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CatEra |OT| Share your pics, read our tips, ask any questions
- Thread starter Weltall Zero
- Start date
- OT
Kudos on all your good work.
Any idea how old the kittens are? Given the temperature, yeah it's probably best to try and grab all the kittens asap, especially if they are at least 4+ weeks old. If they're younger, I don't know. If you do rescue them, they're probably too young to be tested for FeLV/FIV and be adopted out, so you'd probably have to keep them isolated from other cats for a few weeks. As for the mom, if she's outdoors and not neutered, presumably she's full feral and therefore spay and release would be the best option for her. If she seems friendly and fine with humans, perhaps she's adoptable and could continue looking after the kittens in your house until they're adoptable? If her kittens suddenly disappear, she'll be sad for a few days then probably relieved, because it's a lot of work especially in that life-threatening temperature.
If the mom is left outdoors maybe chat with that friendly neighbor about making a little lined hut for her to provide some shelter and warmth. If you take her to a shelter and she's full feral, are they a no-kill shelter? Either way, and especially if they aren't, I personally favor spay and release. At least then she has her freedom, which is better than living the rest of her life in a little cage.
Let us know how you get on.
OP
OP
First of all, thank you so much for fostering cats. Since they cannot vocalize their gratitude let me do that on their behalf and everyone who's into this as well. :)
This is an almost identical situation to what we had with Tigris: we captured her with her three kittens because it was freezing and they would definitely not have made it (in fact one of them didn't; he died just a couple days after we got them). They were really young and still lactating so we didn't even have the option of separating them. In the end the two surviving kittens were happily adopted, and we ended up adopting Tigris ourselves. Tigris is a really well behaved cat that never tried to bite or scratch us, but understandably started out very shy, and never became a cuddle bug like our other kids. She did however ended up being the least interested in the outside world out of all our cats, never even wanting to come close to the outside door or even balcony. I guess she had enough of street life for a lifetime.
Since capturing only the kittens is an option, I'm assuming the cats are old enough and already weaned? I would still try to capture the whole family, and see how things go from there. A mom that realizes how much better she has it in a house with heating and a supply of food can become friendlier and more receptive to living in a home than other cats. Worst case scenario you find adopters for the kittens, then neuter and release the mom (all of this, again, once the kittens are old enough, of course).
It does, that's why I insist about it in the OP; but yeah, it's so bad I now cringe even when I see a cat bell in fictional media, because it reinforces the notion that it's OK and normal to put one on cats.
I find the "we can't know where they are otherwise" justification particularly odd. Like, why do you need to know where your cat is at all? And if your cat is hiding all the time, you have a completely different problem.
Thanks, everyone. I'll update later tonight. My phone is low, and I'm going on hour 2 of my stakeout....I should have brought a book.
Update time.
I went and spoke with neighbor opening garage door. She said there are two kittens (not 3), and that they come in with momma to eat in the AM and again in afternoon. I walked around block multiple times, then eventually sat in my car. After about 2-and-a-half hours of waiting, I finally spotted mom and a black kitten strolling for garage. I got out my carrier and went after them. Mom ran out of garage, but kitten was trapped. The owner of house came out and asked if she could help, and I told her to let me crawl under the door, then she can close me inside with kitten. I crawled under, and got my first good look at kitten. It's hard to gauge age for me, because this thing was a poofball of a kitten, and I swear I could barely see a face in there.
This is best picture I can find online that looks about what I saw hair wise, but age-wise....maybe 7-8 weeks?
The garage has no inside door, so the owner was talking to me through a window from her house that connects to the garage. When I got inside, I told her to lower the door. She did so, and the kitten sprinted like a bolt of lightning to get out. She smacked into the door as it closed, and was stuck with me and my carrier. I was so happy, then for SOME REASON, the owner clicked the garage button on accident and opened it the tiniest tiniest amount, which was enough for the kitten to squeeze under in a flash and get out. All that time waiting, wasted.....The good news at least is that the kitten and momma looked healthy. The bad news, besides me not getting any of them, is that there was no sign of the orange kitten. The owner of the home said today is the first day the orange kitten wasn't with them. And when I saw them this afternoon, there was no orange kitten again. So, I fear for the worst, and that the black kitten might be the last survivor. It's getting very cold out, and was a mix of snow and ice rain while I was waiting.
I went and spoke with neighbor opening garage door. She said there are two kittens (not 3), and that they come in with momma to eat in the AM and again in afternoon. I walked around block multiple times, then eventually sat in my car. After about 2-and-a-half hours of waiting, I finally spotted mom and a black kitten strolling for garage. I got out my carrier and went after them. Mom ran out of garage, but kitten was trapped. The owner of house came out and asked if she could help, and I told her to let me crawl under the door, then she can close me inside with kitten. I crawled under, and got my first good look at kitten. It's hard to gauge age for me, because this thing was a poofball of a kitten, and I swear I could barely see a face in there.
