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#1
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domesticated stray vs. feral cat?
Hi. I have been feeding a stray cat for about 2 months. Since he/she comes
around only at night, I haven't had any interaction with him--just glimpses of him through the window as he runs away. All I know is that he has no collar and eats all the food I put out every night. Now that the weather has turned colder, I want to trap him and adopt him if he'd like a new home with me. My question is how can I tell if it's a feral cat or a domesticated cat who is lost or abandoned? I had assumed it was just a stray since my last two cats were rescued strays who turned out to be wonderful, sociable cats (I didn't do the rescuing, just the adopting). There aren't a lot of outside cats in my neighborhood and I certainly haven't heard of a feral cat population in my neighborhood. I would expect even a stray cat to be fearful at first and I was planning on bringing him in my home, and letting it get used to being inside by isolating him in a room by himself with food and water for a day or two and then slowly getting him used to me before taking him to the vet for a check-up and a scan for a microchip (in case he is just lost). However, I've been reading online about ferel cats and how they should not be released from the trap but taken immediately to a vet for evaluation. Now I'm starting to worry if I do let him out of the trap and he turns out to be feral, I'll never get him back in the trap a second time. If he does turn out to be feral, I'm prepared to get him neutered and then release him back outside and continue to feed him. So as soon as he is trapped, is there a way for me to tell if he's feral or should I just assume that? Any comments or advice on what I should do would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Kathy. |
#2
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Ktyhpl wrote:
[snip] If he does turn out to be feral, I'm prepared to get him neutered and then release him back outside and continue to feed him. So as soon as he is trapped, is there a way for me to tell if he's feral or should I just assume that? I'd test him out before trapping him -- see if you can entice him closer to you (nice stinky food is useful for this), see how he reacts to you while he's still free to make choices. If he shows signs of warming up to you, he may be a stray or socializable. If not, you may need to just neuter and release him for this winter at least. Priscilla |
#3
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It's not always possible to tell, without bringing the animal inside and getting acquainted. Some of the sweetest cats "feral" we've rescued were discovered to be tame after they had been caged for a while (the two I have in mind were both injured and required cage rest). Other guys we thought were abandoned pets let us know that they were born to be wild. In your place, I would trap him, take him straight to the vet for checkup, shots and surgery and then isolate him from your cats for at least 2 weeks (to rule out impending illness/contagion) and wait and see. With just a little time a patience, he may own up to being tame or just may decide to at least give domestication a chance. Even if he is feral, he may be a sweetie with your indoor cats and will make a nice under-the-bed house feral. Be sure to combo-test him for FIV/FeLV; toms are likely carriers. If he tests positive, have a talk with your vet about how to proceed. There are lots of articles out there on socializing a cat. Mine is "Taming the Tiger," posted to the Campus Cats website. Good luck with this guy. Good for you, giving him a chance. Sharon Talbert Friends of Campus Cats www.campuscats.org |
#4
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On 21 Dec 2004 06:00:34 GMT, Ktyhpl wrote:
/snip/ I would expect even a stray cat to be fearful at first and I was planning on bringing him in my home, and letting it get used to being inside by isolating him in a room by himself with food and water for a day or two and then slowly getting him used to me before taking him to the vet for a check-up and a scan for a microchip (in case he is just lost). I wonder how portable the microchip scanner is. Something that could save everyone stress might be to borrow a microchip scanner from your vet or from some rescue operation. You could move the food to somewhere in your garage where you could be out of his sight but nearby with the scanner. If by chance he has a chip and you can contact the owner, they can come and get him themselves. It might take a week or so to get him used to coming to the new food place; then you could get the scanner. Margaret who also wonders how much a scanner costs, and would be considering buying one and then donating it to some worthy organization afterwards |
#5
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On 2005-01-04, Margaret penned:
I wonder how portable the microchip scanner is. Something that could save everyone stress might be to borrow a microchip scanner from your vet or from some rescue operation. You could move the food to somewhere in your garage where you could be out of his sight but nearby with the scanner. If by chance he has a chip and you can contact the owner, they can come and get him themselves. It might take a week or so to get him used to coming to the new food place; then you could get the scanner. Margaret who also wonders how much a scanner costs, and would be considering buying one and then donating it to some worthy organization afterwards I've seen the scanners used; they're pretty portable. If the wish list of my local shelter is to be believed, a scanner is about $250. My understanding is that there are three different types of chips. A scanner for one type can't read the numbers of the other types, but can tell that they're present. I don't know if a scanner that checks all types exists. -- monique, roommate of Oscar the (female) grouch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Eros was adopted! Eros has a home now! *cheer!* |
#6
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On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 11:51:01 -0700, Monique Y. Mudama wrote:
On 2005-01-04, Margaret penned: I wonder how portable the microchip scanner is. Something that could save everyone stress might be to borrow a microchip scanner from your vet or from some rescue operation. /snip/ Margaret who also wonders how much a scanner costs, and would be considering buying one and then donating it to some worthy organization afterwards I've seen the scanners used; they're pretty portable. If the wish list of my local shelter is to be believed, a scanner is about $250. My understanding is that there are three different types of chips. A scanner for one type can't read the numbers of the other types, but can tell that they're present. Well, that would be the major piece of information needed here! If there's a chip in there, then it would be worth trapping him and taking him straight to the vet to get it read. Or maybe borrowing a different scanner or two, if that were easier than trapping. Margaret |
#7
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Most vets have a chip scanner in-house. Our vet always checks for chips when we find a possible "stray." Sharon Talbert Campus Cats On Wed, 5 Jan 2005, Margaret wrote: On Tue, 4 Jan 2005 11:51:01 -0700, Monique Y. Mudama wrote: On 2005-01-04, Margaret penned: I wonder how portable the microchip scanner is. Something that could save everyone stress might be to borrow a microchip scanner from your vet or from some rescue operation. /snip/ Margaret who also wonders how much a scanner costs, and would be considering buying one and then donating it to some worthy organization afterwards I've seen the scanners used; they're pretty portable. If the wish list of my local shelter is to be believed, a scanner is about $250. My understanding is that there are three different types of chips. A scanner for one type can't read the numbers of the other types, but can tell that they're present. Well, that would be the major piece of information needed here! If there's a chip in there, then it would be worth trapping him and taking him straight to the vet to get it read. Or maybe borrowing a different scanner or two, if that were easier than trapping. Margaret |
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