fostering feral kittens by 1kiki

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fostering feral kittens

POSTED BY: 1KIKI
UPDATED: Tuesday, June 10, 2014 11:59
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Sunday, June 8, 2014 12:30 AM

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

Some of the field people brought them in. Three kittens I'm estimating 5-6 weeks old. Two orange tabbies and one black and white. EXTREMELY hostile - though they've gotten to the point where they'll let me touch them and I don't have to worry - too much - about getting scratched or bitten. Loaded with fleas of course and probably worms as well. If I had to name them I'd call them Com, Pea and Ton since they were found in Compton.

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 2:46 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

I wound up with a boxful of 4 kittens when I helpfully provided an empty box to our maintenance people who were rounding them up!

What I learned:

They became tame real quickly.
I fed them KMR and canned cat food.
I got them de-fleaded, and wormed, and with shots.
I found owners for the two "fancy" ones, but...
Over the phone, my area pet store wouldn't even let me bring in the other two (gray tabby) because it was "kitten season" and they were drowning in kittens, but...
In person, the remaining two tabbies were SO CUTE (their eyes were outlined like Egyptian khol) the store relented anyway.
Unfortunately, Petco no longer sells kittens in-store, so they don't take them either.
They lose their adoptability at about 8 weeks old.

I wish I had some specific advice to give.
Kittens and puppies- gosh they're so cute!

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 3:02 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

BTW, in my experience, orange tabby males are very friendly.

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 3:57 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Does your local humane or wildlife society have a TNR program ?
Worth a looksee.

Also, there's ferals and ferals, some can maybe learn to trust humans, and some can't, if this is the latter, you'll have to learn to accept it.

Lemme tell you a wee little story.
Mind, Molly-ma is also now gone, of complications related to old age, which happened while I was recently hospitalized myself for serious health related problems, so I was kinda distraught, and given said health problems are very closely related to stress, wasn't helping, yes ?

Annnnnyhows....

Some time ago, one of our residents cats got out while they were bringing in groceries, and while I didn't know it at the time this was in large part due to him not liking the environment (they were neglectful, and he HATED the dog) and not being fixed, which is irresponsible and inexcuseable, but whatever.

So there's me in the cold, drizzling darkness, tracking down a housecat who's more interested in gettin laid than coming back, and yes I find him, and bribe him with some tuna to stick around - go get the resident, with cat carrier, low-crawling the carrier through the underbrush TO the cat, convincing the cat to come to me, and then stuffing his ass in the carrier, much to his annoyance.
Woulda been a happy ending, sorta, right there if they'd not gone cheap on the cat carrier, and he busts the door open and goes haring off into the darkness, argh - and of COURSE after that he wouldn't come to me cause he was kinda holding a grudge.

Nelson, the cat in question, was a grey tabby, and his paramour was a white kitty down the road a ways, and we're at the third generation of em, his grandkids, as it were, Fran - a grey tabby with a little white, Stripe - a full grey tabby, and Hissy - white with some calico bits.

Now, during the polar vortex, and I think it was -33F out there that night, I come upon Fran, in an empty dumpster trying to eat a piece of soggy paper, and she looks up at me, and VOCALIZES.

Here's the thing, ferals, true ferals, DO NOT vocalize at humans.
Feline vocalization is a pidgin bridge language THEY created to communicate with us cause we're stupid and don't properly understand body language and phemerones, so they took pity on us and tried to bridge the gap - this is why scientists will never understand or classify feline vocal language, cause it's generally individualized to the cat and their human companion.
This is also why Siamese alter their cries to sound like human babies, they're not stupid, they're playing us on purpose.

So anyhow, this kitty somehow made the mental-emotional jump from feral to non-feral out of purest desperation.
Which worked, mind you, I had just come off shift and so grabbed a can of cat food and went back out there, and vocalized back till we had a dialogue going on, and got her to come to me, at which point I gave her the food.

Over the next few months I slowly made friends with her, and she started to follow me on my rounds, cause she knew at the end of them she had a good chance of getting fed.
And one night she decides not to leave - spends the rest of the night on my doorstep howling, so in the morning I come out with a cat carrier and put it on the steps, and say "get in the box", and she does.
(I swear, it's like magic, other people, there'd be bloodshed even if it was their cat, yes ?)
And so I take her down to the humane society to be worked up so she can be adopted out, sure beats freezing and starving, right ?
AND shuts up the resident whining about said cat digging up her plants, as it was no longer winter by that time.