This is best picture I can find online that looks about what I saw hair wise, but age-wise....maybe 7-8 weeks?
The garage has no inside door, so the owner was talking to me through a window from her house that connects to the garage. When I got inside, I told her to lower the door. She did so, and the kitten sprinted like a bolt of lightning to get out. She smacked into the door as it closed, and was stuck with me and my carrier. I was so happy, then for SOME REASON, the owner clicked the garage button on accident and opened it the tiniest tiniest amount, which was enough for the kitten to squeeze under in a flash and get out. All that time waiting, wasted.....The good news at least is that the kitten and momma looked healthy. The bad news, besides me not getting any of them, is that there was no sign of the orange kitten. The owner of the home said today is the first day the orange kitten wasn't with them. And when I saw them this afternoon, there was no orange kitten again. So, I fear for the worst, and that the black kitten might be the last survivor. It's getting very cold out, and was a mix of snow and ice rain while I was waiting.
OP
OP
Update time.
I went and spoke with neighbor opening garage door. She said there are two kittens (not 3), and that they come in with momma to eat in the AM and again in afternoon. I walked around block multiple times, then eventually sat in my car. After about 2-and-a-half hours of waiting, I finally spotted mom and a black kitten strolling for garage. I got out my carrier and went after them. Mom ran out of garage, but kitten was trapped. The owner of house came out and asked if she could help, and I told her to let me crawl under the door, then she can close me inside with kitten. I crawled under, and got my first good look at kitten. It's hard to gauge age for me, because this thing was a poofball of a kitten, and I swear I could barely see a face in there.
This is best picture I can find online that looks about what I saw hair wise, but age-wise....maybe 7-8 weeks?
The garage has no inside door, so the owner was talking to me through a window from her house that connects to the garage. When I got inside, I told her to lower the door. She did so, and the kitten sprinted like a bolt of lightning to get out. She smacked into the door as it closed, and was stuck with me and my carrier. I was so happy, then for SOME REASON, the owner clicked the garage button on accident and opened it the tiniest tiniest amount, which was enough for the kitten to squeeze under in a flash and get out. All that time waiting, wasted.....The good news at least is that the kitten and momma looked healthy. The bad news, besides me not getting any of them, is that there was no sign of the orange kitten. The owner of the home said today is the first day the orange kitten wasn't with them. And when I saw them this afternoon, there was no orange kitten again. So, I fear for the worst, and that the black kitten might be the last survivor. It's getting very cold out, and was a mix of snow and ice rain while I was waiting.
You are doing Bastet's work. Infinite kudos and sorry that the black kitten got away, in such a frustrating way, after such a long wait. Let's hope that the orange one is OK, too. Keep us informed!
Again, you are awesome and I'm cheering for you. <3
Thank you much. I can't wait until a year or two from now when we can buy a house. We aim to have a room dedicated for foster kittens since right now they mostly live in my office/library. We never intended to foster regularly, but when that first sick kitten came into the ICU a year or so ago, and no one would take care of him, we had to bring him home. And since then, it's snowballed and we haven't stopped.
Bean
Ron and Hermoine
Binks
Cheddar, Clover, and Pepper
Clover
Cheddar
Ron and Hermoine
Binks
Cheddar, Clover, and Pepper
Clover
Cheddar
I'm glad you two posted about this. I never heard of people putting bells on cats, nor did I realize it was a bad thing. But it's good timing to see this...we keep in semi-regular contact with our kittens when they're adopted out to make sure things are going all right. Pepper was just adopted last week, and her owner sent us a picture of her with a new collar and a bell. I'll see if I can find an article or something about bells that I can send her to urge her to maybe reconsider.
OP
OP
Thank you much. I can't wait until a year or two from now when we can buy a house. We aim to have a room dedicated for foster kittens since right now they mostly live in my office/library. We never intended to foster regularly, but when that first sick kitten came into the ICU a year or so ago, and no one would take care of him, we had to bring him home. And since then, it's snowballed and we haven't stopped.
Bean
Ron and Hermoine
Binks
Cheddar, Clover, and Pepper
Clover
Cheddar
Man I understand you far too well, hahah. Once you realize you can make a true difference in the lives of these babies, who has the heart to say no? We're currently fostering four in addition to our own six. :D
Also thanks a lot for the pics, I'll show them to my SO tomorrow. I expect many awww's. :)
My SO has butted heads with adopters very often about bells, and collars in general. It's very frustrating to see people who have never even had a cat pretend to know better than you. Another timeless one is "I want a month-old kitty so that it gets used to me from a young age and be more friendly". Sure man, you cracked the code; people who dedicate their lives to this never thought of this, and are bullshitting you when they recommend an adult, socialized cat.
