Feral cats: Descendants of domesticated cats that were abandoned by their owners or that strayed into wild areas from their homes. When the domesticated cats mated, their offspring were never handled by or associated with humans, thus making their kittens feral.
Stray cats: Domestic cat who has been abandoned or strayed from home and become lost. A stray cat was once a companion animal and can usually be successfully placed back into a home.
My First Feral
December 19, 2007
I caught a cat in a trap, luring it with food. I did not expect to catch this cat, I expected to catch a different cat. I have it in a spare bedroom. I have two cats of my own am I am not sure how it will react to them, or them to it. I don't know what I am doing. I don't even know if the cat is feral or just really, really scared. How do I know if it is feral?
December 20, 2007 A.M.
I don't know what gender the cat is but I do know it is terrified. I let it out of the trap and let it roam around the room--which was NOT a good idea. The cat was running full speed into the window, trying to escape. I was trying to corner it, but it jumped into the plant hanging from the ceiling. Eventually, I got my boyfriend to help me get it down. Then I caught it in a towel and put it in the cage. Whew! Is this really a good idea? Did I get myself into something that I can't do? I might need to let it go. I am not sure I know enough to do this. It doesn't even know what a litter box is! It just dumps it over and gets water in the litter.
December 20, 2007 P.M.
I talked to a friend of mine and she said if it is running into windows to try to get out, it is probably feral. That is not good news to me. I really thought I was going to catch a stray, which is different than a feral cat. I thought I was going to catch an intact male that I saw wandering around, take it to get neutered and let it go. I guess there are more cats wandering around than I thought. I saw it looking through the dumpster and I thought that was who I was feeding outside. Well, now I have a kitten, maybe 9 months old. I guess I am just going to get to learn more about cats and helping feral cats. It will just add to what I already know about how to help cats.
December 22, 2007 A.M.
This cat is not happy here at all--and it is really, really messy. It is knocking over her food and water bowls on a regular basis. Any box I put in there for it to sleep in, it knocks over. It is pulling things into the cage from outside, like the blankets I put over the top. I am not sure what to do. It growls and hissed at me a lot. It seems extremely scared and desperate to get out. It is snowing here and I don't want to put it back out in the cold. I think if I could ask it, it would rather be warm and inside.
December 22, 2007 P.M
I noticed that after I would leave the room, I could hear the cat moving around and shredding the newspaper that I put in the bottom of it's cage. I was curious to see what it was doing so I videotaped it. I saw it playing a bit and trying to get out. It was taking bites out of the paper and also shredding it with her claws. It looked like she was trying to pull it up to move it out of her way. After she shredded it, she rolled around in it. I also found out that it is a girl, because it was rolling around when it was playing and I could see that she is a girl, since it is unlikely to be a neutered male.
December 23, 2007
I talked to a friend of mine who volunteers at the shelter with me about what I could do to show the cat I was not a threat. She reminded me of something I already do with my own cats, blink at them. Slowly blinking at them shows them that you are not a threat to them. If I stared at the cat, in the animal world, I am looking for a fight. She is very messy and gets food and litter in her water, and water in her food and food in her litter...she also keeps pulling anything near her cage, into her cage. She is able to pull the towels and blankets that are laying over her cage, partially into her cage. I am not sure why.
The cat blinked back at me a few times.
Success!
December 24, 2007 A.M.
I started sitting next to her cage today, reading or watching something on my ipod, while talking to her a bit. I am not sitting there for very long-at the most, 20 minutes. She is very cautious and if I get too close to the cage, she lets me know with a hiss or swat of the side of the cage. I talk calmly to her while slowly blinking at her. She went to the bathroom in the litter box! Finally! She is still messy and still pulling things into her cage.
December 24, 2007 P.M.
I was able to get a little bit closer without her feeling threatened. She just sat and watched me. I continued to talk to her calmly and slowly blinking at her. No problems.
December 26, 2007
I was able to touch the side of the cage the cat was in, without her hissing or swatting! I think the cat is trusting me more. The cat also meowed while I was in the room-she was partially covered by a blanket and couldn't see me. I am sure she knew I was there though. A friend told me that means she feels comfortable enough to be vocal with me--and that is a good sign.