So, fast forward to the hospital thing and Molly's passing via complications of early abuse/neglect and age, and me with no cat, health problems and being generally upset... and I get a call from the humane society.
Apparently they'd become concerned she might not be adoptable, didn't like other cats, didn't like other humans, and was getting a bit stircrazy about having to live in a cage, so I went down there to go see - healthwise she was fine, they had her fixed and wormed, treated for ear mites and had to trim a wee little bit off the top of her ears cause of severe frostbite, and deal with a bit of malnutrition, but she was healthy by the time I went up there, sure.

She immediately starts yowling on sight of me, and when they open the cage door she LEAPS onto me and WON'T LET GO.
So they're like, okay... umm, here, take her, okay, shaft the adoption fee, just cover the paperwork and go.
Of course, getting her offa me and into a car carrier the second time - not so damn easy, erk.

A few mental issues upon installation here, first being the this-is-all-just-a-dream-waaaahhh which then morphs into omg-I-love-you-so-much-imma-crawl-up-your-nose which is way disconcerting... but she's settled in a bit, and started to calm down.
And "Fran" is not good enough for one of my companions so now she's Francesca Boo Besca Anastasia Katerina De Lisle.

And is currently hogging the center of my bed, but it's all good.

-Frem

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 10:04 AM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

FREM!
How funny/ touching! And YOU, with a cat that wants to crawl up your nose! Good for her!

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 10:59 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Foster the kittens... sounds like a good name for a band.

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 12:14 PM

MAL4PREZ

Good story Frem! Awesome cat.

Here's my feral kitten story: I'd seen a black kitten around my house a few times one October, maybe 5-6 weeks old. Thin and scruffy and not real healthy looking. One night he was hanging out in the front yard and I lured him closer with kitty treats. When he got within reach I grabbed him. He didn't want to be grabbed, but he was tiny, and I wasn't about to leave him out there.

I wrapped him up in a T-shirt or something and held him while I cat-proofed my spare room, blocked all the places he could crawl under and hide. I set up food and water and shoebox full of litter. Then I set him free, closed the door, and left him alone.

For two days I occasionally went in to just sit. He stayed as far from me as possible. The third day I thought: hell with this! He didn't want to be picked up but I caught him and held him and scratched his ears. It took maybe 3 seconds and it was like a switch was thrown. He figured it out - oh you're my mom now! He went all limp and started purring like mad. And also tried to suckle my neck, which was weird.

It was really sweet. And interesting. He knew he needed to be taken care of, and it wasn't hard to convince him that I was the one to do it. He's still a super affectionate cat, btw. He used to climb on my computer monitor and dive-bomb-hug me while I was computing, like he had to tackle me so I wouldn't stop him from getting a hug. He's less insecure now, but still about once a day he'll follow me around and mew until I pick him up and hold him for a while.

So that's my advice: make them safe and cared for and make yourself available. They'll imprint on you eventually. Especially if they are so young. They know they need a new "mom."

This is Cosmo about three weeks after I found him - so cute!

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 4:57 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.

1KIKI
How're the kitties?

MAL4
"Cosmo". Cute kitty! And the big one in back is...?

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 5:34 PM

KPO

Sometimes you own the libs. Sometimes, the libs own you.

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
BTW, in my experience, orange tabby males are very friendly.

Yeah, I've found this!

It's not personal. It's just war.

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 5:53 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.

The kitties - when I first saw them I had them pegged at 4 weeks due to size, eye color and lack of activity - but it was just apparently lack of food and water. Not two days later they're about 20% bigger (I didn't have cat food so I fed them no salt added canned salmon), their eyes have already changed from bright blue, and their physical activity - and ability - have gone through the roof. Right now I'd say they're 6 weeks.

They no longer growl, hiss and spit when I show up, and they'll - most of the time and after trying to avoid it - grudgingly endure me petting them for a while. Like a little boy squirming when great aunt Matilda gives him a kiss. Though I do have to be careful and watch how they're reacting because they do take the occasional swat. Their play is very much rougher - more fighting and less scampering - than the play of other kitties I've known. Maybe with no mama to set them straight they're a little delinquent.

