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General => Pets Corner => Topic started by: Palustris on October 21, 2007, 17:29:00
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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?
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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
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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
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;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.
;)
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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 ;)
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Already thinking names here! Bramble, Laurel, Boxy ;D
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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.
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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.
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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? ;)
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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!
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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.
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awwwwwwwwwww that is lovely!
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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!)!
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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.
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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!
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Looks like you've been adopted, Eric! ;)
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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
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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!
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we have decided on Chloe (Clawy) if female or Claud Clawed)if male
my mog's called Aggie, short for aggravation :)
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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.
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It's a nice colour- not got white ears which is always good.
How are the other two coping with him/her?
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Oy, there's nothing wrong with white ears!
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/Transferred10thApril2007003.jpg)
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I agree with cocopops, cats like that are the best ones. They're more real. Always pick the kitten that bites.
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Oy, there's nothing wrong with white ears
Our previous white eared cat got skin cancer in the tips of his ears and had to have them removed. Sadly the cancer spread and he died.
Manuel was the child of a feral cat
Hope she is not like him. The nearest McDonalds is 7 miles away!
Time will tell what this one is like but as said there is no problem even if it turns out to be wild. We have plenty of outdoor places for a 'barn' cat.
Hannibal igores it, but Twiggy is still very anti. She hisses and growls at it through the bars.
Still very early days though.
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Ah, sorry, I thought it was an aesthetic thing, so was leaping to my Maggie's defence! Sorry if I appeared insensitive. I do worry about her ears too, but try explaining to a cat about UV protection. "I think it might be an idea to stay indoors, Maggie, it's very bright". "Yeah, right" she replies, as the cat flap goes clickety clack.
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Oy, there's nothing wrong with white ears!
(http://i57.photobucket.com/albums/g207/Big_Cheesus/Transferred10thApril2007003.jpg)
Sorry. As Palustris says I was referring to one of their old cats.
Apparently you should use sun lotion on cats' ears, although I doubt whoever came up with that idea has ever tried to do it!
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I tried putting suncream on her. Once! She wasn't impressed. I still feel bad for being insensitive about this. Sorry Palustris.
More cheerfully, how's she/he settling in now?
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Keep us all informed on progress, Eric.
Ollie, you got a Border Collie cat. My My Border Collie dog does her nut whenever she sees one, jealousy me thinks.
Ken.
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I have a tabby / tortie cat who was definitely feral when we adopted her at about a year old. She has turned out to be the most affectionate cat we have ever lived with (I hesitate to use the word "owned"). She adores a lap and sleeps on the bed at night. She is always rubbing herself round legs, introducing herself to guests and being the perfect hostess. She prefers to be a mostly indoor cat and doesn't like to go out much. She is extremely clean, eats well (cat food only, she never attempts to steal our food) and loves to play. She adores human company and will often check to make sure that all members of "her" household are present and correct. The only drawbacks we have found - she has the reputation of being "feisty" at the vets (blood has been drawn on several occasions!) and she's not that keen on children or other cats!
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I tried putting suncream on her. Once! She wasn't impressed. I still feel bad for being insensitive about this. Sorry Palustris.
I can imgaine!. Wash, lick, spit, growl.
Don't fret, we did not think you were being insensitive. Poppy (white (actually bald, eared cat) died a long time ago. Why should you know about him? Hope yours is more fortunate.
Kitten seems to be getting more used to us. It spent the whole evening wandering around the livingroom. It still tends to creep along rather than tail up, but a 100 percent improvement in just a few days.
Wrecked its sleeping area overnight though!
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Cute as anything.
I really really love the name Claude. What about Claudia for a female? (clawed ya!)
Funny how it should come to you when you have recently lost Mytton. I think he/she is meant for you.
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Cute as anything.
I really really love the name Claude. What about Claudia for a female? (clawed ya!)
I think Claudia would be an excellent name as well
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Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww eric, what a total and utter smasher ;D
Our cat Polly is the daughter of a feral cat and we can still see a bit of it in her, but she is also very affectionate, sleeps on our bed (and sometimes in it!) and is becoming more and more a lap cat as she gets older.
Sounds like it's settling into domestic life well already, do keep the piccies coming, he/she's just gorgeous ;)
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Awwwww!! lucky you Eric! new kitten! I wonder if he/shes going to be as funny/grumpy as Mytton! keep sending us pics please!
