morning, and then dart off for her FULL bowls (yes, bowls) of dry food as I head to the bathroom. It''s like she simply can''t eat breakfast without telling me good morning and getting a few ankle circles in while she''s at it. Katie used to beg and beg for food too, and she was a fat one.

Anyways, the stray does seem to be more needy than I''d supposed... But you don''t want to encourage it to hang around your home and keep getting into your house to infect your cat with fleas etc... Maybe you should really search for a no-kill shelter who would take her... With the nipping and skin breaking history with you, you can be pretty sure an ASPCA won''t take the risk in adopting him/her out..... sad but true part of living in the real world...

 

[Gypsy]

I was heavily involved in catching strays (both cats and small dogs) in NJ. I would either catch, spay and release if the cats were too feral to be adopted... or take the animal to the shelter I volunteered at for adoption. All of my rescues found good homes... and Frodo became my own.

IF you have a good shelter that generally commits to keep the animals until they get adopted, and generally only puts animals to sleep if they are dangerous or very sick... then develop a relationship with them and rescue.

I haven't found such a shelter here.. and in CA there is only a 3 day holding requirement

... so I haven't done anything about the 4 stays in my complex... although I'm actively looking for a place that I can feel safe taking them to.

ETA: If you do rescue. 10% bleach solution, old sneakers that can be washed and bleeched, old bleachable jeans and a long sleeve sweatshirt (also beachable) are what you need. gloves, thick ones are also a good idea. If you long hair, tie it back, preferably in a bun.

I would undress in the garage. Put my clothes and shoes into a trash bag. Start the washing machine, dump bleach in and detergent... dump the clothes in. Wait for the water to fill. Then soak the submerged clothing in the washing machine for about 45 minutes then let the cyle finish. Take clothes out to dry. Run a bleach and detergent only in a short cycle to clean out washer.

If any part of my body came in contact with the cat I would wash it completely with anti bacterial soap (it was under my acrylics I would soak my fingers in alcohol or bleach) and cover any scratches or scrapes with neosporin immediately and keep the area covered with a bandage.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Gypsy - have you checked out the SF/SPCA? I believe they are generally considered to be state-of-the-art, but I''m kind of biased because I volunteer there. They are definitely no-kill, and they keep animals as long as they need to. They work really hard to rehab even the ones with behavior problems - I work with the dogs, and we have one that we''ve had since August who has serious dog-dog aggression issues and they''ve been working so hard to get him over it. The Milo Foundation is another good organization - they are no-kill as far as I know and they take as many animals as they can, and send the ones that can''t be adopted to their sanctuary in Willits.

There is a serious problem in California, as in much of the country, with pet overpopulation and while I''m sure that some of the shelters near you could try harder I''m also sure that they are probably overwhelmed, understaffed and underfunded. I don''t know if you''ve seen it but there is a bill, AB 1634, that is currently being debated by the California Assembly for mandatory spay/neuter of all companion animals except those who have a medical condition that prevents it or who are for show. This would certainly help with the problem and if you haven''t already, Google it and write a letter of support to the legislator that has brought this Bill - they will take care of distributing it to your local representatives.

FG - sorry for the thread hijack, just wanted to share some of that, and I guess its kind of indirectly related to your issue, in that if people spayed/neutered and took better care of their pets there would be no stray kitties running around your neighborhood!

 

[FireGoddess]

No apology necessary. I emailed a local place asking whether they take animals, whether they are no-kill (don''t know if that was rude to ask, but figure it''s better just to know), and whether they have humane traps for use. Still thinking about maybe photocopying a few flyers to ask whether the cat is owned by anyone on the street before doing anything.

 

[zoebartlett]

I haven''t read all the posts yet but I wanted to let you know that I have two semi-feral cats (9 months old and 7 months old). My 9 month old was born in a barn -- her mom was a house cat but she had gotten out one night. We got her from the Animal Rescue League. We got my 7 month old from someone in town who had found him under her deck (along with 4 others?). They are both the sweetest cats who love to snuggle. At first I thought semi-feral cats were ones to stay away from but the girl at the ARL put our minds to ease when we went to look at (and eventually adopt) Zoe, who was 9 weeks old at the time.

