Friday, April 20, 2018

I Caved.

After my last adventure with feral cats ended in heartbreak, I swore up and down that I would NEVER do it again. I had myself convinced that they'd be better off on their own than risking the dreaded feline leukemia test, and the inevitable euthanasia that would follow if it didn't go well.

And I stuck to my guns... for a few years anyhow.

Then this happened.


It's been hanging around for a few months, and I was hoping against hope that it belonged to somebody. It sorta matched the description of one of my neighbor's cats, so I kept telling myself "it has a home, it has a home, it has a home."

But it just kept coming around sniffing in the bowls of squirrel food, looking longingly at the sparrows in the neighbor's bush, and acting hungry. So I finally called my neighbor to see if it was, in fact hers, and no.

So seeing it looking skinnier and skinnier, I finally gave up and put some food out. Oh my gosh... it gobbled that food like it hadn't eaten in months - and it may not have. And you know, once you feed it, you pretty much own it.

Oy.



I'm batting about 500 with stray and feral cats, so I'm preparing myself to have my little heart ripped out and stomped on again.

I don't know if it's male or female, but the tipped ear would seem to indicate that someone's had it fixed, and presumably that means it's also been vaccinated at least once - which is a good thing since there's been an outbreak of rabid skunks in the neighborhood.

And the fact that it's not an unaltered male means there's less chance of it having FIV or FeLV. But at this point I doubt I could catch it anyhow, so I'm not sure it's worth worrying about. Once they've been trapped, they tend to become quite wary of those things, so taking it to the vet probably isn't even a possibility unless and until I can get it to trust me enough to get it in a carrier.

So far I've just been feeding it once a day and then it goes along its merry way. But yesterday I realized it's "merry way" wasn't taking it very far, because it was hanging out in a little sheltered area next to the front porch. And late last night when CatMan left, it bolted out of one of the compost bins in the driveway, so I now know where it's been sleeping. Sigh.

Anyhow, a big storm is moving in and it's supposed to pour rain for the next day or two. So I crafted a little house for it out of an old covered litter box that I could never get anybody to use, and put it in the area next to the porch where it's been hanging out.


I also fortified its little nest in the compost bin with a make shift rain cover...


...and put some extra straw in there for warmth.


So at least my little kitty friend has some options for getting out of the rain.

I have no idea where this will lead, but I'll keep you posted. I was so hoping that I wouldn't have to fret over any more outdoor kitties. Oh well... best laid plans of mice and cat ladies.

So that's the news from the funny farm...

Hope you're all happy & well.


18 comments :

  1. Those darn little cute cat faces will get you every time! I love your storm preparation for your outdoor beastie.

    None of my family (including myself) are allowed to go to animal shelters. The cats tug too much at my heart.

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    1. There's an organization in the neighborhood that provides services for feral cats - they loan out traps, do low cost spay & neuters, and have a free clinic - all geared toward feral cats, who most vets won't touch. Anyhow a while back they were looking for a part time grant writer. I don't really want or need a job, but I was beyond qualified, and it's close by, and part time, and I LOVE the organization. So I thought about applying.

      Then I came to my senses. I was like, "What are you... nuts?" Seriously, I'd probably have a dozen more cats within about a week's time... and to face the heartbreak that goes with that sort of work on a day to day basis - I can't even imagine. Whew! Good thing I caught myself on that one! :-)

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    2. Our neighbor cat is a friendly soul who visits us a lot in the summer. My mom also has a cat, so sometimes my kids and I will talk about having a multi-cat day, with lots of cats to love on. It's the best of all possible worlds--lots of felines but only one that I need to take care of.

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    3. That IS the best of all worlds. My neighbors have 4 cats and 2 regularly come spend time in my yard... hence the hope that this was one of the others. I had hoped that their presence would keep any wanderers away, but alas, no. I guess when you have no dog, an herb garden full of catnip, and a bunch of bird feeders in the backyard, you're just askin' for trouble!

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  2. That's one lucky cat to have found you. Who knows, but I think it will be joining you soon. Recently, I was in Petsmart on cat adoption day and I almost left with two cats that needed to be adopted together. I was able to leave them because, first I have three elderly cats that need a lot of attention, and second, I know they have foster homes. If a skinny cat was hanging around my house, I don't think I could ignore it.

