Cat advice please (E.T.)

[Squash64]

E.T. is one of the four feral cats I feed on my plot every day.  She has always been the most timid but recently her behaviour seems to have changed and I don't know if it's for the better or not.

In the past, she would watch from a distance and only come for food when I moved quite a bit away from the plates.  Now, she comes running towards me but stops a few feet away, turns and runs as though she is terrified.  If Psycho is anywhere near, E.T. will lash out at her.  When I put the food down, she will come and eat even while I stand close but she is extremely tense and ready to run at the slightest noise or movement.

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She was neutered about 5 weeks ago but I don't know if this has anything to do with it or not.

[Squash64]

[Ragdoll Lady]

Hi Betty,
I dont think there is anything to worry about with her. It can take a while for all the hormones to settle is a speyed cat and that can show itself in strange behavoiur. She will still smell a bit like a pregnant dog on heat even though she isnt now and probably giving strange signals to the males. All my neutered girls still act a bit like girls "Putting it out for the boys" at this time of the year. The boys still show and interest even though they are now infertile. I tell you its like Caligula in our house at times with three boys and three girls mucking about . As long as she is eating and drinking and looking bright she is fine and its nature just settling down again.  These cats are really lucky having you and your husband taking an interest in them and caring for them. I think you are a star :)

[Squash64]

Hi Betty,
I dont think there is anything to worry about with her. It can take a while for all the hormones to settle is a speyed cat and that can show itself in strange behavoiur. She will still smell a bit like a pregnant dog on heat even though she isnt now and probably giving strange signals to the males. All my neutered girls still act a bit like girls "Putting it out for the boys" at this time of the year. The boys still show and interest even though they are now infertile. I tell you its like Caligula in our house at times with three boys and three girls mucking about . As long as she is eating and drinking and looking bright she is fine and its nature just settling down again.  These cats are really lucky having you and your husband taking an interest in them and caring for them. I think you are a star :)

Thanks Ragdoll Lady, you're making me blush! I actually do enjoy looking after them and spend far too much time just watching what they get up to.

She is certainly eating well, she seems to eat at twice the speed of the others.  Is it true that if they have worms they are always hungry?  The Cats Protection gave us some worming tablets but giving them to the Plot Four might be a bit of a problem.  I was thinking of hiding the tablets in their food but it is impossible to seperate the cats from each so keeping them away from each other's food would be difficult.

[Ragdoll Lady]

Hi Betty, yes she could need worming and even if she doesnt a worming every 3 to 6 months doesnt do any  harm to them at all. I have six indoor very tame cats and even worming them can be difficult. I assume none of the cats would let you pick them up and open their mouth and pop a pill to the back of the throat close the mouth and massage the throat and blow on the nose to make them swallow the pill. Does any cat eat from your hand? If so you could put the pill inside a little chunk of chicken, fish or cheese and let them take it whole from your fingers. An other alternative is to trap each cat and let a brave soul from cats protection do the deed but that would be too stressful for the cat. There are wormers that are powedr or granules that you can mix with the food. iF you have a few comming to eat you could make up a dose for a few of them and hope they eat the same amount (a bit hit and miss I know). I will give it some thought and see if there is another way of doing this. There is a flee treatment called stronghold that applied to the back of the neck rids of flees, ticks (which they are probably suseptable to) ear mites (which ferals can get and its horrible so itchy) and does them for roundworms too. It could be a good answer for the cats but it costs about 8 pounds per cat. I dont know if cats protection would help out with the costs.

[Squash64]

There is no chance at all of picking E.T. up, or even of being able to put Stronghold on her neck because she is so jumpy.  I think mixing a tablet into her food might be the best option.

Felix and Triangle will take food from my hand so I can try that with them. 

Thanks for your help, it's appreciated.

[Ragdoll Lady]

You will find a way to worm the cats I am sure. Even my wonderfully tame Ragdolls do not take kindly to having a pill shoved down their throats espcecially Celine the eldest, she is so stubborn, you get the pill in her mouth hold her mouth shut, tilt her head backwards and blow in her face and also make swallowing motions to get her to copy you (yes it looks a really picture and is quite funny). She is so determined not to swallow the blessed tablet it literally disolves in her mouth and she foams at the mouth. IT cant be any fun for her can it! Even our vet has given up giving Celine a tablet!