Topic: Feral kitten - photo

[Squash64]

I managed to get a photo of the remaining kitten today while she was eating.  Luckily my camera has a good zoom because she goes back into the long grass if anyone goes near.
I give her half a sachet of Whiskas kitten food every morning and someone else feeds her in the afternoon.
I call her 'Lottie'...... :)

[misfit]

so cute  ;D

[norfolklass]

she's adorable! my mog was a feral kitten, one that we didn't take to the RSPCA but from the same basement (your other thread) and I adopted her at about 6 weeks. she was pretty scared and spent the first couple of weeks between the back of a book case and the wall but I kept retrieving her and keeping her on my lap and gently grooming her and eventually she overcame her fear and grew into a lovely well-adjusted cat, now 11 years old.

what are the plans for this one, is someone going to take her in? if not she really ought to be spayed. it's a very difficult situation... at least you guys are feeding her but she's going to become very dependent on that Whiskas. good luck!

[lavenderlux]

One of my cats was a feral kitten;  he was adopted (with his brother) by our neighbours from a cat rescue centre and they intended to keep both kittens in permanently but one escaped outside during very cold winter weather - and would sleep on our doorstep but running off when ever anyone came near.  We put out a box for him and over about two months he gradually got tamer and our neighbours took him back into their house but got out again and returned to us.  They have two young children so think he didn't like them.  He settled in with us and with the agreement of our neighbours he's now 'ours'.  He is lovely and loves cuddles and laps - the only time he doesn't like it is when our grandchildren visit - but our other cats don't like them either!  His brother is still with our neighbours and is an indoor cat but is very nervous still. 

[shirlton]

Oh Betty its lovely. If I hadn't got me 2 bunnies I would have given it a chance

[Sparkly]

Awww very cute. Is there not someone else on the site that would take her in?

[Squash64]

what are the plans for this one, is someone going to take her in? if not she really ought to be spayed. it's a very difficult situation... at least you guys are feeding her but she's going to become very dependent on that Whiskas. good luck!

We already have two feral cats on the allotments, a big long-haired ginger and white Tom and the mother of the kittens.  So far, nobody has objected to them because they are presumably keeping the vermin down.  I think Lottie will also stay with us.  I don't know how we will go about having her (if it is a 'her') neutered though, we will have to catch her first and that won't be easy. 

I don't know much about cats but I do like them.  Do you think that if we continue to feed Lottie she will not learn how to catch her own dinner?

One of the plotholders spoke to a local cat rescue but they couldn't help because they don't have room.  I phoned the Cats' Protection League earlier this week but they haven't got back to me.

[Squash64]

Oh Betty its lovely. If I hadn't got me 2 bunnies I would have given it a chance

I know Shirl. If I didn't have my two manic cat-hating terriers, I would have too.

[Squash64]

Awww very cute. Is there not someone else on the site that would take her in?

To tell you the truth, I haven't thought much about rehoming her because I thought it might be too difficult to 'tame' her.  Now that I've read some of the replies from people who have taken in feral kittens I'm beginning to see that it might be possible.  I will email her photo to the 50 or so people on our allotment email group and see if anyone is interested. 

[angle shades]

 :D we have lots of cats on our site,most people feed them, and they keep the vermin down.

we had one that looked like yours, she was also called Lottie, a plot holder took her in and payed the vet bills, unfortunately they lived on the main road, before you got to our site and Lottie got run over and died, she had been very happy running wild on our site.....

just a thought/ shades xx

[lewic]

Do you think that if we continue to feed Lottie she will not learn how to catch her own dinner?

I think most of them like to practice their hunting skills whether or not they get fed, so hopefully she will be OK!

Might be an idea to stay nearby while feeding her, and just creep a bit closer each time, so she gets used to people, maybe get some of those catnip treats that they cant resist. A friend of mine did it the other way around, by moving the food bowl closer to his house, until he eventually coaxed the cat indoors!

[CDave]

Its an awkward situation - any feral will be deseased, usually with lice,ticks and worms as a minimum. Queens will be kitten machines. At least your Lottie is getting fed. Looks like shes not too old to be tamed down by the right person. ANother few weeks and she'll probably be semi-feral at best - despite anyone's best efforts. At least your Lottie isn't hungry.

[Borlotti]

Kitten looks healthy in the picture.  If someone wanted it and you could catch it, they would have to take to the vet for jabs etc and then keep it in for quite a while.  Might be better to do that soon otherwise it is will difficult to tame. Otherwise it could stay on the allotment and I am sure people will feed it but that is OK in the summer, what about January and February.  Our allotment cat has been there for at least 6 years since I took on my allotment.  He is a very spoilt cat, he is fed by two different people, twice a day all year round.  He has chairs and boxes in a shed and his own cat flap in the door.  He knows the people that fed him and follows them around like a dog and knows the noise of their cars.  He now will let me stroke him but only if his feeders are present.  He does like company and will sit on his feeders allotments and watch all the activity. He has now gone blind in one eye and is getting old.  One of his feeders took him to the vet and says he will take him home this winter, but not too sure if the cat will settle in a house.  Think if you really want to go to the allotment when it is snowing to feed a cat that isn't your responsibility.  Let us know what decision you make.  Most cats love the hand that feeds them, Charlie my stray cat was very scared of me but I throw food in the garden and then sat near but didn't touch him, now he won't leave me alone and is most affectionate.  It took a few weeks to get him to trust me, and then I had to take him to the vet as he is long haired and his hair was so matted that a great lump of his tail fur fell off.  He has just come to sit on my lap to read what I am typing about him.  I am sure someone with knowledge of cats will take him.

[Borlotti]

I am so clever, I managed to post a picture, it is Charlie my stray cat.  Shame I can't get the picture in my profile the right way up, but learning a little at a time.