OP
OP
So one of the kittens we're fostering is either older than we thought or really precocious, and went into heat. Man she won't shut up; thank god for earplugs or neither of us could sleep. :D
All of our cats are spayed, of course, so there's no real danger of accidents. The silver lining is that it makes her more receptive to touch, so it's making it easier to finish socializing her.
All of our cats are spayed, of course, so there's no real danger of accidents. The silver lining is that it makes her more receptive to touch, so it's making it easier to finish socializing her.
Been thinking of adopting a cat for a very long time, the only thing holding me back is that I moved recently and my apartment is a little messy and some renovation is needed.
However, my sister has a co-worker that needs to give away their 6 month old (male ragdoll/birman mix) cat due to allergic diseases.
The cat has been vaccinated/chipped/de-wormed and scanned by a veterinarian for diseases. It is however not yet neutered, so that is something I intend to do asap if I take it.
As i'm not that experienced with anything except domestic house cats since before, is there something that I should worry about regarding the mixed breed? Potential diseases etc?
Also do you guys think a cat can handle some light construction work going on in the apartment (1-2 months)? Will do renovations to the bathroom and some modifications to my kitchen. Mainly thinking about noise and reposition of litter box etc.
However, my sister has a co-worker that needs to give away their 6 month old (male ragdoll/birman mix) cat due to allergic diseases.
The cat has been vaccinated/chipped/de-wormed and scanned by a veterinarian for diseases. It is however not yet neutered, so that is something I intend to do asap if I take it.
As i'm not that experienced with anything except domestic house cats since before, is there something that I should worry about regarding the mixed breed? Potential diseases etc?
Also do you guys think a cat can handle some light construction work going on in the apartment (1-2 months)? Will do renovations to the bathroom and some modifications to my kitchen. Mainly thinking about noise and reposition of litter box etc.
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Still having terrible issues integrating Taika with Chloe, which is kind of understandable but still very much a shame (and crazy stressful both for us and Chloe). We think Taika mostly just wants to play because there's no real aggression on his part, but Chloe starts growling, hissing and even kind of spitting (like a cross between hissing and clearing her throat) when he's near. But if she doesn't see or hear him, even if he's centimeters away she'll be completely oblivious... until he taps her.
Meanwhile, Taika is more than happy to sniff Jasper's toes while he's lying down, or even smooch his snoot!
When he's not in a rascally mood (like playing with my shoelaces or hoodie strings or... basically anything) Taika's super cuddly and cute <3
Chloe's still cute too:
(but still a little bitch)
Meanwhile, Taika is more than happy to sniff Jasper's toes while he's lying down, or even smooch his snoot!
When he's not in a rascally mood (like playing with my shoelaces or hoodie strings or... basically anything) Taika's super cuddly and cute <3
Chloe's still cute too:
(but still a little bitch)
Update!
I received a call tonight right as I was about to start supper that the mom and 2 kittens were trapped in the garage. I put on a billion pairs of pants, long sleeve shirts, thick snow gloves, then headed out. I brought a friend with, and we got into the garage. First thing that stood out to me is that mom is short hair, and quite petite. The two kittens looked to actually be about 4-5 months old, but I'm not great at gauging. I wrangled 2 of them up in separate carriers, then went for mom. She was scaling the walls like a ninja, and bolting all over the place. When I finally got my hands on her, she tried to bite my gloves 2-3 times. After a bit of trying to get her, I told the owner of the house we needed to give up for now. I could tell she was stressed beyond belief with how hard she was panting, and I didn't want her to hurt herself. We'll have to find someone with a live trap we can borrow so we can get a cleaner catch.
I regret that I just cleaned up and put away all our foster kitten stuff yesterday.....I had to go into the basement, then bring it all back up two flights of stairs. We just finished setting up the room again. I opened their carrier after setting back up and am leaving them be for now.
We generally deal with kittens that need bottlefed, so this will be quite different for us. Because we deal with super young kittens, we bought a bunch of plastic cube organizers like these, then use them to build a small "pen" area for when we aren't home. I went ahead and built these 2 new ones a cave they can hide under since my room doesn't have a lot of places to hide.
