I rescued a feral barn cat and abused chihuahua dog.

[Imallin4Joe]

Appreciate your local humane society. They are animal warriors.

First the feral barn cat..

Her ear was clipped. Common with feral animals to indicate where they came from.

She was very fearful at first. Scared shitless at the sight of me. Hiding where ever she could hide. Hissing at me. Totally un-tamed.

She finally hid underneath my bedroom dresser and got herself stuck. I had to gently pull out the dresser from the wall to assist her.

While she was stuck I realized this is the perfect time to try to tame her, because she was stuck and couldn't escape.

A cat feather toy helped coax her out and she fell into my hands like a fluffy joy-ball of love. She cried in joy of finally being loved from what-ever Hell she came from before me. It was her first experience of friendship.

She became tamed in a matter of minutes and has become the sweetest-soul of a cat I've ever seen. A total fur-ball of love. She's all-black with green eyes.

Now, she jumps up in my lap and kneeds my chest. She puts me to sleep, LOL!!

Daisy, my rescue chihuahua..

She was rescued from an animal hoarder that died. Police and animal rescuers did a welfare check and found the owner dead after several days. There were 23 chihuahua dogs rescued from that horrible circumstance that day.

I adopted Daisy and the road to rehab has been filled with love and an incredible athlete of a dog.

Daisy is a fireball of energy and does all kinds of tricks, like chihuahua's do.

Daisy still has severe emotional issues as expected from a dog that has been very abused.

But she is well on the road to recovery and I will not let her down. I exercise this little athlete dog to her own point of exhaustion, where she's ready to eat. She loves it.

DU'ers, reward yourselves by rescuing a pet. You won't regret it.

(Humane Society adopted pets usually come with full-vet screenings, including spay/neutering and all of the important health check-ups.. heart-worm, de-worming etc)

I guarantee it!!

If you can, help/donate to your local Humane Society. These people have hearts of true gold.

[avebury]

1. You know there is a pet tax.

Show us your babies.

[Imallin4Joe]

31. Here

IMG_20220306_184944843

[Imallin4Joe]

32. Im new at posting pics.. Does this link work?

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMjac3h1RctE53UC-YuEv5Xhid0NamgL2jeNPFv

[roamer65]

2. Sounds like kitty was abandoned or a stray.

For her to accept human contact that quickly.

She has a good home now.

[Raine]

3. That's WONDERFUL ... good for you 👍💕

rescue pets are the best ever!

[Meowmee]

4. Thank you

For saving these babies❤️ I’ve been rescuing mostly cats now for most of my adult life. I currently have three I took in directly from outside and my Siamese boy. I have one more to get inside. You’re lucky that she became tame so quickly because the one I’m working on now, is still hiding behind the bed for three months and still scared of me. He was limping badly and that’s why I made that decision to get him inside now but his BFF is still outside so we have to try to get them back together. I did all of the TNR and medical care myself for these cats and others who passed away for the past several years. It is heartbreaking to see these cats dumped outside to fend on their own by their supposed caregivers. They are never fixed of course and often have some serious health issues. I’m the one that has to try to rehabilitate them physically and mentally.

[Imallin4Joe]

24. Meowmee, very touching story about your cat's rehab..

keep at it.

Your cat will come around to being loved by you soon. I guarantee it!!

They have nowhere else to go so you will become their go to love source. I don't need to encourage this but just be patient, taming will happen eventually.

Then the fun with your cats will happen.

Hang in there. You'll soon see the rewards, trust me!!

[Meowmee]

26. Thank you 💕

I have not given up hope- when he first came in he was on anti-anxiety meds because he was growling and then stopped. He is friendly with my cats, it’s mostly me he’s scared but sometimes he runs away from them too, lol. And my Siamese is always very aggressive with any cats who come inside- I think he thinks this cat is a weirdo because he hides behind the bed so he goes and growls at him etc. but I keep telling him that one day I hope he will come out and won’t be scared of me anymore. I have been feeding him outside for eight years and he is still scared but I’m not gonna give up, and even if he wants to stay behind the bed or whatever that’s OK. I just hope he can be integrated into the rest of the domicile eventually. I don’t have any requirements for him to be a cuddly guy if he doesn’t wanna do that.

They can regress a lot in the taming phase and become a little friendlier, he was coming out to see the cats and even eating when I was sitting in the room and now he’s gone back to just hiding most of the time. It’s not uncommon. I’ve been so busy for the past 2 to 3 months that I just have not had the time I would normally to when I bring them inside either.

