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I'm going to be completely honest, in that I'm not a fan of cats. The most I've ever been around them is at the vet's office, and even then it's usually just a legless one laying on the desk and looking at me. I live in a very rural area, and my closest neighbors aren't for several miles, at least. In fact, I'm not even sure where the closest non-farm house is around here. You'll occasionally see feral cats around here, and I've always assumed that they live on the nearby farms, since I've seen the same half-dozen or so sporadically through the years. But they stay far away from people. So a few weeks ago, I'm outside and this gray cat comes running straight at me meowing, and gets all rubby against my legs. I spent a good 15 minutes petting it, after I figured out that petting it like a dog makes him swipe at you with his nails. Since then, I can barely go outside without him coming and finding me. I'm on a dozen and a half acres with a number of barns and such, and I'm pretty sure he's living in one of those, because he's always here. Since I'm a sucker, about a week ago I started buying those little cans of cat food, and have been feeding him a couple of times a day. My worry, though, is that I'm doing more harm than good. I really don't intend on letting him move in, but if he wants to make a home on my land and get fed and rubbed on forever, I'm game. Is this a horrible existence for a cat, that I'm making him live by feeding him and keeping him around? Also, he doesn't have a tail. Is that OK? If you guys tell me it's OK to keep feeding him, I was going to take him to my vet and get him neutered, but is there something else I need to do? When I got my dog neutered, he turned fey. Am I going to make him unable to fend for himself if I do get him fixed? I've been giving him a can and a half of food a day, is that a good amount? He won't eat fish-flavored cans, which is amazing to me that a homeless and destitute cat will turn his nose up at a plate of food. I saw him eating a mole on my back deck the other day so I'm not sure where he gets off. Finally, is there a good way to figure out if he's a boy or a girl? When I rub his tummy I don't feel anything, but he's got three dark spots of fur right where beans and a frank should be. Here's some pictures of him:  
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Mar 26, 2010 03:54
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hehe, you and your lack of cat knowledge is adorable. I always think it's super cute when someone who doesn't like cats gets all gooey over one. It's fine that he doesn't have a tail, lots of cats don't. If he's a stray, you aren't really harming him by feeding him. It would be great if he could find a permanent home though since he's obviously not feral. Are you sure he's a stray? Some cats are really friendly and piggy and will charm the neighbors out of a tin of food and then go home and eat more. You can always buy him a collar and pin a note on him inquiring if he has an owner and if so, please give you a call. If you want to have him neutered (or spayed if it's a girl) you will need to keep him inside for a couple days while he heals up. Here is a little guide on how to sex a kitty (it's a .pdf) You can also just google 'how to determine a cats sex' or something of the sort for other guides. It's possible that he's already been neutered. Since he's so friendly, if he's not currently owned by someone, he was someones pet in the past. Neutering wont make him go fey, it's rare that an animal will have that much of a personality change. You are doing him a huge service (as well as the pet population) by neutering him, but try to make sure he doesn't have an owner first. You should try to find him a home if you can. If you don't know anyone personally, you can go to https://www.petfinder.com and search for cats in your area then contact some of the shelters that are listed for those cats. Let them know what the situation is and that you can maybe help foster him until a new home is found. How come you can't keep him? 
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Mar 26, 2010 04:37
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I really don't think he's a neighbor's cat, unless he's made it a long way from home. I probably under-emphasized just how rural I am. I truly don't have neighbors for miles. In fact, in the years I've lived here, I've only seen one car go down my road that wasn't coming to my house. Sometimes I still wonder where that car was going. I wouldn't have too much of a problem with him coming inside, but I'm worried about my dogs. I've got pugs, and my youngest lost sight in her left eye a year ago after playing with a jack russell pup who liked to swipe his paws. I'm worried that someone will lose an eye; they're so buggy. And I've been around here long enough to know that taking their claws off is a really bad thing.