Pictures to come later
I received a call tonight right as I was about to start supper that the mom and 2 kittens were trapped in the garage. I put on a billion pairs of pants, long sleeve shirts, thick snow gloves, then headed out. I brought a friend with, and we got into the garage. First thing that stood out to me is that mom is short hair, and quite petite. The two kittens looked to actually be about 4-5 months old, but I'm not great at gauging. I wrangled 2 of them up in separate carriers, then went for mom. She was scaling the walls like a ninja, and bolting all over the place. When I finally got my hands on her, she tried to bite my gloves 2-3 times. After a bit of trying to get her, I told the owner of the house we needed to give up for now. I could tell she was stressed beyond belief with how hard she was panting, and I didn't want her to hurt herself. We'll have to find someone with a live trap we can borrow so we can get a cleaner catch.
I regret that I just cleaned up and put away all our foster kitten stuff yesterday.....I had to go into the basement, then bring it all back up two flights of stairs. We just finished setting up the room again. I opened their carrier after setting back up and am leaving them be for now.
We generally deal with kittens that need bottlefed, so this will be quite different for us. Because we deal with super young kittens, we bought a bunch of plastic cube organizers like these, then use them to build a small "pen" area for when we aren't home. I went ahead and built these 2 new ones a cave they can hide under since my room doesn't have a lot of places to hide.
Pictures to come later
Outstanding! Well done. I am pleasantly surprised to hear the second kitten is still there.
Not sure if it bothers cats. We had a bell on our family cat years ago. Didn't seem to freak him out. And of course, the reason why cats have bells is to stop them killing birds, which is a real problem.
That said they should be good collars designed to release if they become snagged on something. Info here RSPB
Studies have shown that bells on cats doesn't prevent wildlife prey and Cats with bells have even caught more birds then without. Meaning it doesn't matter and much more negative effects with having a bell on your cat then without it.
"Though common knowledge states that putting a bell on your cat will warn birds and wildlife from your cat's presence, the truth is that, according to the Mammal Society, birds are warned of the presence of a cat due to their sighting rather than sound. Moreover, it also states that cats can easily learn to walk without the bell chiming, which is why putting a bell on a cat makes no major difference in the amount of prey it catches."
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Yay! Awesome job! I'm glad you can save them. You'll definitely need a live trap for the mom though. I'm guessing you'll just neuter and release her. I can't wait to see the pics.
OP
OP
Mixed breeds, if anything, should have less health issues than pure breeds. I don't think birmans or ragdolls are particularly prone to health issues; I wouldn't worry about it at all.
As for the "light construction", it might not be ideal if it's loud as he might associate the place with scary noise, but you'll have to judge that yourself. Of course the most important thing is that it's not a hazard for him (e.g. nails or sharp surfaces, holes in the ground, etc.).
Still having terrible issues integrating Taika with Chloe, which is kind of understandable but still very much a shame (and crazy stressful both for us and Chloe). We think Taika mostly just wants to play because there's no real aggression on his part, but Chloe starts growling, hissing and even kind of spitting (like a cross between hissing and clearing her throat) when he's near. But if she doesn't see or hear him, even if he's centimeters away she'll be completely oblivious... until he taps her.
Meanwhile, Taika is more than happy to sniff Jasper's toes while he's lying down, or even smooch his snoot!
When he's not in a rascally mood (like playing with my shoelaces or hoodie strings or... basically anything) Taika's super cuddly and cute <3
Chloe's still cute too:
(but still a little bitch)
A shame about the social issue, but a male and female should at least learn to tolerate each other. We have two females that are frankly making us crazy, one will always attack the other when she has a chance, and the latter will often pee on stuff if she feels the other is cutting her access to the litter boxes, which means we need to have a litter box with us in the living room.
Congratulations on the catch, probably good call about the mom. It seems kind of unlikely to me that they would be that old; can you, say, weight them? That would probably give us a better idea about their ages.
I'm thinking neuter and release too if the kittens are old enough, unless she is friendly to humans (which doesn't seem to be the case, but then again, the situation in the garage was not exactly conductive to relaxing and making friends).
Come on, man. It's right there in the OP:
Sorry. I somewhat skimmed it. If people are unhappy about bells then those colourful collars are a definite alternative. Our family cat exhibited no issues with a bell but not all cats are the same so if it bothers people then the colourful collar is the best option.
OP
OP
Can one even use clicker training to prevent undesired behaviour? I thought it was used mostly to reinforce desired behaviour.
There's no such thing as an innately indoor or outdoor cat in the sense I think you're implying. Cats are creatures of habits; if they were raised in a house, they have pretty much no concept of the outer world other than what we call "Cat TV" (i.e. windows to the street), nor any longing thereof. On the other hand, a cat used to run around every day in a garden chasing insects and such may become miserable if forced to stay indoors, at least for a while.
