Thread: feral cats
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Old December 26th 08, 08:28 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.rescue,rec.pets.cats.health+behav,rec.pets.cats.community,alt.pets.cats,alt.cats
Bill Graham
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Default feral cats


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On Nov 16, 8:19 pm, snuffy wrote:
My daughter lives in Manhattan in Hell's Kitchen and bikes to her job
in Harlem on a bike path along the Hudson River. At 125th Street she
has become smitten with a little clowder of young cats and she wants
to rescue them and take one home.


a) The chances of rabies in a feral cat are vanishingly small - but
still wear VERY good gloves when handling them. Have

b) I have had very good luck capturing such cats with a bit of
tincture-of-valerian on raw or barely-cooked chicken. I will put the
chicken in something like a Dell or Gateway computer box (heavy
cardboard and large enough to not frighten a clausterphobic cat) and
when sufficient cats are inside flip the lid shut and tape it.

There are enough reinforced hand-holds that the cat(s) will not get
out for at least an hour or two - sufficient for safe transport. As to
the 'other end', my habit has been to let them out one-by-one, wearing
said gloves, in a closed room and treat them with a systemic flea-tick-
mite poison, then leave them for a day or so with food, water & litter
and bedding. Other than one nursing female (with kittens), none have
remained biting-angry feral for more than a couple of days, and none
at all for more than about 10 days. Your mileage may vary, of course.
Fortunately, where we live now, there are very few feral cats - but
quite a variety of natural predators including the usual urban
raccoons, but also foxes, various hawks and such.

Valerian may be obtained at any old-fashioned pharmacy as are still
common in NYC, or from several on-line sources. I prefer to find it
from a pharmacy - as I can at least be sure of its quality and
strength. The stuff smells vile - except to cats (and some dogs), upon
which it acts as high-strength catnip with a definite anesthetic/
soporific effect.

Keep in mind that rescue-feral cats will forever want to go outdoors,
but will also greatly value their new home (once adapted). If you are
not prepared or unable to give them outside access, they will never be
'quite right'. We had such a rescue cat for many years - and even when
altered he would spend weeks outdoors at a time. Sightings and in for
food and a few pets every few days, but otherwise out. He finally died
of cancer at a very ripe old age.

Our present younger (of two) cat is a rescue-feral. We got him at 8
weeks, he was rescued along with his mother at about 3 weeks. He is
the most affectionate cat we have had for a long time - since our last
similar rescue. And he loves the outdoors, but stays very close to the
house.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA

We seduced our only feral cat with food. It took several years before he
felt comfortable with us and our other 4 cats. He is now quite old, and
sleeps inside all the time and never goes outside, even though we have two
cat doors and our other cats can come and go as they please. So, it is not
true that once a feral cat has grown to adulthood, you can never tame them.
Our Smokey is as tame as the other cats now, and doesn't even run when
strangers come into the house.