December 28, 2007
After talking to a friend who has dealt with feral cats a lot more than I have, she gave me some good ideas on how to bond with the cat. I had been feeding it baby food but it never ate it in front of me. So, I got some beef baby food and put it on the end of a straw. I put the straw through the spaces in the bars and tried to lure it closer to me. At first, I didn't know if she would eat it. She hissed and it scared me so I jerked the straw back and a little fell off the straw. She ate that and got a little more interested in what I was giving her. I decided maybe she would feel more comfortable if she didn't have to see me while she ate it. So, I let her hide behind a blanket that I had draped over one of the cages and angled the straw in so she could eat off it without seeing me so much. Over the next few minutes, I made her move a little to get it and she did. She actually looked at me a few times while eating it off the straw. I am beginnning to think maybe she is trusting me more.
December 29, 2007 A.M.
The cat chewed or scratched her way out of a soft carrier I had fastened to the wire cages. It took me about an hour to finally get her back in the cage. I had to corner her and put a towel over her and get her by the scruff of her neck. I quickly wrapped her up in the towel and got her back in the cage. I only got one little scratch!
December 29, 2007 P.M.
At first the cat was a little hissy at me, I don't blame her, she had a rough morning. I tried to give her some more beef baby food on a straw, through the cage bars. After a few tries, she ate it.
December 30, 2007 A.M.
I went in this morning to find a messy cage. I got her a larger litter box so she wasn't able to knock it over but she still somehow spilled some litter. She is soooo messy! She made some noises and meowed at me, while looking at me. I think she was trying to communicate with me because she was squinting her eyes a bit and moving her head around. This is a lot of work and it takes mental effort on my part but I am still happy I am doing it. It is about 20 degrees outside and we have snow and ice on the ground. She may not have a lot of room here, but at least she is warm and has food and water--that isn't frozen.
December 30, 2007 P.M.
Surprisingly her cage was clean still. I gave her baby food off a spoon this time and got my hand really close to her. I saw her smell my hand while she was eating off the spoon. Then, I tried something I wasn't sure of. I put some baby food on my finger and she licked it off!
Success!
December 31, 2007 A.M.
I videotaped her last night and played it back while I was in the room with her, which I did not think was a big deal. Once she started to hear herself meowing on the video, she seemed to get very excited and was meowing back. It seemed like she was having a conversation with another cat, which was actually herself. Also, interestingly, on the video, I was also talking to her a bit and when she heard my voice on the video, she made the same sounds that she did when I videotaped her. So, she heard me talking in the video and made the same sounds she made in the video tape as she heard it the second time. It was amazing. It leads me to believe that cats do have some sort of language.
December 31, 2007 P.M
I was able to get two larger cages for her today and I think she likes them a lot better. She probably has twice the room that she did have. I also put a strap around her litter box to try to minimize the amount she can spill. When I went in to give her some chicken baby food, she seemed very relaxed and maybe even...content. She was sitting in her litter box and started rolling around. She moved to the other side of the cage and walked back which she has never done before in front of me. She usually stays in one spot unless she is going to the other side to hide. I had blankets over both sides of the cages with sections uncovered so she could see out. I put a cardboard box with blankets in it in there for her to lay in. She is in a spare bedroom and I keep the door open with a baby gate closing it off so my cats can't get in. I want her to smell, hear, and see us and my other cats. She seems to be curious about what we are doing in the rest of the apartment.
January 1, 2008 A.M.
I went to visit Annie, that is what we decided on naming her. She was less messy this morning. She took bites out of the top of the small cardboard box I put in there for her to lay in. I think that is anxious behavior. There are cats at the shelter I volunteer at that do that also. I put more toys in there to get her to play but I am not sure she has played with them. I was working on the computer next to her cage and she seemed to be relaxed. She layed down and rolled over a little and I reached in to touch her paw which was close to the side of the cage. She let me touch her paw pad for about 5 seconds then she stood up. Before, I wouldn't even be able to get close to the cage. She is making a lot of progress!!
January 1, 2008 P.M.
Annie was talking to me today! I was making some noises with my mouth and she was meowing back at me in response.
Annie talking to me.
January 2, 2008 A.M.
Annie is a little growly this morning. She let me clean her litter box and give her fresh food and water.
January 2, 2008 P.M.
Annie was very relaxed this evening.
January 3, 2008 A.M.
Annie let me pet her for a second after I gave her some beef baby food. She also used the scratcher I put in her cage. It was brand new and I can see where she has scratched it. I am so happy about her progress!! I am watching her to see when she might be able to handle being let out into the room, without being in the cage. I still think she is too scared right now. She is acting like she really wants out though. I just don't think it is a good idea yet.
January 4, 2008 A.M.