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Mar 26, 2010 04:49
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criscodisco posted:I wouldn't have too much of a problem with him coming inside, but I'm worried about my dogs. I've got pugs, and my youngest lost sight in her left eye a year ago after playing with a jack russell pup who liked to swipe his paws. I'm worried that someone will lose an eye; they're so buggy. And I've been around here long enough to know that taking their claws off is a really bad thing. That's a reasonable concern, but I'd check out a supervised interaction between your dogs and the cat before deciding this. If they mostly ignore each other, I'd just trim his claws pretty often and leave them in different rooms when you go out.
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Mar 26, 2010 04:54
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See, I had thought about that, but I'm kind of scared. My youngest (the one with only one seeing eye) always barks at the cat. Unless it's raining, the cat now spends from dusk 'til dawn sleeping on the furniture on my back deck. The dogs never minded the cat, but one day my youngest noticed that I was putting something onto one of her plates. Then she saw me take it outside and give it to the cat, and ever since she barks at the cat whenever it's out there. She's all bark and no bite, but I'm afraid she'll freak the cat out if it comes in here and she keeps barking at it. Sometimes when I go out to feed it my male comes with me, and they just act as if the other is not there. In fact, sometimes when my male or my older female (I've got three) is sitting against the sliding glass door, the car will press against the glass on the other side like it's trying to rub up against them. And then it always seems surprised that it's glass and not fur in front of it. I know I asked once already but it was buried in a lot of questions; assuming that the cat isn't getting fed elsewhere, is 1 and a half cans of food appropriate? I just arbitrarily came up with that amount so I want to make sure I'm not over/under feeding it. Especially since it seems to bring animals up on the deck to eat from time to time. Is it bad to give it heavy cream? I only did it twice, but it super-loved it. I know it's always said that cats love cream but I wanted to make sure it was OK.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:04
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If you are concerned about wildlife at all, get as many feral cats as possible off your property. They'll completely wipe out all your native birds. Maybe I'm out of line here, but where I'm from we shoot feral cats on sight. Indoor cats are fine but cats really are the bane of wildlife throughout the nation. In my opinion, we should be more concerned about saving out native species which are in decline than saving overpopulated feral cats.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:15
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razz posted:If you are concerned about wildlife at all, get as many feral cats as possible off your property. They'll completely wipe out all your native birds. Yeah, I'm going to say you're out of line. There are much more humane ways of dealing with cats than loving shooting them.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:20
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razz posted:If you are concerned about wildlife at all, get as many feral cats as possible off your property. They'll completely wipe out all your native birds. He's the only one. Like I said, I've seen the same handful over the years, but honestly it's something along the lines of seeing them twice a year or so, but a few of them are memorable looking enough that I remember them. Not that it's done much good, but I've tried (in a way) to deter exactly what you're talking about. For years I've fed birds here, but since my birdfeeders all were near the house I got worried once he started hanging out. I moved all the birdfeeders to the other side of the property (which they had no problem finding). Thankfully, he's quite visible laying around all day on the deck, so they've stopped hanging out here. I haven't noticed any missing birds, but I'm sure I wouldn't. I do know that I've got two cardinal couples (4 birds total), 3 blue jays, a mated pair of canaries (I'm pretty sure), and 7 birds that are all light gray with huge huge black eyes. Plus two woodpeckers (one big with a red head and one small black one with a red patch on his head and white checkerboards on the tips of his wings. Those birds have been here for years, and are all still around. criscodisco fucked around with this message at 07:00 on Mar 26, 2010 |
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Mar 26, 2010 05:23
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criscodisco posted:I know I asked once already but it was buried in a lot of questions; assuming that the cat isn't getting fed elsewhere, is 1 and a half cans of food appropriate? I just arbitrarily came up with that amount so I want to make sure I'm not over/under feeding it. Especially since it seems to bring animals up on the deck to eat from time to time. What does it say on the can? Cat foods aren't all the same by volume (and cans aren't all the same size). Lots of adult cats are lactose intolerant, but cream has less lactose than milk. If it's a small amount as an occasional treat it probably won't do too much harm.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:31