I think maybe when his friend comes inside too he will be better because he will have his best buddy with him. I need to start a cat rescue lol. Because I think we have reached our limit at this point.

[Karadeniz]

5. Good going!!!!

[blm]

6. 💕😻

[Blue Owl]

7. K&R

[GuppyGal]

8. Great story ! As far as I know a clipped eared cat means they've been spayed/neutered

and I have one of them myself

[kimimer]

9. yes ...

>Her ear was clipped. Common with feral animals to indicate where they came from.

In my area (northern Illinios) clipping the ear is used in the Trap, Neuter & Release (TNR) programs to indicate that the cat has been neutered. The clipped ear makes it easy to identify which cats in a feral colony have been neutered.

[Imallin4Joe]

12. That's great to know..

helps us answer this..

Thank you!!

[GuppyGal]

14. +1000

[wryter2000]

35. That's true where I live, too

The climate in Oakland is so mild a cat can pretty much live outside year round as long as it has a source of food and water. So, if we see a feral with a clipped ear, we don't worry too much about it if it seems healthy.

[Imallin4Joe]

11. I posted this OP.. I've heard that as well..

The lady that walked me through my adoption sounded very knowledgeable. She said that the cat's ears were clipped due to her being feral..

So I don't really know..

Minor detail. But glad you pointed it out.

Maybe we'll get an answer here on DU.

[GuppyGal]

13. Yes that is the way they can tell which street cats have been spayed/neutered, I think it started

with all the trap and release programs but could be wrong about that. I think they moving towards using something else to identify who's been spayed/neutered...maybe a tattoo...I can't remember but I just want to say again

WAY TO GO

[Meowmee]

25. The left ear is clipped

clinics who do tnr do this because many of the cats will be released back outside if they are considered not tamable and then cat colony caregivers and rescue people will know that they have been tnr already and will nit trap for that.

Many cats who are released back outside could actually be tamed and adjust to living inside and even become cuddly cats. one of my boys who has an ear tip because I took him to a special tnr clinic run by the county bit me before I took him in and now he is a big cuddly boy who lets you rub his tummy, all because I worked with him. My other guy who came in in December was growling, hissing and spitting at first, but I tamed him with caging and other techniques- he is a luv bug now too.

The problem is most don’t want to do the work with them to get them to that stage.

[yellowdogintexas]

29. Fun fact: neutered feral cats tend to form colonies

especially if they are being cared for. The intact cats will lose interest in the neutered cats and find un-neutered cats.

A serious TNR in a neighborhood can reduce the dreaded male cat spraying and of course kittens

[Meowmee]

38. Yes true

I tnr all of mine, but there was one year lots of others came to eat. Sadly I never caught any of them and I hope that someone else helped them because there is a much larger colony people have told me across the way from us. I am just doing this individually and it is really heartbreaking to see how many poor cats are dumped out there.

[wryter2000]

36. I had two ferals

Both already tnr. One became super friendly, and when I moved, we managed to trap her, and she was adopted from the shelter immediately. The other became somewhat friendly. We couldn't catch him, but my former neighbor is watching out for him to make sure he appears well.

[Meowmee]

39. That is great you did thya

Ty ❤️🤗 I am getting all of mine inside now because we will be moving eventually and I don’t think anyone else will care for them. I don’t know if I’m going to be able to take them all with me, the last two are a bonded pair so I’m hoping maybe to get them adopted together, I don’t know if they don’t become more tame and cuddly it’s gonna make it harder for them. I wish I had the means to just retire and start an animal shelter etc.

[wryter2000]

40. See if your local animal shelter

Has a working cat program. They place cats who aren’t completely tamed in places like warehouses and breweries where they can be mousers rather than pets. Your bonded pair could fit in there.

[Meowmee]

41. Sadly I don't think they do

I have contacted rescues etc. in the past for help and have never received any help to try to get these cats placed. If they have behavior issues and aren't a cuddly cat etc. But I will try if and when the time comes. I would also worry about them in that situation that they won't be well cared for. There are a gazillion people looking for barn cat situations for their colony cats here as well. Years ago I rescued a cat at my work who a rescue helped me with, she ended up being a shop cat which was cool, but she was tame etc. and touchable. I also worry about them being left overnight anywhere because one dvm had several cats live at his office and they all tragically perished in a fire. That also happened to one rescue.