I bought Annie a "Cat Cube" and I think she feels very secure when she is in it. This morning after I put it in her cage, she curled up, let her guard down and went to sleep. She has started to meow if I am not in the room. I have noticed her peeking out to see what we are doing more and more. Most of the time as soon as she sees one of us looking at her, she immediately moves out of sight, behind the blankets on the side. She has made eye contact with me and held that for about 10 seconds or so a few times.
January 5, 2008 A.M.
Annie is feeling more safe. Here, she is taking a light nap. Just after this was taken, she woke up. She is still hissing when I come in to check on her in the morning. She is letting her guard down more and letting herself relax a bit. I try to spend a lot of time with her and I think she likes my company--even if she acts like she doesn't.
January 6, 2008 A.M.
I tried to pet Annie today but she was not having any part of it. I opened her cage and tried to pet her. She swatted at me but only scratched me a little. I think she was trying not to scratch me but tell me that she didn't like what I was doing. She has been squinting her right eye but there is no way I can get any saline into her eye. I can't handle her yet and I don't want to scare her by holding her in a towel against her will. There is no discharge or redness, no indication of illness. So, I am not going to worry about it--but I will keep an eye on her--no pun intended!
January 6, 2008 P.M.
Annie yawned in front of me and drank in front of me. So, for a few seconds she made herself vulnerable in front of me by yawning and drinking in front of me. I had never seen her drink or eat, or go to the bathroom. So, it is apparent by her behavior that she is trusting me more and more. She is making progress!!!
January 7, 2008 P.M.
Annie ate in front of me! That is amazing that she felt comfortable enough to eat in front of me. She is really making awesome progress!
January 8, 2008 A.M.
Annie is more chatty this morning than usual. I went in to see her and she had been playing a lot over night! Her toys were all over the place and usually they are exactly where I left them. I am happy to see her playing. I tried to play with her and she seemed a little interested. I had one of those dangling toys on the end of a stick. I used the end to try to pet her. She smelled it, she didn't mark it, but she let me pet the back of her head with it. I am not surprised that she didn't mark it. Feral cats would rather mark trees or something, not a cat toy. It is interesting though. I am learning so much from her!!
January 8, 2008 A.M.
Annie ate a treat out of my hand! She has started purring around me, too. She curls up into a loose "ball" and sleeps and purrs while I am sitting next to her cage.
January 9, 2008 P.M.
Annie let me pet her today! She let me pet her nose and a little around her ears. I pet her for about a minute until she let me know that she had had enough. I didn't try to pet her the rest of the night.
January 10, 2008 P.M.
I pet Annie for about 10 minutes today! I opened one side of her cage and reached in to pet her. She has a little cat cube (there is a picture of it on January 4th) and I reached inside, SLOWLY, and eventually made it to her paw. She let me pet under her chin (of course no cat could refuse that!), her face, around her ears and her right front paw. She did not want me to touch her feet, her left front paw, or her belly.
January 11, 2008 P.M.
I brought Annie out of her room and after my cats were safely put away, I brought her cage next to the balcony door so she could look outside. She seemed a little scared but calmed down pretty quickly. I saw her watching the birds coming to the feeders, I was happy to provide her with some distractions so she could just be a cat. I also brought her cage outside on the balcony for some fresh air. I open her window just about everyday but being out in the fresh air feels so much better!
January 12, 2008 P.M.
Annie let me pet her then hissed at me not even 5 minutes later. Sigh! I have come to realize one thing about feral cats. You never know how they will be and you always have to be on guard. You have to possess infinite patience and must have a true knowledge of cats. I am still happy that I caught her but I am conflicted on what to do with her. I am planning on getting her spayed, this week hopefully. After I get her spayed, I need to decide if she is going to stay here with us or if I am going to let her go and take care of her outside. I think she has made such amazing progress so far that it would be a shame to let her go. My question is what is in her best interest? Am I just a human trying to make a pet out of her because I think that is what she should be, or is this what she wants too? I wish I could ask her what she wants.
January 13, 2008 P.M.
Annie groomed herself while I was sitting next to her cage. She is definitely getting more comfortable with me. She hisses at me much less even though she is still hissing at me at odd times. She hisses at me when I don't totally expect it, like when I reach in to get her food bowl out or something. I just have to go with the flow, as they say. Whenever she hisses, I just tell her in a soothing voice that she is okay.I have been thinking about letting her out of the cage maybe just for the day and put her back in at night. Even if I let her out for a few hours a day, it might help her. I am just not sure because I know cats, especially feral cats, feel safer in small spaces. The room isn't huge, but it is huge compared to the cage. Would all of that space just freak her out?