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razz posted:If you are concerned about wildlife at all, get as many feral cats as possible off your property. They'll completely wipe out all your native birds. Australia? Edit: Okay, your profile says Kansas. I know that feral cats damage the wildlife population, but for some reason whenever I think of it I think Australia and New Zealand rather than here in the states. Tasty_Crayon fucked around with this message at 05:36 on Mar 26, 2010 |
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Mar 26, 2010 05:31
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Engineer Lenk posted:What does it say on the can? Cat foods aren't all the same by volume (and cans aren't all the same size). As far as portions, the can only says "Feed according to cat's size, age and activity level, up to two cans daily per 6-8 pounds of animal weight" That doesn't help because he seems a bit small compared to other cats I've seen but I still really don't know. The cream was just a bit in the bottom of a ramekin, but he acted like it was liquid crack. Honestly, I tried to do some math when I first fed him, thinking, "well, he probably gets 2 or 3 mice a day. This looks like about the right amount of meat on 2 or 3 mice." But I'm an idiot, so don't mind me.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:36
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razz posted:If you are concerned about wildlife at all, get as many feral cats as possible off your property. They'll completely wipe out all your native birds. Is the feral cat population so bad you need to shoot them? I mean, birds can fly and cats can't, so if the bird population is that affected you must have hundreds of cats running around.
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Mar 26, 2010 05:52
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criscodisco posted:I really don't think he's a neighbor's cat, unless he's made it a long way from home. He was probably dumped out there.
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Mar 26, 2010 06:45
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ARTAAAAX!! posted:He was probably dumped out there. Jesus Christ, really? Why on earth would someone do that? Maybe I'm naive, but do people really just decide one day to drive their pet in the middle of nowhere and just leave them? How would that be (emotionally) easier than driving them to the shelter? It might just be me, but even if I thought they would likely euthanize the pet, I would have a much easier time living with myself than just putting the animal in the middle of nowhere waiting for it to get eaten by wildlife. Does that really make someone sleep easier?
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Mar 26, 2010 06:52
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criscodisco posted:I wouldn't have too much of a problem with him coming inside, but I'm worried about my dogs. I've got pugs, and my youngest lost sight in her left eye a year ago after playing with a jack russell pup who liked to swipe his paws. I'm worried that someone will lose an eye; they're so buggy. And I've been around here long enough to know that taking their claws off is a really bad thing. That's a totally valid concern, however I've known many people with both cats and pugs and everyone retained their eyeballs. There are also things you can do to make sure the cat can't hurt the dogs, like keeping it's nails trimmed (it's easy to do yourself) as well as putting something like https://www.softpaws.com on them. If the cat is really loving, chances are it's just going to either ignore the dogs or want to cuddle. If one of the dogs chase the cat, more often than not it will just jump up on something out of the dogs reach. My cat's play and paw at my dog but they don't have their claws out when they do it. I think as long as you used softpaws or kept the claws trimmed and teach the barky dog boundaries when it comes to the cat you should be fine. criscodisco posted:See, I had thought about that, but I'm kind of scared. My youngest (the one with only one seeing eye) always barks at the cat. Unless it's raining, the cat now spends from dusk 'til dawn sleeping on the furniture on my back deck. The dogs never minded the cat, but one day my youngest noticed that I was putting something onto one of her plates. Get a cat tree and/or make sure the cat has some place up high to jump up on. It's possible once the dog recognizes the at more than just some random cat from outside it will stop barking. You might also have to train the dog a bit of manners around the cat but I don't think it will be as big of an issue as you think it might be. Anytime you introduce a new animal it takes a little bit of adjusting and getting used to the new pet for everyone and then it usually settles down. The only way you'll really know is if you try. It already sounds like a better situation than a lot of people introduce pets into. criscodisco posted:I know I asked once already but it was buried in a lot of questions; assuming that the cat isn't getting fed elsewhere, is 1 and a half cans of food appropriate? I just arbitrarily came up with that amount so I want to make sure I'm not over/under feeding it. Especially since it seems to bring animals up on the deck to eat from time to time. A lot of the suggesting feeding portions on the can/bag will over shoot it, it's away for them to get you to buy more cat food. The higher quality the cat food, the less you have to feed. I feed Wellness