Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Queries and discussions about cat rescue & rehoming
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NannyOgg
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Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by NannyOgg »

Hi, Long-term lurker here, now signed up and hoping for some advice. I live on the edge of a village so deal periodically with cats that people fling out of cars, that decide to strike out on their own, some that are part of a fairly active feral community and lots of neighbourhood visitors who are just passing through. (My rescue boy hates them all equally.) In any case, over the winter I have seen a fluffy black & white cat coming under the fence on occasion and assumed that s/he belonged to a family down the street. However I'm not so sure of that any more.

I'm treating a fox with mange and recently put up a night vision camera. I now see that the cat is around all night. For the past couple of weeks the cat has taken to sitting under the hedge when I put out the fox food, constantly mewing loudly and pathetically, but wouldn't come near me. I finally enticed the cat out a couple of days ago and can now see that s/he is in dreadful condition. There's a huge mat of fur hanging down from one cheek and an awful cataract covering the cat's right eye. Every noise makes the cat crouch or run, like it has been seriously traumatised.

I've fed the cat and managed to get it to trust me a little bit and a couple of nights ago I set it up in the conservatory where I usually house strays until they can be taken to the vet. This cat is nowhere near me being able to use my chip reader on it or see what sex it is, let alone get it in a travelling box.

When I fed it in the morning it started rubbing around my hands and legs, though there was the odd hissing. I didn't think much of it and sat in a chair and talked to the cat to see if it would calm it and make friends. It rubbed around my legs and everything seemed to be going well. The next time I went to see it it seemed to be getting almost a bit manic and then it started rubbing and spitting and rubbing and hissing. Then it tried to sink its teeth into me. I left it alone for a few hours. When I went out to change its food, the same thing. It grabbed the food dish trying to get to my hands, bit me, scratched me, growled, etc. I didn't put my hand anywhere near the cat and an outside door was open at all times so it could escape if it felt threatened.

I guess you will get the idea. It's sort of like a rapid cycling Jekyll and Hyde cat. It desperately wants to rub around my legs, but every time it does it starts this quite hyper rubbing and then spits, hisses, bites and scratches.

I feel terrible, but I cannot have it in my house while it acts like that. I can't even go out to feed the birds without leather gardening gloves on because it goes for me. I can't think of anything I've done to provoke it and have never seen this type of behaviour in any cat before, which I why I am asking for your help.

I've ordered a Mr Snugs, but I don't think that's a long term solution. I feel very sorry for the cat because it needs to see a vet and be taken care of, but at this point it is a dangerous animal.

Does anyone have any similar experience or any advice about how I can manage the situation with this poor cat?

Thanks in advance & apols for the length of this missive.
Nanny Ogg
booktigger
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by booktigger »

I'd contact your local Cats Protection for them to trap him, he could be lashing out in pain,
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Kay
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by Kay »

I agree - clearly this cat has been through some prolonged trauma, whether physical, mental or both - it could just be a reaction to food, as it would have found it very difficult coping through the winter given its partial blindness and poor condition, and may have learned to make itself really frightening to ward off competition from other cats

good luck with him or her - at least regular food and shelter will cater for its immediate needs - and you sound like a very caring person up for a challenge
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by Lilith »

Hi and welcome, and agree with Booktigger and Kay - this is one needy cat and good on you for all your concern and with the others too :)

What cat rescue I've been involved in has been totally accidental and amateurish but I have come across this sort of love-hate fear biting and attacking, although not to such an extreme. In some cases it does improve with care and trust but yes, i'd definitely ask for help with trapping as a lot of the hostility could be caused by pain and vet attention's badly needed - poor cat!

One of mine, my lovely Finn (sadly departed now) was very hostile and wild; he was a full tom, in middle age, with horrendous inflamed raw patches behind his ears and a running abscess on his backside. A cat charity (who will remain nameless) assured me they'd come out and trap and neuter him for me (I'd said I'd take responsibility for him in the future but couldn't get near him.) They didn't. But as they'd been involved with the feral colony in my neighbourhood and neutered the 3 girls who moved in with me for free, I can't really complain. Finny was hungry so he hung about for his grub; I trained him to take titbits out of a large cat carrier. One day he went in there for a scrap of tuna - and was straight off to the vet, by prior arrangement. Neutered and cleaned up, I thought he'd never speak to me again. He moved in and turned into a golden Labrador. Loved everybody. He was an unusual case but as you've probably found out, a bit of care works wonders.