January 14, 2008 P.M.
Annie is doing very well. I am a little concerned about her boredom levels. I have been videotaping her and I have never caught her actually playing. I am monitoring her for any depression or anxiety symptoms.
January 14, 2008 P.M.
I am not sure what to do about Annie. I do not think she is happy here sometimes, other times, I think she feels very content and happy with me being here. Right now, I am sitting next to her cage and she just seems depressed. I really can't "read" this cat sometimes. I feel very conflicted.
January 15, 2008 A.M.
Annie got out of her cage today. I confine her to one cage while I clean the other side, then I do it again, to clean the other one. While I was "transferring" her, she escaped. So, I let her stay out for an hour or two. She did not run into the window like she did the first day, thankfully. I think she tried to look out the window because she knocked the curtains down. She did not act too scared even though she was very cautious. She decided to lay between the desk and the wall. It was very easy to get her back in, I just put the cage in front of her and she walked right in.
January 15, 2008 P.M.
I came into Annie's room today to find that she had vomited. She vomited small, white and round worms! She appears to be feeling a little sick.
January 16, 2008 P.M.
I put some cat grass in her cage today and she seems to be unimpressed. I don't think she ate any at all.
It appeared that she played a little last night. So, I think she might be feeling better.
January 17, 2008 P.M.
I started Annie on some medication and hopefully she gets better soon!
January 18, 2008 A.M.
I brought Annie out into the living room to sit near the balcony. She seemed more interested in what we were doing rather than the birds outside. She really acted as though she wanted to come out and be with my boyfriend and I. She was scared of my cat, Gaby. Gaby doesn't really care too much about Annie so I only put my other cat, Ashtyn, who is insatiably curious, in the other room.
Annie was "standing" on the bars with her front paws and smelling and looking around. It is exciting to see her grow so much.
January 18, 2008 P.M.
I want to start letting Annie out of her cage during the day to have free reign of the room. I am sitting in front of her open cage right now, and she didn't even get out. She let me pet her a little then took a nap. Hmm. I think she should be in her cage when I am gone and at night--just to protect all of my cats. I don't think she could ever get out, I just don't want my cats harrassing her underneath the door. She doesn't need any more stress.
January 20, 2008 P.M.
I let Annie out of her cage about 4 pm. She chose a spot between the wall and the desk. I am not sure if she is scared and hiding or if she just likes small spaces because she is a cat. My goal is to get her to sit on my lap-or at least come near me when she is out of the cage.
Above, Annie is eating baby food off a spoon through her open cage.
January 23, 2008 P.M.
My feral cat, Annie, is doing very well. I have started letting her out during the day and she seems to like it. It's funny because after awhile, I will go in there and she is laying in her open cage. I think she likes getting out of her cage but probably feels more comfortable in there.
January 24, 2008 P.M.
Annie got another dosage of her medicine. I haven't seen anymore worms. Whew!
January 31, 2008 P.M.
I went in to Annie's room to see if she was back in her cage. What normally happens is that I let her out of the cage to run around the room and eventually, she goes back in there to sleep in her bed. She didn't do that tonight. I realized that I probably wouldn't get her back in the cage and decided it would be okay to keep her out of the cage while I was asleep.
She likes this spot between my desk and the wall. So, I was laying about 5 feet in front of her, doing some homework. I slowly made my way closer to her. She let me pet her outside of the cage for the first time!
Yay!
February 2, 2008 P.M.
So, in case you haven't followed the Annie Diaries, I trapped her December 19th. I actually thought I was going to catch an unneutered male that I was feeding. I guess I was feeding more than one cat.
So, I caught her and for awhile, I thought I was in over my head and had made a mistake but I couldn't release her back into the cold weather. We have had a lot of snow recently--more than normal.
So, patience and my deep love of cats has helped Annie immensely.
This morning, after being out of her cage all night, I went in to her room to check on her.
She was in her usual spot-under the desk.
I had some wet food for her and for the first time-ever-she came out of her hiding spot, smelled the food I had for her and walked over to where I put it on the floor. She let me pet her while she ate and started to purr!
She did not act like she was scared at all! She gave me no indication that she was nervous or uncomfortable in any way that I was standing next to her and petting her.
I just wanted to scoop her up and give her a hug and a kiss but I didn't.
I certainly don't want to "push it". I know one day, I will be able to do that, and I don't think it will be that far off!
February 4, 2008 P.M.
My feral cat, Annie, is becoming less and less feral every day.