 

[monarch64]

Awww, FG I hope this situation works out for you! I don''t have advice to give, though, sorry. My brother and his wife have taken on 10 strays plus my parents'' kitty and my brother''s boss''s cat he couldn''t move away with over the last few years, it''s a zoo at their house! Most of the kitties are very sweet and playful except for the few older ones who were obviously mistreated (one has half a tail and is totally depressed) or just aren''t adapting well. Any of the kittens they rescued they immediately had spayed or neutered and my DH and I as well as my parents give them gift cards to PetSmart or Sam''s every Christmas so they can use them towards litter and food. It''s not a lifestyle I would recommend to anyone, but they are all well taken care of (my Bro and SIL are childless but only in their early 30''s and the cats are their babies), and I''ve looked in on them when visiting my parents back home and they''re fun to be around! I''ve actually asked my SIL if I can have one and she can''t bear to part with any of them, isn''t that funny! They grow on you, for sure.

If your kitty is definitely not going to be tolerable of a new addition of the feline persuasion I would certainly not take the stray/feral in. However it is going to be REALLY hard to get it to stop coming around since you''ve fed it (don''t know if this has already been mentioned, forgive me if it has) and petted it. Cats are smart and they know a "sucker" when they find one, lol! Also are you willing to take on the expense of capturing it and taking care of it if it has health issues, such as FIV or anything? Let us know what happens, I''m sure you will do the right thing for your family and the cat. Best of luck!

 

[Gypsy]

Date: 4/24/2007 8:50:06 PM
Author: AmberGretchen
Gypsy - have you checked out the SF/SPCA? I believe they are generally considered to be state-of-the-art, but I'm kind of biased because I volunteer there. They are definitely no-kill, and they keep animals as long as they need to. They work really hard to rehab even the ones with behavior problems - I work with the dogs, and we have one that we've had since August who has serious dog-dog aggression issues and they've been working so hard to get him over it. The Milo Foundation is another good organization - they are no-kill as far as I know and they take as many animals as they can, and send the ones that can't be adopted to their sanctuary in Willits.

There is a serious problem in California, as in much of the country, with pet overpopulation and while I'm sure that some of the shelters near you could try harder I'm also sure that they are probably overwhelmed, understaffed and underfunded. I don't know if you've seen it but there is a bill, AB 1634, that is currently being debated by the California Assembly for mandatory spay/neuter of all companion animals except those who have a medical condition that prevents it or who are for show. This would certainly help with the problem and if you haven't already, Google it and write a letter of support to the legislator that has brought this Bill - they will take care of distributing it to your local representatives.

FG - sorry for the thread hijack, just wanted to share some of that, and I guess its kind of indirectly related to your issue, in that if people spayed/neutered and took better care of their pets there would be no stray kitties running around your neighborhood!

Thanks for the leads! I'll call this weekend! SF is a hike for me though as I'm in Fremont... and when I called the Tri-valley in Dublin they don't take direct rescues... but take from other organizations, most of whom are not no kill. SPCA in Oakland breaks my heart with overcrowding, but I will consider them again.

There is one male orange tabby who is seriously freindly but has some nipping issues. And a black cat that torments my Frodo at night in the balconey. Another who looks freakishly like Duncan (in my AV) ... and another white one I've caught site of a few times.

In NJ we usually only trapped in our immediate neighboorhod and took the animals to our shelter, which was the only one for the township. So if we trapped someone's cat accidently they knew to call us (June Cleaver type neighborhood-- everyone knew everyone) or the shelter.

Here... I'm a little concerned, I don't want to post pictures and signs as I don't want anyone to get in trouble with the management. ANd if I take the animals to OAKLAND-- who is going to think to lok for their animal 20 mile away! On the other hand... we don't live in a location where you can responibly let your animals out, so part of me feels that even if I trap someone's cat-- as long as I've seen it out repeatedly-- they are going to a better place with more responsible owners and have a higher chance of avoid the fate of roadkill. Then again, I'm pretty inflexible in my pet ownership standards.