Our Male cat Spizz was a stray, the only cat our two girls would get near! took 2 weeks to get him in the house and 6 before we could stroke him!! he was all skin and bones and raggedy looking! 3 years later he purrs like a trouper and is as soft as a brush!
All the best ;D
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Pictures will follow when I have worked out how to use this new Vista lark
Vetted this morning. Female so no going out for her for 6 months till neutered. No name as yet, but not Claudia or Chloe, so suggestions please. No prizes though!
Vet says fit and healthy and about 8 weeks.
Now purring like mad and climbing all over both of us and wanting to be stroked, so definitely tame.
Twiggy is still anti, but Hanibal does not care at all.
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Looking forward to more pics soon, please Eric.
Re a name - what about Santa Claus - (just Santa to friends and family of course!) ;)
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Seems she has been stuck with the name Moppet.
Back view to show go faster stripes. Knee sitting, furniture climbing, elder baiting fully at home and definitely TAME.
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She's a beauty - and I'm green with envy!!!! Wish a cat would come to our house to be adopted, but somehow I don't think our other two would be very impressed!
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Stretched out
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Oh my god!! what a great pic of contentment! a real cutie!
We lit the spanish style aga in the kitchen tonight and our full size tabby has turned into jelly!!
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2 minutes later!
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:)I'm in love with this little beauty....
I got my girl the same way, and she's now 19,
they know when they have found a good home don't they ;D/ shades x
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Just lovely - sp pleased she is tame.
Sam says please may we have it? (thats my boy.....lovely manners if nothing else ;D)
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Sam says please may we have it?
Tell him he has to wait until you put grandad in an old people's home :P
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Just make sure it is a Vegan home please!
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Is she sat by the fire? How is Twiggy coping with that?
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I adopted a cat nearly a year ago that had started to go feral. She used to belong to an elderly neighbour of my parents. When the old gentleman had to go into care his family cleared out his house but left the cat behind!!!!!!!! She was having to fend for herself & living up a tree.
When I first took her on she was very scared & fought like a demon if anybody tried to pick her up. Although I can now pick her up she still doesn't like it & fights to be put down after only a minute or two. She does like to cuddle up on people's laps & have lots of fuss but god forbid anybody touch her belly!!! It sends her crackers & you get all her armourments, usually attached to said person's lower arm.
She no longer bolts her food but any loud or strange noise sends her straight to her hidey hole under my bed.
CC
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Palustris - what a beautiful little cat, what fabulous markings - you were just mean't to find her I believe :)
love the stretched out sleepy picture and then...........the wide awake, 'watch it, I'll bite if you're not careful' one - such a contrast and typical of cats & kittens
I'm so envious too - would love a cat but not allowed here in these flats :'(
H.P.
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Latest picture. She is refusing to be house trained though.
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She's a lovely colour. Looks much bigger than previous photos as well.
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What a pretty little kitty. Irresistable.
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Aw Twiggy. play with me!
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Oooh Mummy, what big eyes you got!
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Heheheheheh!!!!!! I love this cat!!
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She has lovely markings.
I have just removed George Don't Do That from the Wisteria - she was hiding openmouthed waiting for the birds that live in it.
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maybe your older cat will help with the house training :)
Either way i think you are 2 close to move the cat on or rehome it so i hope you are both happy together :)
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Don't you believe it C7. If she carries on being as anti house training as she has been then off to the CPL she goes.
Butter would'nt melt. Ain't I cute?
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she's adorable!
does she do what my cat does? poses upside down looking all loverly, inviting you to rub her tummy, then wraps herself round your arm with teeth and claws and tries to take your hand off?!?
racking my brains trying to think of house-training tips but my little mog started using a litter tray as soon as we got her so thankfully I didn't have any 'problems'
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All you can do is pick her up and put her on the litter tray every time she starts scratching round. Have to wash the old patches off with bio washing liquid to kill the enzymes. Also supposed to put foil down in her most frequently used places as they dont like the sensation.
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Shows how much she has grown and so quickly too.
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she's beautiful, I'll take her off your hands ;D/ shades x
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Get in the queue, AS. :D
G x
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Lovely moggy! When I was about ten years old we adopted a feral kitten from the local steelworks, a black ball of teeth and claws which spent it's first week under the sofa grabbing ankles and spitting.
When he eventually came round, he turned into the most marvellous lap cat, a real sweetie.
It looks to me like you've scored a real beauty, best of luck with her! :)
Rob.