[MustLoveBeagles]

10. K&R

[orleans]

15. you're a hero! and a picture or two would be great. nt

[pansypoo53219]

16. my texas e-pal was visited by a stray cat at work, + was fed excetera at the plant. the SHE had 3

kittens. kev scooped them up + he is now owned by the 'stray'. his mom has 1 of the kittens. wish i had grabbed 2.

[lucca18]

17. Thank you! How lucky you all are that you found each other!

And, thank you for loving them and providing a safe home.😍

[calimary]

18. What a great read!

And a great story with not one but TWO happy endings! Glad you shared it, Imallin4Joe! I think we all need stories like these. They’re a real emotional pick-me-up.

All of our cats are rescues. Wouldn’t have it any other way.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. I adopted my cocker spaniel, Barney, at age 10 or 11

I was told he needed a "special home" since he had never lived with people and wasn't housebroken. So of course he was the perfect dog for me! He'd been a "stud dog" at a puppy mill and when he got older they had no use for him anymore. His rescuer who became his foster mom did a wonderful job with him. He was a beautiful dog with the best temperament and was the best dog I've had for not "going" in the house. I had him for 8 wonderful years and miss him still. He really was the perfect dog for me. And yes, I've adopted seniors and have never been disappointed.

[Imallin4Joe]

20. Daisy and Abigail say Hi!!

There's a special spot in my heart for fellow animal rescuers.!!

Hugs!!

[Rhiannon12866]

22. Awww! Thanks! And same here!

At the moment I'm sitting next to my 8-year-old cat, Felix. I found him as a kitten in a supermarket parking lot back in 2014 one night on my way home. My vet said he was about 7 weeks old - and he's also been with me ever since.

[cate94]

21. Rescues are the best!

Every rescue pup I’ve ever had has been an awesome part of our family. I agree with you- “reward yourself by rescuing a pet.” They are the best!

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

23. My current cat was a stray brought in to my local animal shelter.

It's clear she originally had a good human family. I think she lived with large dogs and her humans were male, because she had various large dog behaviors when I first got her two years ago, and for a long time she clearly preferred men to me, a female.

She's been a wonderful cat. Her only flaw for me is that she's not a cuddly lap cat, darn. I am so glad she's in my life.

[3catwoman3]

27. How interesting that your kitty did such a quick turn around...

...with the introduction of the feather toy. That must have been so gratifying to see. You and she are obviously the right match.

[Imallin4Joe]

34. I hope this pic link works for you..

I'm new at posting pics on DU and its kinda funky..

Daisy and Abigail...

https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipMjac3h1RctE53UC-YuEv5Xhid0NamgL2jeNPFv

[RainCaster]

28. There are 4,000 rescue beagles up for adoption

There is a test lab back east somewhere that is giving up all their lab animals. They are beagles, and you may have seen them in the news.

The are the most gentle snuggly dogs imaginable. I've had many generations, rescues, adoptions thru the years. If you are interested, read this. If not, ignore the rest of this post.

Beagles were bred for one thing-to hunt by scent. They are in a class of dogs called "scent hounds". They have short legs to keep them closer to the ground, where the scent is. They have long floppy ears to focus scents towards their nose. Their scent glands can discern thousands more agents than us humans can. You may smell a beef stew cooking on the stove, and you can smell the beef, onions and garlic. A beagle will smell the fat trimmings left on the cutting board, the bay leaf, carrots, parsely, potatoes, four different kinds of pepper... You get the idea.

So these little wonders can not only smell a lot of different things, but they were also bred to concentrate on those scents. So by their very nature, when they get on a scent, they concentrate on that to the exclusion of all else. "Nose down, tail up, ears off" is how I would describe it. Don't be frustrated by this, the little cuties are doing exactly what they were bred to do.

They love to please, live to eat, and are strong pack animals. You can use all those traits to train them. You will be rewarded with a loyal lifetime friend.

[BigmanPigman]

30. I'm leaving 75% of my assets to

the Humane Society where I got my Chihuahua puppy and the Morris Animal Refuge in Phila where I was a foster parent to puppies and kittens.

[Imallin4Joe]

33. Heartfelt love from one animal lover to another!!

You'll be remembered for your good deeds!!

My local chapter of the Humane Society memorializes donors, postmortem.

You won't be forgotten. May you live for decades. The world needs good people like you to live forever!!!

[BigmanPigman]

37. You're very kind.

I don't have kids and my niece won't need it so I have it to give now. I was terribly afraid that the ACA would be destroyed by the SCOTUS and I'd have to spend all my money on health issues and I wouldn't be able to help the fur babies. They are the most innocent and purely loving of all beings and just the opposite of people. They deserve it.