It's true that some cats are naturally more predisposed to explore the outdoors if allowed to (the proverbial curiosity that we know did the cat no favors), while others have absolutely no interest whatsoever. Cats need exercise, fun, love and company; as long as they have these (and physical needs like food, obviously), they can be happy pretty much anywhere.
tl;dr Don't let your cat go outside, you are terrified of it for good reason, and he doesn't need it.
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Imagine yourself with a bell attached to your neck, making noise everywhere you go, every time you move in bed, etc. You can't get rid of it. You can't tell the people who put it on you to get rid of it. You just have to reluctantly deal with it. Doesn't mean you enjoy it, or that you can ignore it. You'd probably hate it. And what's the upside of having it? If the cat is indoors, how hard is it to find? If it's outdoors and gets lost, it now has a decreased chance of survival against predators or bad people, and if it's not used to hunting with a bell then probably a decreased ability to catch food. Then there's the danger of collars in general too. What's the upside of forcing your cat through that?
Like I said our cat was fine. We always made sure the collar was well fitted and he was happy. If he had showed a negative reaction it would have been removed. It didn't. However I absolutely understand if some people are not happy with it and instead use a coloured collar. I'm uncertain if a bell increases the chance of a cat being assaulted by a person or not. As for the sound of the bell there's some debate if the 50-60db is cause enough for irritation. But certainly better to be safe than sorry.
Also the family cat, Littl'un, was 40 years ago. Also I feel like I'm being somewhat persecuted for saying anything. Thanks.
I don't think any single response is anything like persecution, it maybe just feels that way because several people replied. I did ask though what's the upside, twice, and you didn't offer any.
I can only comment on my own family history with owning cats. Adding a bell stopped him from killing birds and it did not adversely affect him. It's not as if I am saying bells should be used so much as it had worked in my experiance. Persecution is a bit much, so sorry for that. But I certainly don't feel welcome.
Well, this was the quickest we've come up with names for our fosters....My wife and son saw Cats a week ago, so they immediately said Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. I know nothing about Cats, but my son says, "They destroy houses."
I generally say go for it if you'd like a cat and feel you can handle the responsibility. I don't exactly believe in ideals. And by that, I mean, I don't think construction's going to be ideal for your cat, it'll probably hide while you're doing it in the day or you'll need to secure the cat so it doesn't get in the way but that's temporary. And anyone who was to take the cat in your place could never really guarantee that they themselves would never have something occur in their lives that would annoy the cat like construction or a move or whatnot. So you may not think it's the ideal time to bring in a cat, and, I mean, it's not, but, what in life is ideal? You'll likely never be in the perfect place to adopt an animal, you'll always wonder if you're ready, always have something going on, and on the flip side, if you did think you were ready and had nothing going on you could never ensure that those conditions exist for the lifetime of the animal. So do you want the cat and can you handle it or not?
That's why I picked up Mazikeen. We put poison out at work since we deal with food(mandated by law), anything that preys on the small rodents we poison is eventually going to die from that by design. I didn't think she'd live with or without her mother long. In fact I still to this day have never seen another cat in the area, her family is likely dead. The best thing would have been for me to catch them all but I couldn't, never saw another one. Then, the best thing for Maze would have been a dedicated foster family or me getting other kittens to foster so she grew up better adjusted. Again neither of those plans was able to happen, none of it turned out how I ideally would have liked, but I still think her being alive and living with me is better than if I had just left her there to die. I think it's the plain truth that if someone else more prepared had picked up Mazikeen she'd be less clawy with people and technically be considered a better cat. But there was no-one else that was going to pick her up. Nobody from my local rescues ever answered my calls after I picked her up. So, in reality, I guess I was the best choice at the time?
Even other people in this thread are going through troubles, people trying to get cats introduced to each other, people dealing with less socially adjusted cats that are biting, all people can do is give it their best, mistakes will sometimes be made and all you can do is power through them and keep trying your best.
Basically I don't think you should let your concept of things being ideal be what stops you from having a good life together with an animal. If there's real obstacles, like, you know you can't deal with the energy of a younger cat, or if you know you'd put your floor or furniture's well being above your cat or if work prevents you from being able to feed it or empty its litter on a regular basis then those are deal breakers. Having an inconvenience in the house for a month or two, however, is something most pet owners are going to have to deal with.
He's going to hate the construction, but if that temporary situation is what it takes to have a loving forever home, so be it. Hopefully there'll be some time to get used to the place before work happens. I would just caution to be extra, extra careful with regards other people coming and going, in case the noise and commotion encourages him to try and bolt.
My cat has a bell on her collar since she was a kitten. She loves it. Sometimes while scratching she knocks her collar off. She will carry it back to me and meow at me until we put it back on.