She let me pick her up for about 3 seconds, which is a long time for a cat that used to be terrified of me. She wants my attention and wants me to pet her. She licked me, too.
I am so happy that I decided to keep her because there were times where her behavior was so "wild" that I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing-that my attempts to help her were actually harming her. I guess it was good for her that it was so cold outside. That is why I decided to keep her inside. Even though I had doubts about whether this was the right thing to do for her and I was thinking about letting her go, the weather was just so bad, that I felt she would freeze to death if I did let her go.
February 10, 2008 P.M.
So, yesterday, I decided to spend as much time with Annie as possible. She has been improving so much that I thought I should keep this good thing going.
Today, she really didn't want anything to do with me. I might have spent too much time with her. What I tried to do was come in each hour to at least say hi and try to pet her, if I could. Sometimes she is laying under the desk or somewhere else where I couldn't really pet her without her possibly feeling cornered, so I don't try to.
This morning when I came into her room, she did not want to come out of her cage. Sometimes that happens and when it does, I bring her cage out into the living room near me, or next to the balcony so she can watch the birds at the feeders.
I waited awhile instead of moving her anywhere to see if she would "perk" up and act like she wanted out of the cage. She really never did, all day. I am not sure what is going on but she seems to be feeling well and I don't see any obvious signs of illness or injury.
I am sitting next to her cage right now and petting her every so often and she is purring loudly! Maybe yesterday was just a little too much contact for her.
February 12, 2008 P.M.
I posted about Annie not being as active as she usually is and she has returned to normal. This morning when I went in to her room, she was very excited to see me and acted like she wanted to come out into the living room. I brought her out into the living room in her cage, she is definitely not ready to be out without the protection of her cage. I have two cats, one hisses at her, the other one seems to like her.
I am going through the animal shelter I volunteer with to have her spayed and vaccinated and I am just waiting for the vet to get an appointment open. I should have gotten her spayed already but I was waiting for her to calm down a little. I felt that it might be too much to get her spayed right after trapping her, because she was so scared. Also, I didn't know how the vet would get a needle into her to give her anesthetic. I guess some vets are experienced in feral cats enough to be able give her the shot without hurting her.
Anyway, Annie is doing so well! She is doing so much better than I thought she could be. I have certainly learned a lot about feral cats through Annie.
February 13, 2008 P.M.
I have finally gotten an appointment tomorrow to have Annie spayed. She will be fully vetted tomorrow. She will be vaccinated, tested for FIV and Feline Leukemia, and spayed. I am going to see if they will clip her claws, or let me do it while she is out. I am NOT declawing her.
February 14, 2008 A.M.
Annie is being spayed today. I brought her in this morning and hopefully, I will be able to bring her home tonight. If she recovers from the surgery well, she will be able to come home. Generally, the vet said they like the animals to stay overnight but since I am a volunteer with the shelter, she believes that I have enough knowledge to take good care of her.
February 15, 2008 P.M.
Annie has just been sitting in her litterbox, which concerns me a little bit. I think she is sitting in there because she is recovering from her surgery.
February 16, 2008 P.M.
Annie was spayed Thursday. All her blood tests came back negative! She doesn't have FIV or Feline Leukemia. Whew!
She is 6 pounds and very small boned. I guessed her age at about 6 months and the vet agreed just by looking at her. Once she was sedated, the vet looked at her teeth and changed her estimated age to 1-2 YEARS! She said she has a lot of tartar that leads her to believe that Annie is older than she looks.
I just cannot believe Annie might be 1-2 years old. She is very small. She is not thin, but of a good weight, but she is very small boned.
February 19, 2008 P.M.
My boyfriend tried to pet Annie because I felt that it was time to introduce her to someone else. She long ago stopped running and hiding when he talked to her through the door. He reached down to pet her and she looked nervous and moved backwards--but she didn't run away!
February 20, 2008 P.M.
Annie let my boyfriend pet her on her cheek for about 10 seconds! She is doing so well!
February 22, 2008 P.M.
Annie's behavior changed for the better after her surgery. She is much more relaxed around me and tolerates loud noises a little better. She is still skittish, but she might always be that way. She has been out of her cage for nearly a week! She is so much more calm that I can keep the baby gates up and the door open, and she doesn't climb them.
I was sewing in her room earlier and she tolerated that noise fairly well. She went into her cage so she could hide but she didn't seem desperate to hide.
She also played with me this morning. She played more than ever before. She really got excited about playing with me. She is very loving.