I do hope you have some luck getting help for this cat, all the very best and all power to you - please let us know how you go on x
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NannyOgg
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by NannyOgg »

Thank you all for your very sensible replies. I bit the bullet and have purchased a Havaheart trap - I'd been putting it off anyway. It should be here tomorrow and I will make arrangements with my vet to get the kitty there. In the meantime s/he is back in the conservatory on a vet bed in a comfy chair. I'm keeping it very low key and not approaching him/her directly. I think we'll leave the friendship bit for now and take everything very calmly and slowly.

I'll let you know how things turn out.

Lilith - I've had a similar experience with a seriously disabled cat with congenital arthritis that turned up starving in my greenhouse when I returned from holiday. Once sure of his food source, his distress turned out to be mainly due to not being neutered and also not able to move around terribly well. He would go scatty before he went to the vet and sunk his teeth into my leg several times. Once "done" he refused to leave the house, though he never made it to lap cat status. The change in him was almost instant. Poor Jack, sadly departed also, but at least he had a few good months.

Nanny Ogg x
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bobbys girl
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by bobbys girl »

It was the same story with my darling Tommy (RIP). In his case I borrowed a trap from our local vet, who works with a local animal shelter to cover neutering and emergency treatment for strays.

He was wild when he first turned up, but after treatment for a cut on his head that had gone 'bad' and neutering, he became a total cuddle bunny.

Thank you for what you are doing for this kitty. I have to add - are you going to call him Greebo? :lol: I'm a BIG disc world fan. Nanny Ogg is one of my favourite characters. Nanny, Granny Wetherwax and Lady Sybil.
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NannyOgg
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by NannyOgg »

Hi all

Thought you might be interested in an update about this aggressive little stray/feral cat. As it turned out I couldn't get the cat into the HavaHeart trap so I bought what I now call my "cat wrangling gloves". I can't tell you how excellent these things are. They have a heavy suede gauntlet that goes up to my elbow, but are very soft leather in the hand so give a very natural touch sensation. I spent most of April working on getting the cat more familiar with being handled. I got a brush and started a grooming routine. We had a lot of biting and scratching the gloves, but eventually got to a point where I could pop the cat into a box and we went to the vet.

Although the cat behaves like a queen, it turns out he's a neutered tom - so Greebo could have been right, but by then he was Quinn so we kept that. (husband didn't like Greebo anyway) Sadly Quinn's cataract is actually from an accident and so inoperable. He also has a broken canine on the same side as the bad eye so he may have been flung from a car or been clipped by one before he came here. He's basically healthy though. He's now had his vaccinations, been wormed and flea-treated and is registered with my vet. We'll keep an eye on the tooth and I'll try to tease through the matted fur so Quinn doesn't have to be anaesthetised, though that's on offer if I can't get it sorted.

Quinn still has an active dislike of my husband (hisses and runs) and generally runs from anyone except me, though he was fine at the vet and that was the only time my husband has been able to get anywhere near him. He still nips and bats at me, but not in a really aggressive way like previously. He's started purring in the last couple of days and he loves all the toys we have around. He'd play 24/7, though he gets frightened if we try to play with him. He also loves being groomed so I'm working on the fur mats. Even my long term resident cat seems OK with him. I'm amazed that my other cat tolerates Quinn so well. My old boy generally hates any cat that tries to infiltrate his territory.

Quinn's made huge strides in the past month, though there's still a way to go. Fingers crossed it all continues.

Thanks for all your help.
Best wishes
Jeri
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by booktigger »

So pleased he is doing well
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Lilith
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by Lilith »

Aww, bless him, that's great news and congrats :D
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Kay
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by Kay »

lovely update - and interesting that your old boy is tolerant of Quinn - I wonder if that is because Quinn was already neutered, and not giving off any worrying testosterone vibes
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bobbys girl
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Re: Stray/Feral Advice Sought

Post by bobbys girl »

Thanks for updating us, that's great news! Keep up the good work. :D
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