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    1. I don't know how anybody can ignore all of the homeless cats in this neighborhood. I guess people just assume they have owners.

      Anyhow, I just went outside because the rain was falling from an angle that it doesn't usually come from, and I could tell it would be getting in the little kitty house - so I figured I'd turn it so the opening was more sheltered.... but the kitty was already inside it!

      Of course, my going out there scared it off. Damn! But I turned the house so if it comes back hopefully it will be dry. Sigh.

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    2. It's already in its kitty house. That's got to be satisfying to see. :)

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    3. It seems to have taken to that house with remarkable speed! I'm almost wondering if someone had been caring for it in a feral colony or something, but then that someone went away? Anyhow, it seemed to know that a plastic box full of straw was meant for it, and it practically hasn't left since!

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  3. Aw, what a cutie.

    A kitten I adopted was diagnosed with Felv at 1.5 years. He was fine until then, but went downhill quickly. I still have his sister tho and she's continued to test negative. So it's not an instant death sentence, but having them outside isn't ideal of course. And it's not like you can just bring a feral in.

    I started volunteering for a cat shelter 10 mos. ago. It's a constant struggle not to bring home more cats, but we have three and I think that's ideal for us.

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    1. You are soooo brave to volunteer at a shelter. I honestly don't think I could take it. I hope this little kitty doesn't have any horrible diseases, but at least it's getting food and a place to sleep. It still makes me so sad - I want them all to have loving homes, and I know there's no way I can do that for every cat... but I still want to.

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  4. I think I would do the same thing. Feeding it is the humane thing to do. Giving him/her a warm dry place to sleep is kind too. That is probably making that kitty pretty happy -- they live in the moment and aren't aware of what they might be missing.

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    1. Awww, thanks. I sure hope I'm making its little life at least a bit better.

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  5. That's a kind thing to do, and I'm sure you and this pretty little cat will find your relationship mutually rewarding!
    [Valerie]

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    1. Awww thanks. I sure hope it turns out well. The poor little thing sure seems grateful for some food and a better place to sleep.

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  6. We’re lucky not to have stray or feral cats round here- I’m not sure if it is a problem in bigger cities, but I suspect not...just as well as I couldn’t leave a feral cat unfed! My three would be unimpressed though...

    Hopefully your new friend is disease free and will be happy with some food and a nice warm bed and you never get to the stage where you need to trap him/her :)

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    1. Well, I'm glad that it's spring because I won't have to worry so much about the cold weather. We're still having snow, but only a few inches here and there, and it's not terribly cold. Hopefully I'll know which direction this is going before next fall - so I'll have plenty of time to build a better and warmer house for it if need be.

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  7. I know what you're doing is exactly what you say, a good way to get your heart ripped out and stomped on, but I'm so glad you're doing it. I know it hurts like hell to get involved, deal with other people's neglect, and make the tough decisions. I totally get taking a break from it for a while. I'm on a little bit of a break myself right now, but I also know there's no point in saying "never again".

    I think true cat ladies (or dogs or whatever your thing is) can't help but do things for the good of the pets in question, even when we know it's going to be expensive and heartbreaking. It's just what we do. It's not a bad tribe to be part of, and I'm glad you're in it.

    The new addition is gorgeous, and will probably be even more gorgeous after a few more decent meals.

    Hopefully the ear tipping is a good sign, at least for being spayed/neutered and vaccinated at some point. Maybe s/he got really lucky in the cycle of the positive cats being euthanized and being vaccinated. If someone has been doing some sort of TNR maybe there's a little bit of herd immunity going on too? That's what I'm hoping for.

    Thank you for feeding and sheltering him/her. I hope this go round is much happier for you!

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    1. Awwww... thanks so much for your kind words. It is quite gratifying to see the little thing eating and acting more like a cat every day. Yesterday I actually saw it rolling in the catnip and looking quite happy.

      I just have to keep reminding myself that I'm doing this for the cat, not for me - so I have to let it decide how much help it's willing to accept, and not get too freaked out about keeping tabs on in 24/7.

      Anyhow, we had a little break in the weather and s/he came out of its house and gobbled up a big plate of food. The rain has turned to sleet/snow now though, so I think it's back it its little box.

      Anyhow, I'm trying to think like a cat and just live in the moment on this one - it's all I really can do.

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