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Across the Fence:  help..feral or domesticated kittens?  |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
 Posted - Jun 09 2008 : 5:34:50 PM
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please read my blog www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com for a story about coming home from vacation to find a cat/kittens living under our porch...too long to write here. basically... i need some help as to what to do cause we are not sure if they are feral or domesticated. suggestions posted to the blog, or here in the forum would be greatly appreciated!
thank you
best,
napafarmhouse1885
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
farmgirl sister #179
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
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willowtreecreek
True Blue Farmgirl
4813 Posts
Julie
Russell
AR
USA
4813 Posts |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
Posted - Jun 09 2008 : 6:26:34 PM
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this is what the humane society person told me...buy cat food and open the can when the cat is nearby and can see you. if the cat runs to you it is probably someone's pet and used to being fed. if the cat stays away, but eats the food when you leave it out it is probably a "domesticated feral cat" meaning people in the neighborhood feed it. if the cat leaves the food untouched it is probably domesticated. does this make sense to you guys?
best,
napafarmhouse1885
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
farmgirl sister #179
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
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babysmama
True Blue Farmgirl
931 Posts
Elizabeth
Iowa
931 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 05:38:32 AM
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I think that someone probably dropped them off at your place, which happens all the time around here. Since you can't find them now they may have run off but the only way to tell if they are domesticated is to see if they are friendly. If they slowly warm up to you and willingly come towards you and such then they are fine. If they never let you pet them or get near, even after being around for awhile then they are wild. Good Luck!
-Elizabeth |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 06:54:58 AM
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My family adopted a cat who had a litter of kittens in our garage. She was very friendly right from the start (purring and rubbing up against our legs as soon as we appeared at the door with a food dish) so she was obviously a stray or abandoned pet. When the kittens were few weeks old, she moved them to a neighbor's garage (not sure why) but we continued to feed her at our house. If you want to try to maintain contact with the cat and kittens, you could try leaving food out for her somewhere in the yard that the dog doesn't have access to. If the cat comes to eat regularly and seems friendly, she may bring the kittens to dinner with her later. Or you may be able to watch her movements and spot the new home she's moved them to. I'm not sure this will work because the cat had not become accustomed to being fed by you before she disappeared.
Around here, our city animal control provides traps to catch stray cats and they will try to place them as either pets or barn cats. My neighbor has a litter of kittens under her porch right now. The mother was trapped and taken to the pound when they figured the kittens were old enough to eat on their own. Now they are feeding the kittens and getting them used to being handled by people. If your mother cat and babies do turn up, the kittens can be tamed even if the mother is feral. Good luck, it is good of you to want to help. |
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 07:46:22 AM
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I headed up the feral cat program with our local animal shelter a while back, so this is an easy answer -- don't sweat it. :)
Feral cats are kitties that have never had any contact with people, or not enough handling to become tame. Essentially, they are wild animals, and behave as such. It is virtually impossible to tame them past kittenhood, just as it would be to domesticate any other adult wild critter.
Strays, on the other hand, are cats that have been people's pets at one point in time, and got lost, abandoned, whatever. They are usually shy, but can be persuaded to be friendly with food and love.
Humane societys and vets don't like to handle feral cats, since they can be dangerous, and usually end up having to be euthanized, anyway, since they'll never be good "pets". That's why they want to know the difference with your kitty here.
True ferals are going to show some of these signs:
--> Be primarily nocturnal, as is natural for felines in the wild (domesticated cats and even most strays adopt our routine more often than not).
--> Have a 'wild animal' look (more of a fear and strong avoidance versus a stray cat's cautious curiosity). A stray cat will be more active about begging for food, or eating when you're around. A feral will be coming around when you're not there.
--> If trapped, ferals usually freak out at being confined and act out with agressive defense (you should see the feral cat gloves I've got LOL They're not mean, but you have to approach the situation as you would with any other frightened WILD animal), where as stray cats usually huddle up as far away from you as possible and act passively and fearfully. All cats may hiss or growl when they're afraid, but an angry cat will pin their ears back and pull back their lips to show their teeth. Both fearful and angry cats dilate their pupils, but an angry cat will also widen their eyes -- just watch, and you should be able to see a difference between defensive agression and fear.