from petco, the 5.5 cans once a day. Since this is still technically a stray, whatever you are feeding is fine as it's more than he'd be getting anywhere else. If he's not a piggy you can always try free feeding him, get some dry kibble and just leave a bowl of it out. Purina One isn't the best quality food, but it's the best you can get at a regular old grocery store and isn't horrible. It's around $8 a bag so it wont break your wallet while you're deciding what to do with him. Citizen Z posted:Yeah, I'm going to say you're out of line. There are much more humane ways of dealing with cats than loving shooting them. Agreed. Not only is it cruel and illegal, it's very ineffective. The strays there are marking territory and keeping other strays out. You kill the strays you have, and new strays move in. The only real way to make a dent in the over population problem is to trap and release. That way they both keep other strays out and are unable to reproduce. beatlegs posted:Is the feral cat population so bad you need to shoot them? I mean, birds can fly and cats can't, so if the bird population is that affected you must have hundreds of cats running around. It's actually a pretty big problem all over the US and one of the biggest reasons people need to keep their pets inside. That along with the dangers to the cat, however people pooh pooh the fact native wildlife is being harmed or just don't care. criscodisco posted:Jesus Christ, really? Why on earth would someone do that? Yes, people do it all the time. People are assholes. A lot of people don't look at animals and pets and living creatures they are responsible for because they decided to buy/adopt them. They view them as 'things' and when you are tired of a thing you throw it away. Lots of people drive out into the country or woods and drop a cat out the door and drive off. Or when they move, they just pack up everything but the cat or dog and leave it behind. There are also the few really stupid people that think a cat will survive just fine in the wild, not realizing that while yes a cat will hunt a kill a mouse, it's still a domesticated animal and will more than likely die on their own from either disease, starvation/dehydration or predators. Some people also think because an animal has fur it's therefore impervious to the cold.  All these scum bags unfortunately sleep just fine at night. I think you should give it a try letting him inside. Understand there maybe some adjusting the animals do as they get used to each other and usually it's best to let them sort it out. It's the way they learn each others boundries. Give kitty somewhere up high he can escape too if the one dog gets barky. Watch them if they play and the kitty swipes to see if it's claws are out or not. Try to trim his nails, wait until he's sleepy and take a regular set of nail clippers and turn them on their side and clip the tips off the nail, avoiding the pink quick. Bribing with treats helps when you do this. If one of the dogs wants to chase or bark at the kitty, get some treats and anytime they are quiet or gently sniff the kitty give the dog a treat and some praise. There is lots more advice we can give you as you go along and if specific things pop up. If all else fails and you need to rehome the kitty, contact the people at https://www.petfinder.com and they should help you out if you can keep the kitty for awhile while they accept applications.
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Mar 26, 2010 08:10
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Wow, that's a load of great info, so thanks! I am probably overly concerned about the eyeballs in this house, but the thing with my youngest just happened so quick and I still blame myself. They were just playing around and she didn't even yip or stop playing but later that night I saw her eye was kind of bloodshot but I didn't think much of it. I regret that all the freaking time. By morning it wasn't bloodshot and she wasn't acting as if anything was wrong. Then about a week later she looked at me and the light hit her eye and I realized it was starting to fog over and by then it was too late, according to the vet. I'm so scared something easy will happen again and I'll have a blind dog. But I think you're convincing me to at least give this a try. Now I have to convince my partner. He feels the same about cats as I always have. He's got loads of stuff to get up on around here, but I've never seen him jump outside. Is it possible he can't? He does get up in the tree by my deck just fine, though. It's funny, too, because it's one of those that splits right at the root, and he comes down between the split head-first like it's nothing. Plus my pugs are small for pugs, and can't even jump up on the couch on their own, so he'll have the advantage. Also, they're wildly unaggressive. My youngest is just a barker and I thought maybe the cat would be mad about her barking at it and go down for a swipe. I had thought about leaving dry food outside, but I'm worried about other animals coming around. When I feed him the wet, I sit by the bowl petting him while he eats until it's gone, so that there's no food sitting out there unattended. One more thing; when I'm really loving on him, he sticks his front legs straight out, and it looks like the equivalent of stretching your fingers apart, while making his claws poke out all the way. That's a good thing, right? The first time he did it I pulled back thinking it was some sort of priming move before the attack, but he does it all the time.