Got her a new collar without a bell and she meowed and meowed until we realised she wanted the bell on it.
Got her a new collar without a bell and she meowed and meowed until we realised she wanted the bell on it.
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Thanks for the answers, I appreciate your insight. My sister is going to go and meet the cat, as I wont be able for a couple of weeks as I live in another city.
If everything seem all right and the cat don't show any weird behaviour I might be able to adopt the cat. :3
These two fosters are like Weeping Angels from Doctor Who. If you look at them, they stop existing and turn into statues. If I move out of sight, suddenly their shuffling around, cleaning themselves, juggling, etc. in the little shark bed they migrated to.
We have a blanket just like that one, and our cats loooove it so much. They've kind of taken it over...Also, them sleeping with the dinosaur gives me Last Nightmare on Elm Street vibes for some reason.redid the bed. but just going to cut it out myself.
bonus pic. bought a dino plush.
😂 the Trex. I know what you're talking about.
I didn't know they would like it as much so I missed the $2 sale of throws like that at Walmart
OP
OP
Lovely descriptive reference, hahah. Being a videogame board, you could also used Boos. :)
how are they doing today? are they adjusting to a new environment?.Well, this was the quickest we've come up with names for our fosters....My wife and son saw Cats a week ago, so they immediately said Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer. I know nothing about Cats, but my son says, "They destroy houses."
also i want to set up a camera and see what the two kittens are doing at work when no one is around . i wonder if they are sleeping or just playing all night.
So far, things are going well. I'm very impatient, so every time I look at one, I want to pick him up and hug him to death. But I resist! They're still mostly big scaredy cats, but we're getting there.
When I woke up Monday morning, I found poop in the corner of the room. I cleaned up, put a litter box there, and since then they've been pooping in that box. I don't know if cats are damn smart or if they just really loved the particular corner, because I'm surprised, with them living outside all their lives, that they would catch on so quickly. They are still (mostly) peeing on the pee pads surrounding it though.
I had to re-arrange the room a little bit because they had way too many places to hunker down and hide from us 100%. I want them to be able to hide and feel safe, while still being accessible to us enough that they can see us, and we can see them. I want them to get used to us, and figured they can't do that if they hide their entire time here behind my bookshelf.
What's fun is how much they refuse to do anything but hide when we're in the room, then I wake up in the morning and my computer desk is a mess. So:
We pulled out the ole' toothbrush last night and started brushing them. My wife sat on the floor an hour last night, just petting this orange one, and he slowly gave in. At first it was a hiss, but when she went for an ear, he started tapping his leg. Pretty soon, he was conked out.
Tonight, I crawled halfway into the little safe hideaway I built for them, and started brushing the orange one again. I then gave him a snack, and he ate it in front of me, which was huge progress. So far, they've refused to eat at all in front of us. We have to leave the room. I then put some wet food in a bowl with hard food and slid it over. At first, he backed away from it, but then I started brushing, then he moved over to the bowl and slowly started eating. I won't lie---I'm pretty excited for him. If we can keep getting him to eat with us, and associate positive thoughts with food with us, we're on our slow way.
Here he is eating, and wondering why I stopped brushing him.
I'm running out of time, so two more things: there is a free spay/neuter day for ferals Friday, so we're bringing them both in. Also, the owner called me today to ask how these 2 were doing, and let me know mom hasn't come back.
When I woke up Monday morning, I found poop in the corner of the room. I cleaned up, put a litter box there, and since then they've been pooping in that box. I don't know if cats are damn smart or if they just really loved the particular corner, because I'm surprised, with them living outside all their lives, that they would catch on so quickly. They are still (mostly) peeing on the pee pads surrounding it though.
I had to re-arrange the room a little bit because they had way too many places to hunker down and hide from us 100%. I want them to be able to hide and feel safe, while still being accessible to us enough that they can see us, and we can see them. I want them to get used to us, and figured they can't do that if they hide their entire time here behind my bookshelf.
What's fun is how much they refuse to do anything but hide when we're in the room, then I wake up in the morning and my computer desk is a mess. So:
---I bought a cheap Yi 1080 camera and set it up! I don't have it set to record though. We're only using it to watch them live while at work, and yeah...the moment we're out of the room, the black one is roaming around. I gave them food today, left the room, and the black one came out and ate both bowls. I can already tell this camera was a bad idea because I'm going to be watching them so much while at work.
We pulled out the ole' toothbrush last night and started brushing them. My wife sat on the floor an hour last night, just petting this orange one, and he slowly gave in. At first it was a hiss, but when she went for an ear, he started tapping his leg. Pretty soon, he was conked out.