It's my personal guess that this kitty is a stray, or she wouldn't have let her babies anywhere near you, and she definitely wouldn't stick around for you to look at her. She may just need a little loving to get over a not-so-friendly past, and she'd be a wonderful little pet.
Here's a wonderful site for you to check out -- AlleyCat.org Lots of resources and information. :) Hope this helps a little, and let us know what you decide to do with her and babies.
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt |
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napafarmhouse1885
True Blue Farmgirl
208 Posts
diane
napa
ca
USA
208 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 4:32:45 PM
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thanks to all for the suggestions..especially to jodi since you actually ran this program at your animal shelter. do you guys mind if i cut and paste some of your answers to my blog? i will, of course, give you credit for your answers..and list your blogs/websites if you wish... a number of people..non-mj's forum members have emailed me and or posted saying they have the same situation and are asking for help too.
also, my local humane society said we could rent the traps from them..but exactly how do you trap a cat? sorry if there is an obvious answer to this.
thanks!!
best,
napafarmhouse1885
www.napafarmhouse1885.com
please visit my blog
www.napafarmhouse1885.blogspot.com
farmgirl sister #179
"Whatever you can do or dream, begin it"
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Jun 10 2008 : 6:55:57 PM
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| I'm sure there are different kinds of humane traps, but I assume the ones your humane society uses are similar to the humane traps I've used to catch squirrels in my attic. They look like wire animal carriers. You bait it with something the animal won't be able to resist (maybe tuna for a cat), the animal pushes inside through a swinging door at one end, the door swings shut behind it and the animal can't open it from the inside to get out. |
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Prairie Princess
True Blue Farmgirl
1075 Posts
Jodi
Washington
USA
1075 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2008 : 07:19:01 AM
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If you want to copy some of my answers for your blog, feel free... hopefully it's a little helpful!! :) Here's a .pdf article on trapping -- http://alleycat.org/pdf/humane.pdf. It's geared towards trap-neuter-return, but the basic principles and ideas will get you going.
It's pretty basic stuff: the traps are most likely wire box traps (which would be similar to the ones Aimee is referring to). The have a door at one end, and the door gets propped open, and the trigger mechanism is set. You place bait (tuna in oil or anything else super smelly is a good bet) behind the trip plate in the back of the trap. When the cat enters the open trap, they have to step on the trip plate (or be veeery talented to avoid it) to get to the food, and then the door comes down behind them and you've trapped yourself a cat. Just have the shelter staff show you how to set the trap, and be careful not to get your fingers in the way because those doors close fast and hard!!
If you stop feeding her for about 24 hours before you trap her, she should enter the trap no problem. Just set it in a quiet place, preferably where she's used to being fed, and cover the top, sides and back of the trap with a blanket or such. Most cats go in without a fuss. There are some that don't like to step on the wire bottom of the trap, though, but you can solve that by laying newspaper down on the floor of the trap. I like to drip a bit of tuna oil on the paper to entice them to walk in.
Some cats get really suspicious of something new in their "territory", so if you put the trap out a few days before you actually set it, just so she can get used to it, your chances of catching her the first time will be better.
Some kitties get scared and run into the wire walls after they've been trapped, and might bloody up their nose a little, but don't release her out of pity, because it's very rare that a cat will enter a trap again -- they learn fast. Having the blanket over the trap reduces the chances of them doing this, though.
Any other questions, just let me know... I love dealing with feral kitties. 
~Jodi
"Women are like teabags...you never know how strong they are until they get into hot water." Eleanor Roosevelt |
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katmom
True Blue Farmgirl
17161 Posts
Grace
WACAL Gal
WashCalif.
USA
17161 Posts |
Posted - Jun 11 2008 : 9:56:35 PM
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Jodi,
Bless you for your committment to feral cat rescure.
We "adopted" a feral kittie many years ago, named him Pickles, and he always kept his didtance from us, but was very attached to our pet kitty, Licorice. We did manage to cage him, take him to the Vet's for a very quick check up & rabies shot. Pickles has gone over the Rainbow Bridge and is probablly snuggled up with our kitty Licorice, best friends forever.
>^..^< Happiness is being a katmom.
mjf#72
Sisters on the Fly#472
www.katmom4.blogspot.com
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Across the Fence: help..feral or domesticated kittens? |
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help..feral or domesticated kittens?
