How far away can ferals smell scent of food?

Hi --- I have been getting all cats in my neighborhood neutered and
vaccinated (yes, some belong to irresponsible neighbors who are
oblivious to what I'm doing --- but hey, they let their cats come in
my yard to fight & spray).

Three of these cats are feral strays and had stuck around so I put out
food every day and have cat beds on the front porch. The problem is a
big bully cat came up and repeatedly attacked them. Two disappeared. I
had the bully neutered and hoped he'd go back home. He didn't. He's
not feral (actually loves people) so I took him in.

The next day one of my missing ferals showed up, but I'm very worried
about the other one --- Brutus. He's been gone for 6 weeks now. I've
asked one neighbor about him and am going to put out fliers this week.
I really believed he would have come back by now, but realize I should
have asked around much sooner.

** How far away can feral cats smell food ? (or any cats for that
matter - I'm just assuming ferals need to have a little keener sense
of smell than my spoiled housecats).

I've been putting put tuna heated in a microwave out for the last
week. Is there anything else that stinks to high heavens that could
possibly bring this cat home if he's still in the neighborhood?

Now I really regret doing the trap-neuter-return thing (though I
applaud groups that do it on a large scale) --- I've just always been
oppposed to outdoor cats due to the hazards of the world. I regret not
taking these cats in, but I already have 15 indoor cats, and older
ferals are tough to deal with.

Thanks,

Sheri

"Sheri" wrote in message
...
I've been putting put tuna heated in a microwave out for the last
week. Is there anything else that stinks to high heavens that could
possibly bring this cat home if he's still in the neighborhood?

You might want to try mackerel. I've been trying to catch my own semi-feral
cat that got out through a broken door in my house. No luck yet, but I've
caught my neighbor's cat and plenty of possums. Mackerel *really* stinks!

Now I really regret doing the trap-neuter-return thing (though I
applaud groups that do it on a large scale) --- I've just always been
oppposed to outdoor cats due to the hazards of the world. I regret not
taking these cats in, but I already have 15 indoor cats, and older
ferals are tough to deal with.


You shouldn't regret what you did. You did a wonderful thing by getting
those cats spayed/neutered. Brutus could have gone off to find new
territory because the bully showed up.
--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
www.kelltek.com
Check out www.snittens.com

"Sheri" wrote in message
...
I've been putting put tuna heated in a microwave out for the last
week. Is there anything else that stinks to high heavens that could
possibly bring this cat home if he's still in the neighborhood?

You might want to try mackerel. I've been trying to catch my own semi-feral
cat that got out through a broken door in my house. No luck yet, but I've
caught my neighbor's cat and plenty of possums. Mackerel *really* stinks!

Now I really regret doing the trap-neuter-return thing (though I
applaud groups that do it on a large scale) --- I've just always been
oppposed to outdoor cats due to the hazards of the world. I regret not
taking these cats in, but I already have 15 indoor cats, and older
ferals are tough to deal with.


You shouldn't regret what you did. You did a wonderful thing by getting
those cats spayed/neutered. Brutus could have gone off to find new
territory because the bully showed up.
--
-Kelly
kelly at farringtons dot net
www.kelltek.com
Check out www.snittens.com

Kelly writes:

You might want to try mackerel. I've been trying to catch my own semi-feral
cat that got out through a broken door in my house. No luck yet, but I've
caught my neighbor's cat and plenty of possums. Mackerel *really* stinks!


Granted, they're about to be fed their favorite canned food (and Carey is about
to get her pill, which she waits all day for!), but my cats show NO interest in
the canned mackeral I give the dogs every so often. I have even taken some of
it and offered it to the cats, but no interest at all (nor in the dog's raw
turkey).

Roasted chicken has always driven all of my cats into a feeding frenzy though!



Janet Boss
http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience

Kelly writes:

You might want to try mackerel. I've been trying to catch my own semi-feral
cat that got out through a broken door in my house. No luck yet, but I've
caught my neighbor's cat and plenty of possums. Mackerel *really* stinks!


Granted, they're about to be fed their favorite canned food (and Carey is about
to get her pill, which she waits all day for!), but my cats show NO interest in
the canned mackeral I give the dogs every so often. I have even taken some of
it and offered it to the cats, but no interest at all (nor in the dog's raw
turkey).

Roasted chicken has always driven all of my cats into a feeding frenzy though!



Janet Boss
http://bestfriendsdogobedience.com/
http://photos.yahoo.com/bestfriendsobedience

J1Boss wrote:

Roasted chicken has always driven all of my cats into a feeding frenzy though!

I second that. I had some leftover chicken I'd cooked up to make stock
(leg quarters on sale for $.66/lb). I warmed it up in the microwave and
put it out for the ferals (it was boned!). They acted like they'd died
and gone to heaven! My indoor cats love poultry of any kind, too.
Thanksgiving is their favorite day of the year. Oh, no, wait.
Christmas is because before the turkey that day there's shrimp and
scallops, too. ;-)

Priscilla
--
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples,
promising liberty and justice for all.

J1Boss wrote:

Roasted chicken has always driven all of my cats into a feeding frenzy though!

I second that. I had some leftover chicken I'd cooked up to make stock
(leg quarters on sale for $.66/lb). I warmed it up in the microwave and
put it out for the ferals (it was boned!). They acted like they'd died
and gone to heaven! My indoor cats love poultry of any kind, too.
Thanksgiving is their favorite day of the year. Oh, no, wait.
Christmas is because before the turkey that day there's shrimp and
scallops, too. ;-)

Priscilla
--
I pledge allegiance to the Constitution of the United States of America,
and to the republic which it established, one nation from many peoples,
promising liberty and justice for all.

Thanks for everyone's input. I do know that one cat I thought was
impossible to trap went for the popcorn Kentucky Fried Chicken (no
bones).

I may try some heated mackerel as well. I can imagine that would send
out a major odor. I don't mind if a possum eats it, just so it sits
long enough for Brutus to possibly pick up the scent.

I think there is rescue group on google as well and may see if they've
encountered this situation with one of their feral colonies. It's so
disheartening when one disappears. I miss seeing Brutus so much.

Sheri

Thanks for everyone's input. I do know that one cat I thought was
impossible to trap went for the popcorn Kentucky Fried Chicken (no
bones).

I may try some heated mackerel as well. I can imagine that would send
out a major odor. I don't mind if a possum eats it, just so it sits
long enough for Brutus to possibly pick up the scent.

I think there is rescue group on google as well and may see if they've
encountered this situation with one of their feral colonies. It's so
disheartening when one disappears. I miss seeing Brutus so much.

Sheri

"Sheri" wrote in message
...
Thanks for everyone's input. I do know that one cat I thought was
impossible to trap went for the popcorn Kentucky Fried Chicken (no
bones).

Actually, I had a vet tell me the KFC bones were good for cats - they're
pressure cooked in oil, making the bones soft, so most unlikely to damage
them on the way down. And they help the cats clean their teeth.

My cats don't get KFC all that often (about once a year, when I need to
remind myself why I don't have it all that often!) but when they do, I don't
worry about the bones at all.