argh. i cant believe it. i adopted 3 kitties. help!!!
Last edited Sun Jul 13, 2014, 11:04 AM - Edit history (1)
i swore i would never have a cat. i just keep too many other critters. they dont play well w others. plus, i am allergic to them.
however, in the alternate reality where many of the neighbors to my farm live, this is a disney movie, i am a witch, and therefore control the beasts, especially the vermin.
in spite of the fact that they are seeing rats on THEIR OWN property, in their over stuff garbage cans, and their bird feeders, it is my property, where i waste almost no food, that must be the problem, right?
so, anyway, i got myself 3 feral kitties. there is a cook county program to teach people to responsibly manage cat colonies for rodent control. i have 3 vaxxd, chipped kitties, a brown tabby male, a brown tabby female, and a little calico girl.
i dont expect to make pets of them, but i do know that it is ALWAYS easier to take care of an animal that is half tame than not tame at all.
i talk to them when i feed them. teaching them- kitty itty, meow, kiss kiss, kitty momma is here, dinner time.
only one has a name so far. the male is kinda explosive, and came with the name of richter. i was thinking rocket before i was reminded of this.
i try to purr, which they do seem to except. the little calico was peeking out, and nervous, and when i started purring at her, she sorta sat down and stared at me.
that's about as far as i have gotten.
they are crated up to acclimate, so i have them under my thumb for a couple more weeks. i think i can turn a dog pen i have, where they are now, into their own little itty space. may see about keeping them in the larger enclosure for a bit. they should be able to hop the fence and get away from any dogs or coyotes that come around.
so, go ahead kitty friends, share your tricks and tips.
also, good kitty snacks and treats. would a kitty like a chicken wing? can a kitty eat raw meat?
i guess if i tame these little suckers, it tears it. i am a witch.
i already acknowledged a long time ago that i am a rhyming word.
eta- can kitties have eggs?
= new reply since forum marked as read
feral cats usually don't make pets, but will become accustomed to you coming and going and hearing your voice.
We adopted two feral cats - one ran off and was never seen again 
, the other we have had for several years - and have put a cat flap in the garage, which she uses. We initially kept them in the garage in a cage to get them used to smells, etc. and then let them out in the garage and then finally outside.
The little one left is a great mouser - we put down water and normal clean cat food, which she will eat sometimes.
As for your neighbors your kitties may help them too.
I tried 2 barn buddies 8 years ago. They took off as soon as the blizzards were over. One I never saw again. The other I spotted about once a year for several years.
Belladonna was in the free feral barn buddy program for nearly a year before she graduated into the adoption for $$ program. At first it looked like she would stick around, although she started pulling all-nighters. Then my neighbors kit-napped her and taught her their place was her place. Then they moved away and dumped her. Then their replacements fed her somewhat and sheltered her somewhat (under their trailer through a -15 winter ) Then a year almost to the day she'd had enough of the strangers and found her way back home. I spotted her huddled in the driveway directly across the street, a rack of ribs under her lush coat, staring pitiably at me.
She was a nervous wreck and I didn't think she'd stick around. But instead, she came around. The barn is her castle, I am her favorite being. She has concluded her job is keeping Dahli company. In cooler weather, she naps on Dahli's dinner. She follows us up to the riding pasture and plays while Dahli and I play. She never skips a meal in the barn.
for being kind to the squee critters. 
Every cat we have had for the last twenty years has been either a feral or a stray. Our current crop consists of Nissa, Skillywidden and Beau, who were all ferals, and Tylanni, a stray. They are all now indoor cats, fat and happy, except for the occasional instance of feline insanity (Beau, for instance, is terrified of the laundry basket for some reason).
I don't know how much time you have to work with them, but one trick I've had some success with is putting out food or treats, and then sitting nearby, quiet and keeping movement to a minimum until they're done eating. Eventually they come to accept you as non-threatening, and will even come close and keep you company once they're fed. With some it took months of this, 10 to 20 minutes a day, others became friendly more quickly. Depended on the individual cat.
When they were outside they were happy to get anything we gave them, but I was careful to debone chicken. It might not have been a problem, but they wolfed their food down so fast, I was leery of the possibility of choking. Now they're inside, they eat better than I do sometimes 
.
IMHO, the key is to let them make the first move, but provide them the opportunity to do so. And thank you for your kindness to them.
I love cat stories with happy endings. The world needs more caring people like you guys. I know lots of people (unfortunately) who would have just shooed him away. Way to go! 
We call it "squinties" around here. 
Seems mine react to it as if I'm giving them long distances smoochies anyway. 