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Mar 26, 2010 08:33
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criscodisco posted:One more thing; when I'm really loving on him, he sticks his front legs straight out, and it looks like the equivalent of stretching your fingers apart, while making his claws poke out all the way. That's a good thing, right? The first time he did it I pulled back thinking it was some sort of priming move before the attack, but he does it all the time. That's kneading, if the cat does it with both paws alternating and seems content. It's usually accompanied by purring. Kittens do it when they nurse to stimulate the milk flow, and it is thought that as adults they continue because they associate it with comfort. Some people call it "making biscuits." 
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Mar 26, 2010 08:53
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criscodisco posted:I am probably overly concerned about the eyeballs in this house, but the thing with my youngest just happened so quick and I still blame myself. They were just playing around and she didn't even yip or stop playing but later that night I saw her eye was kind of bloodshot but I didn't think much of it. I regret that all the freaking time. It's a completely valid and reasonable concern so don't feel bad about worrying. Definitely supervise them when they are together and at least at first keep the kitty in your bedroom when you are away so they can't get at each other. Even the bathroom is fine as long as his box, food and maybe a blanket/cat bed is there for him to sleep on. criscodisco posted:But I think you're convincing me to at least give this a try. Now I have to convince my partner. He feels the same about cats as I always have. Yay! I think it's great you are giving the little guy a chance. criscodisco posted:He's got loads of stuff to get up on around here, but I've never seen him jump outside. Is it possible he can't? He does get up in the tree by my deck just fine, though. It's funny, too, because it's one of those that splits right at the root, and he comes down between the split head-first like it's nothing. If things work out and you want to drop a little bit of money, I'd suggest investing in one of these cat trees: https://www.armarkat.com They ship free anywhere in the US and are amazing for their money. You can get one taller than you for the same price of one that comes up to your knees in Petco. I'm sure he can jump, most cats like vertical space over lots of horizontal space so even if he's not an adept jumper he'll find away to get up. Those cat trees have sisal rope around them that are good for clawing and pulling themselves up with like a tree trunk. If for some bizarre reason he doesn't jump, they also have little pet stairs you can by for cheap to help him out. criscodisco posted:My youngest is just a barker and I thought maybe the cat would be mad about her barking at it and go down for a swipe. Naw, a cat more than likely wont go swipe or attack a dog just for barking. Unless the dog is actively chasing him or getting in his face he'll probably just not pay attention. Cats have this amazing, supernatural ability to ignore things. Usually you when you are wanting it to do something.  My cat will suddenly go deaf when I call it's name and it's trying to take a nap.Do remember though that sometimes when animals play it looks rough, and swatting/batting is normal playful behavior with cats so it's important to watch both animals body language to tell if it's playing or fighting. Usually when cats play fight and swat they don't extend their claws but keep an eye on them to make sure. And like we previously talked about trim the nails and/or use Soft Paws. If you can't get them on yourself, a vet will do it for you. Mine only charges $10-$15. If they get grumpy and get into a tussle the best way to deal with it is to get a can of pennies and shake it. The loud noise will send the cat running in the other direction. That way you don't have to stick your hands in the middle of it. Just make sure to be there so the dog doesn't then chase the cat. You can also get a water bottle and squirt them to get their attention and stop them. If I have a moment of worrying about my pets, if I just say their names in a bit of a raised voice they'll stop in same position they were 'fighting' in and give me this 'what?' look before resuming their battle. That way I know it's nothing serious, if it's more of a real fight they'll keep going and I know I need to step in. You'll get used to their habits and interactions as time goes on. Now I know that even though it sounds like WWIII in my house they are just goofing off, before I learned how they acted around each other I was a nervous wreck. It took them about a month before everyone got to know each other, each others boundaries and the pecking order in the house. Then everything