 

[innerkitten]

I was a volunteer for the spca. I fostered motherless kittens and helped trap ferals so they could be neutered and released.

first of all do any of the cats have clipped ears? If they do they may have already been trapped neutered and released.
here is some information about TNR
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trap-Neuter-Return

if you bring it to the local pound they might put the cat to sleep if they don''t think it''s adoptable or have no room.

Could you have it fixed ( and others) with the help from group that aids ferals and feed them?

 

[innerkitten]

AmberGretchen thats where I was a volunteer too.

 

[FireGoddess]

Hehe Monarch I waited as long as I could without feeding it (3 weeks) because I didn''t want it to stay at our house!!! But I am a sucker and gave in so that I could try to figure out if it was being fed. I thought maybe I could get it to trust me with the food so it would be easier to catch if I needed to.

 

[FireGoddess]

I hear ya Gypsy. I don''t want to trap someone''s pet either but we live on a really busy street - cars zooming by all the time (it is a double yellow line street, so it is a main thoroughfare from the highway) and anyone living on this street should NOT have an outdoor cat. It''s really an accident waiting to happen.

 

[Sparkles22]

I have 4 cats. At the time I had two cats (1 male, 1 female, both fixed) when this poor little beat up mean looking cat (hair matted/ patches missing, eye all messed up) was coming around our house. We would leave cans of food out for her. When the weather started getting cold, the water & food would freeze so we put it inside our empty dog house in the back. It was getting really cold though, so I decided to stage a resucue... slowly I wanted the cat to get used to me. So I put the food down and would wait for her to come over, then a few days later gently and carefully pet her (on her lower back) while she ate. She was so hungry she didn''t care. Of course washing my hands very well when getting back in. I scheduled an appointment with my vet the next morning and said I would hopefully bringing this stray in to get checked out. So that morning I put on a long sleeve sweatshirt and two pairs of those cheap latex yellow gloves you buy and when she came over to get the food, I stooped down and pet her, then in one quick motion picked her up. To by surprise she didn''t scratch me or really resist too much. I put her in the carrier and off to the vet we went. She was negative for feline leukemia which was my main concern. The vet tried to brush her out. We gave her her starting vaccines, and estimated her to be around 4 or 5. And when I thought of it I remember seeing her when we first had moved in, almost 3 years ago (I think she may have been the previous home owners cat and they left her when they moved). Anyway I decided to keep her. It took the other cats definately some getting used to (had to separate them at first for a few days, then just at night or when we weren''t there to watch them interact) and she had to get used to being in our room at night while the other two were not. Well it turns out they are all buddies now and she is my cuddler! I also found out although she looked mean, it was because she had been beaten up by other cats. She is the sweatest cat, and is soley and indoor cat now. She is on my lap purring from the time I get home and sit on the couch until the time I get up to go to bed. I love it! I cannot say how glad I am we kept her. She is not destructive or anything. For that reason we decided to get our forth cat from an animal rescue shelter (and as long as I have cats, this is where they will be from, because not only are you gaining a companion you are saving a life). She is adjusting well and we just did the same process where we separated them for a while in the begininng.

Hope it works out for you. It sounds like she is friendly enough to keep, can always give it a try. I think it took ours about 3 weeks or so to adjust to the stray from the neighborhood (probably because she was 4 or 5 years old) and like 2 weeks to adjust to the newest one (10 months old at the time). So the younger the introducee is the quicker. But I definately think it''s doable!

Good luck!

 

[Sparkles22]

What did you wind up doing?

 

[FireGoddess]

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrghghghgghgh - I actually don''t know what to do!!!!

I have fed the cat for the last 3 days straight - it comes every morning for breakfast now. Last night it also came for dinner.

It is SO friendly - I am sure that the nip it gave me the first night was because it was excited and didn''t know how to convey that to me or tell me it was overexcited or had enough petting, so it bit me. Hasn''t done that since. This morning when it came out I fed it and petted it the whole time - it was headbutting me and rubbing against me...oh man I am such a MUSH for little kitties. ARGH! I told DH I want to catch it and bring it to the local humane society and he was like, '' NO! I want to keep it!''