Tonight, I crawled halfway into the little safe hideaway I built for them, and started brushing the orange one again. I then gave him a snack, and he ate it in front of me, which was huge progress. So far, they've refused to eat at all in front of us. We have to leave the room. I then put some wet food in a bowl with hard food and slid it over. At first, he backed away from it, but then I started brushing, then he moved over to the bowl and slowly started eating. I won't lie---I'm pretty excited for him. If we can keep getting him to eat with us, and associate positive thoughts with food with us, we're on our slow way.
Here he is eating, and wondering why I stopped brushing him.
I'm running out of time, so two more things: there is a free spay/neuter day for ferals Friday, so we're bringing them both in. Also, the owner called me today to ask how these 2 were doing, and let me know mom hasn't come back.
That's a great update, thanks for sharing. Looks like they'll soon be fully social. Shame you couldn't get the mom spayed. She'll be OK soon. I've done that before, saved kittens in my back yard and the mom came back, moped around a bit obviously looking for them, then a few days later she seemed fine. Did you speak to the neighbor about leaving a lined hut or such in addition to the food they're already putting out? As I'm sure you're aware, those can be put together very cheaply.So far, things are going well. I'm very impatient, so every time I look at one, I want to pick him up and hug him to death. But I resist! They're still mostly big scaredy cats, but we're getting there.
When I woke up Monday morning, I found poop in the corner of the room. I cleaned up, put a litter box there, and since then they've been pooping in that box. I don't know if cats are damn smart or if they just really loved the particular corner, because I'm surprised, with them living outside all their lives, that they would catch on so quickly. They are still (mostly) peeing on the pee pads surrounding it though.
I had to re-arrange the room a little bit because they had way too many places to hunker down and hide from us 100%. I want them to be able to hide and feel safe, while still being accessible to us enough that they can see us, and we can see them. I want them to get used to us, and figured they can't do that if they hide their entire time here behind my bookshelf.
What's fun is how much they refuse to do anything but hide when we're in the room, then I wake up in the morning and my computer desk is a mess. So:
---I bought a cheap Yi 1080 camera and set it up! I don't have it set to record though. We're only using it to watch them live while at work, and yeah...the moment we're out of the room, the black one is roaming around. I gave them food today, left the room, and the black one came out and ate both bowls. I can already tell this camera was a bad idea because I'm going to be watching them so much while at work.
We pulled out the ole' toothbrush last night and started brushing them. My wife sat on the floor an hour last night, just petting this orange one, and he slowly gave in. At first it was a hiss, but when she went for an ear, he started tapping his leg. Pretty soon, he was conked out.
Tonight, I crawled halfway into the little safe hideaway I built for them, and started brushing the orange one again. I then gave him a snack, and he ate it in front of me, which was huge progress. So far, they've refused to eat at all in front of us. We have to leave the room. I then put some wet food in a bowl with hard food and slid it over. At first, he backed away from it, but then I started brushing, then he moved over to the bowl and slowly started eating. I won't lie---I'm pretty excited for him. If we can keep getting him to eat with us, and associate positive thoughts with food with us, we're on our slow way.
Here he is eating, and wondering why I stopped brushing him.
I'm running out of time, so two more things: there is a free spay/neuter day for ferals Friday, so we're bringing them both in. Also, the owner called me today to ask how these 2 were doing, and let me know mom hasn't come back.
OP
OP
So far, things are going well. I'm very impatient, so every time I look at one, I want to pick him up and hug him to death. But I resist! They're still mostly big scaredy cats, but we're getting there.
When I woke up Monday morning, I found poop in the corner of the room. I cleaned up, put a litter box there, and since then they've been pooping in that box. I don't know if cats are damn smart or if they just really loved the particular corner, because I'm surprised, with them living outside all their lives, that they would catch on so quickly. They are still (mostly) peeing on the pee pads surrounding it though.
I had to re-arrange the room a little bit because they had way too many places to hunker down and hide from us 100%. I want them to be able to hide and feel safe, while still being accessible to us enough that they can see us, and we can see them. I want them to get used to us, and figured they can't do that if they hide their entire time here behind my bookshelf.
What's fun is how much they refuse to do anything but hide when we're in the room, then I wake up in the morning and my computer desk is a mess. So:
---I bought a cheap Yi 1080 camera and set it up! I don't have it set to record though. We're only using it to watch them live while at work, and yeah...the moment we're out of the room, the black one is roaming around. I gave them food today, left the room, and the black one came out and ate both bowls. I can already tell this camera was a bad idea because I'm going to be watching them so much while at work.