settled down, but like I said, you already seem to be steps ahead with them getting along. criscodisco posted:I had thought about leaving dry food outside, but I'm worried about other animals coming around. When I feed him the wet, I sit by the bowl petting him while he eats until it's gone, so that there's no food sitting out there unattended. Since you are taking him in and making him yours, you can always start free feeding him inside. If you've got somewhere he can get up on so you can keep the food away from the dogs. I have a smaller, old tv stand we use. Since you live in the US you might want to see how he takes to staying inside all the time as it's safer. How many predators do you have around your area? If you have lots of space you can make an outdoor cat area with netting for pretty cheap too. criscodisco posted:One more thing; when I'm really loving on him, he sticks his front legs straight out, and it looks like the equivalent of stretching your fingers apart, while making his claws poke out all the way. That's a good thing, right? The first time he did it I pulled back thinking it was some sort of priming move before the attack, but he does it all the time. Oh yeah, you're hittin' the good spot. It's like when you have an itch between your shoulder blades and someone finally scratches it for you and you curl you're shoulders forward and are all "aahhh". Sometimes my cat will really get going and kneading like crazy on my bare leg and I don't have the heart to stop because they look so happy, content and comfortable.
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Mar 26, 2010 09:11
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Well now I'm going to have to spend the weekend convincing my partner that letting him move in. As it is now, occasionally he'll say "Hey your friend is outside looking in the windows for you" then roll his eyes because he knows I'm a sucker. I'm pretty sure he knows deep down that this was only a matter of time once I started feeding him. As far as predators, there are lots of foxes and occasionally wolves 'round here. I can't think of much else that would go after a cat. If he's been a wild kitty his whole life, would he be able to be happy living inside all the time? I'm happy to hear that kitty won't likely go after Runt. Runt doesn't really run and can't jump, so I don't have to worry about her going after kitty. She was born with hip displacement problems, and obviously at this point she's had the surgery years ago and all is well, but I think since she was a puppy, she just never really learned to run or jump. She just sort of trots. Keep your fingers crossed that I'll have my partner convinced by the time the weekend is over.
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Mar 26, 2010 13:00
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If you want leverage, tell your partner that he can name the cat, and then gently suggest "Supernintendo Chalmers". Also you are a good person thank you for feeding the kitty.
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Mar 26, 2010 13:49
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criscodisco posted:Also, he doesn't have a tail. Is that OK? Not having a tail is fine - it's just a sign of the stupid in cats:  I hope you can keep him - they're awesome cats even if they are kind of thick (or maybe it's just mine). Also they sometimes walk funny and fall on their asses.
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Mar 26, 2010 13:57
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quote:Maybe I'm naive, but do people really just decide one day to drive their pet in the middle of nowhere and just leave them? How would that be (emotionally) easier than driving them to the shelter? You have barns. People have this moronic belief that farmers are just dying to have cats living in their barns to kill the mice. They're doing you and the cat a service. I grew up near a few dairy farms where you could add in "plus they'll live off milk from the cows."
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Mar 26, 2010 14:46
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Congrats on your bob-tail or manx kitten cat. Hey I just found out there's a Cape Breton breed of bobtail cat? "The Cape Breton Bobtail is a local strain of Manx-type cats found on islands at the south end of Cape Breton, Nova Scotia" .. neat.
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Mar 26, 2010 15:20
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Here's a pretty good video on how cats play fight (with a dog even!) so if you see this at all? Don't be concerned  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd3mBC6PXxk Here's a video of two cats fighting. If your cat starts to puff up and make sounds like this, be concerned! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hF0P5hS6DHo Your cat is adorable, good luck on convincing your partner!