I have some very cute photos on my phone - one I think of as 'they learn to use the litter box'. Not. They decided it was a great place to sleep. So I set up another one in the bathtub where they're very temporarily residing due to the fleas and they figured out how to use that one instead the next day.

"... we're stupid and don't properly understand body language and pheromones ..." I agree with that 110%! I've figured out that if I can pet the head and/or face of one of them just the right way, not only will that one go to sleep, so will the others. And it happens literally within about 5 seconds. They fall asleep in place. It must be some powerful pheromone coming off that does it. I hope to take advantage of that while it lasts so they learn to associate me with more than food. I feel like they were on their on together for a while, and that they're closely bonded to each other. My littermate? YEAH! People? they have their uses ...

OONJERAH - We are too dumb to live and smart enough to wipe ourselves out.

"You, who live in any kind of comfort or convenience, do not know how these people can survive these things, do you? They will endure because there is no immediate escape from endurance. Some will die, the rest must live."

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Sunday, June 8, 2014 6:11 PM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by SIGNYM:
1KIKI
How're the kitties?

MAL4
"Cosmo". Cute kitty! And the big one in back is...?

Scarlet. Total diva, lives for nothing but food and sleep. I think it was Frem whose kitty looked exactly like Scarlet. His sadly departed one. I recall a picture he posted long ago.

My two don't like each other, unfortunately. I got this shot on one rare occasion that they actually slept within fighting distance of each other.

Kiki: "I have some very cute photos on my phone"

Yes please! There are never too many kitty pictures!

*-------------------------------------------------*
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Monday, June 9, 2014 2:36 PM

BYTEMITE

Frem, so glad to hear you have a new cat. I remember Molly really had you down for a while.

Last year my family took on my uncle's cat, but, I'm not sure my uncle ever did anything more with the cat than feed it and keep it outside based on how it acted. We found her on the porch in 20 degree weather when we were taking care of business.

For months her entire life consisted of cowering and trying to bite and claw us. I had a big row with everyone about them wanting to just dump her at the riverside or take her to the shelter because I felt like she was our responsibility - she wasn't adoptable with her being this hostile, and I'm pretty sure abandoning a pet like that is a crime and for good reason. We eventually decided to build a big outdoor enclosure for her with a cat door into the room she'd claimed in the basement, in order to deal with the territorial issues and her extreme outdoor cat tendencies.

She mellowed out some and now tolerates us and the rest of the cats with only a vague sense of hatred and annoyance. I still can't read her at all though, she's the most aggressive cat I've ever seen.

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014 11:23 AM

6IXSTRINGJACK

Quote:
Originally posted by 1kiki:
Some of the field people brought them in. Three kittens I'm estimating 5-6 weeks old. Two orange tabbies and one black and white. EXTREMELY hostile - though they've gotten to the point where they'll let me touch them and I don't have to worry - too much - about getting scratched or bitten. Loaded with fleas of course and probably worms as well. If I had to name them I'd call them Com, Pea and Ton since they were found in Compton.

Talk to Frem. He'll know what to do. ;)

Do Right, Be Right. :)

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Tuesday, June 10, 2014 11:59 AM

THGRRI

Quote:
Originally posted by BYTEMITE:
Frem, so glad to hear you have a new cat. I remember Molly really had you down for a while.

Last year my family took on my uncle's cat, but, I'm not sure my uncle ever did anything more with the cat than feed it and keep it outside based on how it acted. We found her on the porch in 20 degree weather when we were taking care of business.

For months her entire life consisted of cowering and trying to bite and claw us. I had a big row with everyone about them wanting to just dump her at the riverside or take her to the shelter because I felt like she was our responsibility - she wasn't adoptable with her being this hostile, and I'm pretty sure abandoning a pet like that is a crime and for good reason. We eventually decided to build a big outdoor enclosure for her with a cat door into the room she'd claimed in the basement, in order to deal with the territorial issues and her extreme outdoor cat tendencies.

She mellowed out some and now tolerates us and the rest of the cats with only a vague sense of hatred and annoyance. I still can't read her at all though, she's the most aggressive cat I've ever seen.

She is what she has come to know life is; hard. Domesticated animals have not had their primal instincts bread out of them. They are just better at interacting with humans then non-domesticated animals. It sounds like this cat until it found you had to go through life in survival mode. That would explain the attitude.

It was great of you to find common ground with the animal rather than abandon it. Good for you.

si shen

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