I won''t keep an outdoor cat. I don''t think it''s fair to leave her outside. I would consider keeping her as an indoor if she checks out okay but I just CAN''T...my current cat is such a terrified cat and it has taken her years and years to finally feel comfortable and act like a normal cat (around me, at least!...forget company). I just don''t think it''s possible to get my current cat to be ''okay'' with a new cat. I''d feel more comfortable if I knew she could hold her own or even assert her dominance over a new cat, but in the past she''s hidden under the bed and refused to come out. For days. I have little hope this can be overcome. I would be willing to try, but I don''t want to traumatize her...AGH.

I also called my vet who is supposed to be calling back because they have an adoption area. I would be willing to pay to have the cat checked out, spayed, etc if they would put her up for adoption. Waiting to hear back. WHAT TO DO?!?!? This little cat is so sweet...and DH loves her, but of course my first loyalty is to the current queen of the house. It has taken her practically 8 years to ''get over herself''...I don''t want her to regress.

Help!

 

[Sparkles22]

Date: 5/1/2007 1:45:57 PM
Author: FireGoddess
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrghghghgghgh - I actually don''t know what to do!!!!

I have fed the cat for the last 3 days straight - it comes every morning for breakfast now. Last night it also came for dinner.

It is SO friendly - I am sure that the nip it gave me the first night was because it was excited and didn''t know how to convey that to me or tell me it was overexcited or had enough petting, so it bit me. Hasn''t done that since. This morning when it came out I fed it and petted it the whole time - it was headbutting me and rubbing against me...oh man I am such a MUSH for little kitties. ARGH! I told DH I want to catch it and bring it to the local humane society and he was like, '' NO! I want to keep it!''

I won''t keep an outdoor cat. I don''t think it''s fair to leave her outside. I would consider keeping her as an indoor if she checks out okay but I just CAN''T...my current cat is such a terrified cat and it has taken her years and years to finally feel comfortable and act like a normal cat (around me, at least!...forget company). I just don''t think it''s possible to get my current cat to be ''okay'' with a new cat. I''d feel more comfortable if I knew she could hold her own or even assert her dominance over a new cat, but in the past she''s hidden under the bed and refused to come out. For days. I have little hope this can be overcome. I would be willing to try, but I don''t want to traumatize her...AGH.

I also called my vet who is supposed to be calling back because they have an adoption area. I would be willing to pay to have the cat checked out, spayed, etc if they would put her up for adoption. Waiting to hear back. WHAT TO DO?!?!? This little cat is so sweet...and DH loves her, but of course my first loyalty is to the current queen of the house. It has taken her practically 8 years to ''get over herself''...I don''t want her to regress.

Help!

The stray cat the was hanging around is soley an indoor cat now and loves it! (She ran out twice in the beginning, I think she thought we were holding the door open for her to follow us). There was a lot of growling and hissing, so you''ll have to watch them, and separate them if it gets to be too much. One of my cats is really a one cat type/frady cat (as in she''s the only one), funny thing was, after a while her and they stray actually get along the best. I think part of it was because the stray was very people friendly, but also a little intimitated by other cats. I think if you gave it some time, and kept them separated, you''d be surprised. Of course I would get her checked out 1st, cause you don''t want her to give anything to your princess. The have mutal respect for eachother. My princess cat tends to get annoyed with the other two (I have 4 all together), which I don''t get cause she was cat number two and she grew up with the one. I vote keep her if you can

. Maybe give her a 3 month trial? You obviously care about your other cat, and I am sure you will grow to love this one too. And your scaried cat will get over it, and in a year or so be good buddies with the stray. Just make sure you give your current kitty plenty of attention, and create a santuary were she can feel safe, don''t let the other cat swat at her (water gun/ squirt bottle helpful), so maybe at night take the current kitty in your room and lock the new one out, so she can feel like she is still getting lots of attention and is important too!

 

[FireGoddess]

Stray licking her chops after getting fed the first time...

Also, she looks well fed in the picture - but this cat is no more than 5, maybe 6 pounds. Pretty thin. Waaaaaaaaaaaay thinner than my 9.5 lb cat.

 

[FireGoddess]

.

 

[Sparkles22]

Awww she looks so cute. How can you not try to keep her? Our stray came to us at 7ish pounds. She is now a healthy 8lbs or so. My others are all like 11ish lbs!