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Mar 26, 2010 15:30
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Sounds like you got adoptedcriscodisco posted:I'm not a fan of cats. I wouldn't sweat it too much, just compare the life the cat would have had if you were doing nothing. Also, grey/silver tabbies are the best cats everyone knows this. Keep us posted on what you decide to do, either way, and post more pictures. Can't ever get enough pictures of a grey tabby.
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Mar 26, 2010 15:46
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Susan Calvin posted:If you want leverage, tell your partner that he can name the cat, and then gently suggest "Supernintendo Chalmers". Congratulations, you have named my second-next pet. (The first-next one is going to be named Hercules Rockefeller) This thread is so cute.
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Mar 26, 2010 15:52
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Based on my limited cat experience, your He looks like a She. I thought male cats (especially intact toms) tended to have larger heads. He/she is a beautiful cat, and I hope you keep him around!
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Mar 26, 2010 16:18
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a life less posted:Based on my limited cat experience, your He looks like a She. I thought male cats (especially intact toms) tended to have larger heads. He/she is a beautiful cat, and I hope you keep him around! If it's an intact tom, I'm pretty sure even someone who's never seen a cat before would be able to tell the first time they saw it walk away from them.
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Mar 26, 2010 16:47
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That cat owns. Yeah, definitely don't just leave food outside or you'll get lots of raccoon and possum friends in addition to your kitty friend. On our old farm my mom fed the barn cats and the raccoons would just circle around in the shadows until my mom had left and the cats were done.
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Mar 26, 2010 17:31
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I just wanted to drop by and say that you are awesome, that cat is awesome, and I hope your partner is just as awesome. I was having a rough day but this thread made me cheer up a bit. However, I'm going to have to request more pictures. Both of the kitty and your doggies. 
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Mar 26, 2010 18:13
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criscodisco posted:As far as predators, there are lots of foxes and occasionally wolves 'round here. I can't think of much else that would go after a cat. If he's been a wild kitty his whole life, would he be able to be happy living inside all the time? Some strays, once they get into a home, never want to set foot outside again. They've been there and done that and know where they got it good. Some get antsy and it takes a few weeks or months of an adjustment but I've never seen an outdoor cat not adjust okay to being an inside only cat. As long as he's got a cat tree and vertical space to climb/claw and plenty of toys and stimulation they'll come around. Since it sounds like you've got a fair bit of property you can build something outside for him with some boards and netting for cheap. Hell, you can even buy one already made off the internet if you want to spend more. Some people buy harnesses and leashes and take their cats for walks. So just because he's going to become a house cat doesn't mean he can't be outside anymore ever, just with some supervision and modifications. Here are some pictures and 'how to' guides for cat enclosures and stuff. Some people are pretty creative: http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-enclosures.htm (some of these are my favorite and a bunch give a cost break down too) http://www.seamar.com/nets/cats.html (Here is just netting for purchase) http://cats.about.com/od/outdoorenclosures/Outdoor_Enclosures_for_Safe_Outside_Play.htm http://www.feralcat.com/fence.html http://www.catnets.com.au/self-install.html http://www.catterydesign.com/links/security/catfencing.php http://www.cdpets.com/enclosure_kits.php?product_id=&returnCode=&cookietest=1&sessiontest=1 (these are some diy kits you can buy, but they are a bit pricey when you can do it yourself for much cheaper. It depends on how much the effort is worth to you) You'll find that once your start making poo poo for your cat, you kinda get addicted and start looking at boxes, bags and other random poo poo in a completely new way. Oddly enough, the jankier and more ghetto it is, the more they seem to love it. numtini posted:"plus they'll live off milk from the cows." This always cracks me up, I've heard it a few times. Do they not understand how cows work? Do they think the cats just come up and suckle the cows or something? Perhaps they think the farmer lines all the cats up in the morning to do this:  Click here for the full 745x559 image. Yeaaah, no. Your stray cats are generally considered a nuisance to farmers, way to be an idiot.
