the return of a semi-feral kitty

[flowerbug]

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Here's a little gratuitous cuteness. The orange tabby was found on the side of the highway in Wyoming by Kid#1's GF. She was only able to catch him, the others dispersed into the tall grass across the highway. He traveled with her and her friend to a wedding in CO, then back home. She can't have pets where she rents so I volunteered to be his foster mom. Everybody knows you can't have one kitty by itself, ( my husband thinks I'm making this up ) so I found him a buddy on CL. Kind of neat how they happened to be the same age. They are inseperable. They are big enough now, and the weather is warm enough for them to spend the days outdoors. They come in at night,

i love kitties and doggies and all sorts of creatures, but can't have them here. i live vicariously through friends and the internet as far as they are concerned.

 

[Prairie Rose]

Every cat I have atm was abandoned on my property when they were very young. Most of them were young enough that I bottle fed them for a week or two, because they were still figuring out how to eat and drink and cat in general, pretty much. One of them is useless for anything besides being a couch ornament, but all of the others pull their share.

I had a pair of bonded brothers who left me 'presents' on a daily basis for years. Mice, birds, chipmunks, plus the occasional rabbit. These were big 18 lb tabby cats who I fed and watered religiously, and would allow into the house during extreme weather until they got old and arthritic and came in to live permanently. I never could get it across to my vet that it didn't matter what kind or how much food I fed them, they would 'supplement' until they were full! One of them has passed on, and getting the other one down to the weight I would like to see him has been impossible. He might be old and creaky, but he can still go out and feed himself at will.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I have an old and creaky 18 yr old rescue. Her coat is shiny and her appetite has not waned. Its just hard to walk on osteoarthritis legs.

 

[flowerbug]

we've had a number of them abandoned here. some we can't catch before they are eaten by the other wild life around. once in a while one is friendly tame enough that we can catch them and bring them to the shelter but their chances are not that great for being adopted from there (1 in 10).

one time i had a very friendly one that i was able to catch and take to the shelter and as i was starting to fill out the paperwork a lady came in looking for one she lost near her place. this was not the kitty i had, but i told her i had a very friendly one in my car (running around without a cage) that she could have so we went back outside and she took it. lucky kitty. for the few moments i was taking care of it i called it Spike. lol no idea if it was a him or her - i consider it kinda rude to look that close without consent...

 

[Prairie Rose]

Around here it is traffic or the raccoons that get everything. Very occasionally a coyote, but they tend not to come up to the house much, except during late winter. There is actually a crippled coyote that hops around on three legs that we see all the time in winter; there has to be an abundance of small game around here for it to get easily to survive as many years as we have seen it.

Now we usually get wandering ferals and none of them seem to stick around long. I personally keep water available outside at all times for whatever animal needs it, but all of mine are fed inside. Not having food outside at regular times means they usually move on after a day or two. I have a heart that would like to adopt them all, but there's a limit to what I can keep responsibly. The last couple of strays that we were able to trap were taken to a friend's farm for rodent control.

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

this year we've had a lot of rabbits and chipmunks around along with the
ground hogs, deer and once in a while squirrel.

when i put up the new fencing runs the groundhogs quickly dug under it
and the deer tried to run through it and i need to still get some longer poles
to put it back up.

at the time when the groundhog babies were coming around and i was trying
to get them before they got big enough to make even more dens around i
put out the live trap to try to catch them to make sure they were removed.

i put some fresh chopped birdsfoot treefoil in the trap to see if that would
bait them, but it didn't work, but i left the trap set near their burrow under
the fence to see if one would just go in there. sometimes that does happen.

instead i trapped an orange tabby cat, very healthy, big, fiesty and so i let
it go again, but i wasn't sure if it was a feral, semi-feral or nieghbor's kitty.

into the middle of summer there were plenty of chipmunks running around
and a lot of young rabbits - i was getting worried there'd be an explosion
in populations as we've had that happen before...

then for a while i forgot about them being too busy with other things and
working on projects.

the other day i was dumping some cucumber scraps under the lilac tree in
the NE corner and that same kitty ran off from there. and that got me to
thinking i'd not seen or heard any chipmunks or bunnies for several weeks.

i mentioned this to Mom and she said the same thing, that she was just
thinking about that and didn't want to say anything because it might jinx
us again and they'd all return...

but now i hope we'll have the kitty around and it will use the groundhog
den as a home and keep them away. if the kitty can get some of the
mice too that would be great.

*crosses fingers, toes, etc.*

I don't know if the kitten can help about the mice issue for now. but I know someday. because of the exposure that the cat will have. it will definitely know what to do the moment its ready..

 

[seedcorn]

Tame a cat with food. Most of our cats are feral that showed up-pregnant of course. After getting them neutered, they become possums. Flat, dead on road. We’ve got one old ex Tom cat (see @baymule its possible to neuter, name and NOT eat an animal) that is 13+. He comes inside in the winter, hops on my lap, gets petted for 30 minutes, get the wife to give him milk and his “special” food, then he wants out again.

Forgot to mention, he goes and sees the neighbor lady as well-she’s 90 in a wheel chair. Her kids mention it to me. Here’s a pix when he was just 10.

 

[flowerbug]

all kitties here must be feral or semi-feral enough that they can survive outside without any interaction with us. we have some very cold weather, they have to be pretty hardy souls.

i've not seen any fresh tracks in the snow outside and i've not heard any more clear signs of chewing in the wall since i've trapped mice along that wall on the outside, but as soon as i post notes like this they seem to come right back and make me have to post a retraction.

until i can clearly find the exit/entrance they are using i suspect this will be going on for a while. there is no mouse action in the garage, the shed or any other location along the foundation on the outside. i really am thinking they are using a tunnel under the mulch layer and black plastic we have around the house. it could be an old mole tunnel - we've certainly had them around (and have one around right now that we can't trap until the ground thaws this spring).

we have a few tiny bunnies running around the cedar tree out there too. it's always pretty busy here with wildlife unless i actively hunt which i don't really like to do at all...

 

[YourRabbitGirl]

Tame a cat with food. Most of our cats are feral that showed up-pregnant of course. After getting them neutered, they become possums. Flat, dead on road. We’ve got one old ex Tom cat (see @baymule its possible to neuter, name and NOT eat an animal) that is 13+. He comes inside in the winter, hops on my lap, gets petted for 30 minutes, get the wife to give him milk and his “special” food, then he wants out again.

Forgot to mention, he goes and sees the neighbor lady as well-she’s 90 in a wheel chair. Her kids mention it to me. Here’s a pix when he was just 10.
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Those two looks very at peace to each outer. I hope my pets coexist like that.
I really dont know why. my pets (a dog and a cat) really hate each other..

 

[seedcorn]

Until he died, Saturday AM was me on porch drinking coffee with furball on one side, Brownie on the other and the rooster sitting in the grass in front. Wife said it was the “old fart” convention.