PS this is my latest neighborhood snatch. Already neutered. Owner moved. Mad AF to be an indoor. He’s learning. He’s at least half Maine Coon.
People suck. Cats are cool.
People suck. Cats are cool.
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Not when you have 15 and over half are unapproachable. I am talking true wild cats. There are always exceptions. You clearly have not been around true ferals. Not talking about semi-ferals.
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Yes I really have. Sorry you’re not able.put it in their food. Anyway. Why are you fighting with me ? I’m just trying to help feral cats.
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And thanks for trying to diminish my efforts. Trap your ferals.
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Here is my wildest feral queen that now lives on my front porch. She’s at the front of my property where people dump animals like crazy. She showed up pregnant with 6 kittens. Born. I trapped the all with Hav a Hart traps and drove them to the ASPCA 25 miles away. the momma cat spray peed sideways in my truck. Yay. Picked them all up and released. Only the Momma remains. Ear tipped and now docile as can be. Please don’t tell me about feral cats. I understand the hardship of dealing with these.
See she’s ear tipped. I’m not saying you’re doing anything wrong. Please just don’t assume I have not tried to deal with the truly wild cats the morons around me dump.
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ThreeWishes…I would not consider yours a feral. The true wild ones never come around to liking people. They may eat at my barn, but I rarely if ever see them. You don’t even have a chance to work with them to tame them down. All my barn cats are TNR’d and yes, ear tipped. Some ended up friendlier. However, they are not tame to be given capsules of wormer/flea treatment. They are too smart/wild to be trapped again.
Been working with a feral rescue for almost 10 years so I do know what I am talking about.
This is the last feral I released in my barn. See the eyes? She never trusted or will trust humans. Unfortunately, her colony was at risk when the caregivers passed on, so she needed a place to go. She would shred you in a moment. Have not seen her since I released her and did not expect to.
I’m glad your cat came around. A huge amount don’t. Just don’t make blanket statements they can all be treated for fleas/wormer when it’s not possible with the true ferals.
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Hey sorry to offend you. It I’m pretty sure my Mama cat was a true feral. But she was one. A single. You obviously have much more. And took offense. Do your best. I’ll do my best. The cats will all be better for it. I’ll stop posting now. Please stop fighting me for trying to do the right thing
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I Couldn’t have said it better!
Tiny Kittens in British Columbia deal with feral cat colonies. Maybe they can offer suggestions to help with flea/tick treatments?
I don’t think anyone is offended. I think they are simply trying to explain how even with the best intentions some situations are different.
I have one feral tom that I wish I could catch but even though he eats at my place regularly (I have him on camera and I see him every now and again) he has never gotten not petrified of me to the point of splatting into things to get away if I happen to go into the barn while he is in there. Edit to clarify - he has been around for years. He has been eating my dry food for years now and he still is that scared of me.
I think if we all do our best for the animals around us, the world is a better place.
I still find it offensive that this neighbor fed this cat for a good long time and then lied to the shelter handing it in as a stray.
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You’re right. Apologies for my over reaction.
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Thanks! You explained it well. I have learned over the years exactly what you said - and did not explain it clearly.
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Oh my god is this a contest? Help the cats! They’re feral!
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OP, I feel for you & the cat. I’m willing to donate towards the adoption fee. Perhaps the cat can have a happy life with person Z. Does the shelter have a guardian angel program where you can donate towards the adoption fee?
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I know very little about cats but I just came across this article;
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I have no doubt this is true, but in over 60 years owning cats, I have never seen a tick on a cat. I am sure this is just incidental, but I never have seen one.
I have pulled 5 or 6 off of the long haired barn cat where I’m at now, and I’m not much of a cat person so I don’t really pet him often.
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Cats can get sick from ticks
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I have been fairly active in cat rescue, know a lot of rescuers, and just recently placed a barn cat from one of them at my boarding barn.
While of course some ferals are never going to get used to humans, a LOT come around to their feeders, and some even (gasp!) learn to be house cats years later. So all this business of “real ferals” is nonsense.
As for care, there really isn’t any excuse for a skinny cat, particularly not one that’s easily fattened up, and especially not with the excuse that another cat runs it off. I would do everything in my power to prevent fleas and ticks, but if a cat was truly only coming in at night, as seen on camera, I do understand the limitations.
What I don’t understand about the OP is why this cat is still in the pound? Why didn’t the original owners check there if they care so much? And if the OP cares so much, why don’t they tip off the owners or adopt the cat themselves?
For what it’s worth, I see no problem in bringing a neglected cat to the shelter. Should the neighbor who cared for it have maybe considered adopting the cat themselves? Sure. But saying that because they fed it long enough to gain its trust and see it gain some weight either a) means they lured it, or b) means they are obligated to care for it forever is ridiculous.
Where’s the accountability for the original owner who doesn’t even seem to care enough to search the local shelter for its whereabouts? That is the person who is “creepy” and shouldn’t own cats, IMO.
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I do not know any of these people but I can give a reason why it is not something I find strange.
If you have a barn cat that you see some days and not others, the fact that you did not see it today is a nothing. The second day you go - weird, I don’t usually not see Fluffy two days in a row, but it did rain a lot yesterday so maybe Fluffy is busy making up for lost hunting time. The third day you start to worry and wonder. But are you going to start calling shelters already?
I think the term real ferals came out because some people were not understanding that some people happily house and feed cats that they only see a blur or on their cameras who are not seeming to ever want to accept humans are safe.
Of course there are lots of feral cats that become friendly. People just wanted to clarify that there are also many who do not, and those can’t be easily treated for things. We are just happy to know that they have food, water and shelter.
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