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Mar 26, 2010 18:48
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skoolmunkee posted:Congratulations, you have named my second-next pet. (The first-next one is going to be named Hercules Rockefeller) Okay but then you have to name the next one Princtiple Skipple.
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Mar 26, 2010 19:02
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Susan Calvin posted:Okay but then you have to name the next one Princtiple Skipple. Princtipal. Remember that the principal is your "pal".
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Mar 26, 2010 19:37
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wraithgar posted:Princtipal. Remember that the principal is your "pal". Maybe he's your pal I think he's a douche. 
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Mar 26, 2010 19:40
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numtini posted:You have barns. People have this moronic belief that farmers are just dying to have cats living in their barns to kill the mice. They're doing you and the cat a service. I grew up near a few dairy farms where you could add in "plus they'll live off milk from the cows." Every cat we've ever had has come from people dropping them off in front of our huge decrepit barn. A guy actually left a bag of meow mix in the barn once, we didn't know where it came from until we saw a brand new orange tabby smooshed on the side of the road. One of the only things that I've ever heard my grandmother bitch about was the time she heard her mechanic talk about how he dropped off his cat at the nice barn on such and such a road, and how said cat was surely living the high life. Well that was our house and my sweet loving grannie read him the riot act for expecting someone else to care for his animal. Also, the barns haven't had livestock in them for 30+ years- any rats currently living in them would have no problem loving up someone's poor confused pet.
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Mar 27, 2010 00:31
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Oh, I hope this works out for you! No-tail cats are the best cats. My mom adopted this fellow when I was still in high school, and I am going to steal him just as soon as I can. He is the friendliest cat ever, even if he is easily bored by card games.
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Mar 27, 2010 01:28
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Tasty_Crayon posted:Every cat we've ever had has come from people dropping them off in front of our huge decrepit barn. A guy actually left a bag of meow mix in the barn once, we didn't know where it came from until we saw a brand new orange tabby smooshed on the side of the road. Wow, not only did they think it was perfectly acceptable to toss their cat off at your barn they probably thought they were going above and beyond by contributing some food. Tasty_Crayon posted:One of the only things that I've ever heard my grandmother bitch about was the time she heard her mechanic talk about how he dropped off his cat at the nice barn on such and such a road, and how said cat was surely living the high life. Well that was our house and my sweet loving grannie read him the riot act for expecting someone else to care for his animal. Good for your granny!  What did the mechanic say? Did he even apologize? I hope your granny told him the chances his cat lives more than a few months is small. Tasty_Crayon posted:Also, the barns haven't had livestock in them for 30+ years- any rats currently living in them would have no problem loving up someone's poor confused pet. I think people think that rats/mice are like Disney, cartoon mice that are nice, fluffy and hope around waiting for your cat to make a meal of it. Wild rats and mice can be mean, disease ridden fuckers.
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Mar 27, 2010 04:39
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KilGrey posted:You'll find that once your start making poo poo for your cat, you kinda get addicted and start looking at boxes, bags and other random poo poo in a completely new way. Oddly enough, the jankier and more ghetto it is, the more they seem to love it. This is true. A couple years ago we made a large enclosure on the balcony with pieces of Ikea GORM units and plastic netting. This Christmas I saved all of the large boxes from the presents we got and last weekend I duct taped them all together into a ghetto cardboard cat castle. This is actually an improvement for us, because we will now be less inclined to not throw out a new cardboard box that the cats have decided is the new favourite. Or I could keep adding new boxes onto the castle. 
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Mar 27, 2010 16:28
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criscodisco posted:
We got adopted by a stray that came around the house all the time. She lived outdoors for months before we broke down and brought her in. She likes to look at the windows but doesn't show any interest in going back outside. She got out once and hid under my car crying until I coaxed her out.
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Mar 27, 2010 16:37
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Firequirks posted:Or I could keep adding new boxes onto the castle. Don't even try to pretend this isn't exactly what you are going to do.
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Mar 27, 2010 16:46
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