Topic: New arrival

[Palustris]

We found this today, screaming blue muder in our hedge. Friends down the road say it has been around a few days, drinking from their pond and eating bird food. They tried to catch it, but it disappeared. It is eating solid food so it is not still on milk From its behaviour it is definitely not a housecat. There has been another slightly bigger cat wandering about for a week or so. The question is what do we do? If it is the kitten of the other one, do we put thiis one back in the hedge row or what?
We caught it because our cats and the neighbours were preparing to attack and here is no doubt the local buzzards would have taken it. The foxes are about too.
Can it be tamed?

[Georgie]

Oh Eric, what a little sweetie.  I'm should you can tame it.  If not, pop it in the post to me.  :D

G x

[Grandma]

What a gorgeous baby, Eric!

Lots of love and cuddles and plenty of good food - (and neutering when it is old enough) - and I'm sure you'll tame it!

If not, I'll fight Georgie for it  ;) x

[katynewbie]

 ;D ;D

Yep, plenty of grub to tempt it and lots of handling! As you know from Mitton, cats know when they are well off and will stay as long as you become it's slave.

 ;)

[star]

Like everyone else has said, its young enough to tame.

Try tying a large feather to a cane and use that to start stroking it. I saw it done on programme by an animal behavourist cum listener. It worked with a much older cat, she said the idea was to allow the cat to feel pleasure but removing the fear of you being too close initially.

Good luck, he/she is gorgeous ;)

[ninnyscrops]

Already thinking names here! Bramble, Laurel, Boxy  ;D

[noname]

Poor thing. Perhaps if it was in the hedge on it's own something has happened to the mother. If you put it back in the hedge it will be another feral cat for Hannibal to fight with. 

Might be another expensive trip to the vets though.

Apparently the odds of taming it are better the younger it is.

[rosebud]

ERIC, you will not be able to tame it sadly, we took one in years ago about the same age by the look of it, almost impossible to house train.  It was always spitting & hissing no matter how kind we were to it we couldent win it almost scratched my Samantha`s eye out one night in the end i had to take it to the vet and ask them what i should do & he said never take in a wild cat again.  It was a very naughty cat.

[Hex]

Lovely.  If you do keep it then there is a good chance of it turning into an outdoor cat - not a huge issue for you.

Manuel was the child of a feral cat, but taken from the farm very early on with his brothers and sisters.  Perhaps you should provide it with some lfurry ittle friends during its key socialisation period?  ;)

[OllieC]

Now, that is a cutie! Found one a bit bigger/older than that as a kid - looking bedragled, it was adopted & called Gizmo. It never really became a house cat, but it had a long and happy life with our friends, far better than if it had been left feral.

Good for you, although I don't think you had much choice!

[Palustris]

It has been out for a handle this morning while its cage was cleaned. Purred loudly and showed great interest in surroundings. Seemd to be less terrified than it was yesterday, but then you would be terrified if some great predator grabbed you by the neck and carried you off to feed on!
As Hex says, it is not a problem if it proves to be untameable, we have room for a purely outdoor cat. After all Mytton was not an indoor animal. she only came in during cold weather and the last few months when she was ill.
To prove its friendliness.

[RosieMcPosie]

awwwwwwwwwww that is lovely!

[Bluey]

You do find some good things in those hedges of yours (once found 4 chickens there - Short stop, sting, bramble and ivy - turned out to all be cockerels but never mind!)!

[Paulines7]

What a beauty!   It doesn't look or act like a feral cat by the way it is perched on your lap and purring.  It may have escaped from someones house and being searched for.  Why not put a notice outside your house or on your local notice board and see if the owner turns up.   They may be very upset at losing the kitten. 

[norfolklass]

my little mog was a feral, born in the basement of a friend's flat in Liverpool, there were a couple of families of feral cats around and she got left behind in the rain. the first thing she did when I picked her up and gave her a bit of cat food was bite my finger so hard she drew blood. the vet reckoned she was about 6 weeks old and she was terrified but quite feisty with it, spitting and hissing. she spent the first week or so behind a bookcase but I kept retrieving her and she'd soon snuggle up in my arms. it didn't take long for most of the feral to go out of her, although she does still have a bit of an edge and can get a bit carried away playing sometimes.
looks like you're halfway there already!

[Grandma]

Looks like you've been adopted, Eric!  ;)

[tabbycat]

My mum took in Biba, a young, feral cat and her 2 kittens - (she had to lay under a rug on the lawn and wait until they came to get the food, then pull on the string that dropped a net over them!) She was moving house and knew that no-one else would feed them.

She found a homes for the kittens and Biba is now 13 and a fat, happy cat who only goes outside if the weather's nice! She doesn't do sitting on laps but is content to cuddle up beside you on the sofa.

So there is hope  :)

Tabby

[Palustris]

The nearest houses to us all deny knowledge of it and the next nearest are well over 2 miles away, so the chances of it coming that distance at that age are rather small. It has been around for a few days. The most likely scenario is one which is common here. The farm down the road has semi-feral cats. When their kittens are old enough, ie weaned, the mother cat takes the kitten as far away as it can manage and dumps them.  Most of them do not survive the desertion.
Since it attacked me with a vengeance when I first caught it we have decided on Chloe (Clawy) if female or Claud Clawed)if male. Think it is almost certainly female though.
It is still very nervous and wild yet, but on the way!

[norfolklass]

we have decided on Chloe (Clawy) if female or Claud Clawed)if male

my mog's called Aggie, short for aggravation :)

[cocopops]

My youngest kitten was litteraly 'born in a barn'.  We told the farmer that we would like a girl, and she was delivered to us with no choice.  Apart from one other the rest were put 'in the bucket'.

She looks wild, and was not at all friendly when we had her.  Now she is the biggest baby of the lot.  She always want to be with a human, has a massive tolerance, and she is by far the nicest cat we have.  It has been such a nice surprise as we never imagined that such a wild cat could be such a good companion.

Good luck with your kit, lots of love and attention and they are yours.