We pulled out the ole' toothbrush last night and started brushing them. My wife sat on the floor an hour last night, just petting this orange one, and he slowly gave in. At first it was a hiss, but when she went for an ear, he started tapping his leg. Pretty soon, he was conked out.
Tonight, I crawled halfway into the little safe hideaway I built for them, and started brushing the orange one again. I then gave him a snack, and he ate it in front of me, which was huge progress. So far, they've refused to eat at all in front of us. We have to leave the room. I then put some wet food in a bowl with hard food and slid it over. At first, he backed away from it, but then I started brushing, then he moved over to the bowl and slowly started eating. I won't lie---I'm pretty excited for him. If we can keep getting him to eat with us, and associate positive thoughts with food with us, we're on our slow way.
Here he is eating, and wondering why I stopped brushing him.
I'm running out of time, so two more things: there is a free spay/neuter day for ferals Friday, so we're bringing them both in. Also, the owner called me today to ask how these 2 were doing, and let me know mom hasn't come back.
Really glad to hear the process is coming along nicely. They're incredibly beautiful so I'm sure you'll have adopters fighting for them. :)
I think I mentioned it earlier, but we're in a similar situation with three very agressive (or "extra spicy" :) ) kittens that have already tasted human blood a few times. My SO pulled up a video from KittenLady (if you don't know about this channel, it's super helpful for people in the rescue/adopt scene) about what to do in these instances; we're following it pretty religiously, and it's helping immensely with their socialization.
The one big thing, and I know this sounds cruel, is putting them on a play pen or similar. If they're hiding all the time, then they're not really forced to coexist with you and understand you're not a threat. The other thing, and again I know how it sounds, is to not have them access to food all the time, but rather give it yourself by hand, so they associate you with food. I know these measures seem extreme but they're a small price to pay to ensure that the cats are as socialized as possible within the timeframe in their lives where they can be socialized, and therefore increase their chances of adoption.
Honestly, I've not dealt with lined huts much. My wife made one the previous winter, and a racoon started sleeping in it and eating food, so she gave up on it. So I've forgotten all about them. It has thankfully warmed up around here, but I'm genuinely wondering if she gave birth to another litter somewhere. These kittens we have are old enough that she could be pregnant again. I have no idea, by looking at a cat, if they are pregnant or not. Bur for a short haired cat, her belly did seem kind of low...?
Funny timing that you post her. YouTube recommended me this exact video a few nights ago (my phone must be listening to me...). She is the main reason I re-arranged the room so they couldn't completely hide from us and we're forced to be exposed to one another. Mostly.
We have a second litter box we need to get rid of...it's one of those top down litter boxes with a hole on top to jump down into. The orange one decided he likes to nap in there. Might as well empty, clean it, and put blankets in there.
Osh is acclimating really well. Still hides under the bed occasionally when she gets scared but less so now.
Also her birthday, and one month adoption anniversary is coming up in a few weeks!
Here's a cute shot from last night:
Also her birthday, and one month adoption anniversary is coming up in a few weeks!
Here's a cute shot from last night:
OP
OP
Yeah, the older they are, the harder it gets, even within the socialization period, which is why it's so much more important with older kittens (which are also running out of time to be socialized). At three months (the reported age of Victor Alexander's kittens) you're looking at a lot of work, but it's still possible in most cases if you follow the guidelines in the video.
I feel terrible that I've been slowly building up their trust to then scare the hell out of them today, make them grumpy, and cram them into a cage. But the deed is done. They are now on their 40 minute car ride to get spayed/neutered.
Update: Done! They're both boys.
Update: Done! They're both boys.
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Tales from the adoption room: We have two kittens left currently, Ned (who was adoption pending) and Burley, who is a male calico (!). Burly is in isolation because he came in with a nasty upper respiratory infection and is on antibiotics. Poor baby is in good spirits but is sneezing blood which is TERRIFYING to watch.
All the kittens came in skittish. Ned has been funny to watch open up to people. He still runs away but clearly wants attention and would slowly approach me or meow from behind the windows. I'd reach a hand out he'd shrink back. I'd pet him and he'd lean into the scritches, I'd pull my hand away and he'd do this little uneasy dance as he'd try to sneak closer for more pets but not actually touch me. His new family is going to have to take it slow with him.
All the kittens came in skittish. Ned has been funny to watch open up to people. He still runs away but clearly wants attention and would slowly approach me or meow from behind the windows. I'd reach a hand out he'd shrink back. I'd pet him and he'd lean into the scritches, I'd pull my hand away and he'd do this little uneasy dance as he'd try to sneak closer for more pets but not actually touch me. His new family is going to have to take it slow with him.
they'll watch you closely from a corner from this day on.
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Just going to make an album of them sleeping lol
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