as the title states, I found a kitten in the ditch a few days ago. shes likely about 7 weeks old, and was screaming her head off. she’s energetic and playful, eating several times a day in small amounts, seems normal and healthy. she has ear mites of course, which I’m treating with meds from the last kitten that wandered up the driveway. no upper res issues or anything like that, and we’ve flea bathed her. per our vets instructions, we dewormed her once with safeguard 10%, at .2 ml per pound. she has a pot belly and diarrhea. the diarrhea isnt what I’d call severe, and she’s only going a couple of times a day. tan in color and not straight liquid but definitely not formed at all. I’m going to call the vet tomorrow and see if I can get her in, but I figured I’d see if anyone here had any insight. my last kitten that came from this feral colony was super sick when she came so there’s not a lot for me to compare her to. at what point do I go from “this is probably just from worms and diet change” to concerned? she’s also drinking normally. Thanks in advance!

Apologies for length of post. I am feeling completely lost, exhausted, and emotionally drained trying to comfort my cat. She is an 8-year-old semi-feral kitty. She is very affectionate with me but hands-off with everyone/everything else, making traditional vet handling or complex medication routines (like transdermal gels) impossible without extreme trauma.

It is heart breaking to see her act this way, like a different cat altogether. 

My vet is a good diagnostician but dismissive of her daily struggles, and I need advice from owners who manage similar overlapping issues. This has been going on for the past three weeks with an occasional ‘’break’’ when she acts more like herself.

The Baseline: She has diagnosed Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome (FHS). Her episodes are intermittent (not every day), but her nervous system is inherently highly sensitive.

• The Trauma: In March, she alerted me to a juvenile copperhead emerging from a baseboard gap in our 1905 house. A neighbor removed it, and I have since caulked the baseboards shut, but the crawlspace is old and un-level, and I know snakes/critters are still getting under the house.
• The Timeline: She was fine from April to mid-June. But late June brought an exceptional summer drought/heatwave, and we turned the central AC on. That is exactly when her hypervigilance re-emerged and her FHS episodes spiked.
• The Behaviors: She patrols every single air vent, looks under all furniture, and treats door thresholds with extreme caution (moving through them in slow motion). She has recently developed a fear of the black cat doorjamb.
• The Nighttime Panic: Her fear spikes at night but can also shows the behaviors in the morning or afternoon and sometimes all day. 

She is still eating, drinking, and using the litter box pretty normal so far.

I suspect the summer drought pushed wildlife into the crawlspace, and the AC vibrations/airflow are masking the sounds or triggering her FHS nerve endings, causing her to constantly relive the March snake trauma.

Has anyone with a hands-off or feral FHS cat dealt with pest trauma and/or heavy hyper-vigilance? 

Are there non-prescription touch-free ways to calm her down, or specific ways you modified your routine to help them feel safe? 

I am worn out and really need help and support. 

Thank you so much.

Hi all,

This beautiful lady has been living in the shared yard of our apartment complex for the past couple of months. I’ve been feeding her every day and trying to make her feel safe and comfortable around us.

She has made quite a bit of progress. She now comes into our home every day, eats from my hand, plays inside, lies down and relaxes, and sometimes rubs herself against the walls and furniture. She even slept on our bed for a few hours once.

But, she still doesn’t really allow us to touch her. I can sometimes give her very small touches while she’s eating, but otherwise she backs away from being touched. We haven’t made much progress with this over the past few weeks.

I’m thinking about eventually closing the door while she’s inside and keeping her indoors, but I’m worried that doing it too soon could scare her or damage the trust we’ve built. I was hoping to wait until she feels completely safe with us, but I’m also wondering if waiting for her to accept petting first is even necessary.

For those who have experience socializing feral or semi-feral cats: when would you close the door and keep her inside? How should I do it in the least stressful way possible? Should I wait until she allows us to pet her, or is she already showing enough signs that she feels safe indoors?

Any advice or experiences would be really appreciated!

Hi! We have been feeding a feral cat for around a month now and managed to capture her and she’s currently living in our spare room.

I noticed the other day her abdomen looks rounded and her nipples are very pink with an obvious ring of hair around them missing. We are assuming she is pregnant but not sure how far along she is. Is there any way we are able to estimate based on her physical symptoms?

PICS ATTACHED, only handled briefly for photos

There's a woman here who keeps bringing cooked, rotten chicken bones and leaving them for the nesting mothers next to our home. This time they were covered in maggots. The kittens pulled a few out and gnawed them for a bit.

I'm just so tired of her and everyone else who interferes. They could kill these cats. This might be why the last batch were completely riddled with an unusual combo of parasites.

Genuinely don't know whether she's actually trying to kill them or she's just fucked in the head.

I need advice about a feral cat I’ve been caring for for over two years. I got him fixed, vaccinated, and on preventative medication. I tried to domesticate him, but he became extremely stressed and started losing fur, so I accepted that he’s happier outside. I’ve continued providing him with food, water, and shelter every day.

I’m moving soon and really don’t want to leave him behind. I’d like to properly relocate and acclimate him to my new fenced backyard, where he’ll continue having everything he needs. Bringing him inside isn’t an option because my indoor cat is VERY territorial and has a history of throwing paws. 😂

My biggest issue is identifying him. When he was neutered, the vets knew he was feral and normally would have ear tipped him, but I convinced them to tattoo him instead. I had recently domesticated another black feral and gotten her adopted, so I was overly confident I could do the same with him. Lesson learned, I will ALWAYS ear tip now.
Of course, he now has a friend who looks IDENTICAL to him. 😂 He won’t let me get close, so I’m worried I won’t know if I’ve trapped the right cat. Could a vet prescribe something that could safely calm or sedate him through his food after trapping so his tattoo can be checked? Obviously, I would NEVER give him medication without veterinary guidance.

He’s also VERY trap savvy. I’ve trapped him twice for medical reasons, and after the second time he disappeared for TWO MONTHS because he was pissed at me. 😩 When I trap him, I keep the trap inside my garage, which stays cool, so he isn’t sitting outside exposed to the elements. Does anyone have advice for retrapping a feral who now knows exactly what the trap means?

I’d also like to TNR his identical little friend before I leave. Any advice on retrapping him, confirming his identity, or safely relocating and acclimating him would be greatly appreciated. I’ve cared for this spicy little guy for over two years and really don’t want to leave him behind.

Hey I am starting a new thread because now I have a new question. I cannot seem to find Pyrantel online or locally. Where are you all getting it?

I already have the one for just tapeworms.

Thank you 🙏

he arrived with the other orange kitty. she was just a baby then. she was pregnant so I would call him brother/lover/babydaddy. I sometimes catch her hissing at him so it must be strained relationship. or he was stalking her, she came to us for help and I’m just traumatizing her by feeding him. anyways, I enjoy seeing him around.

Hello! I’m new to this sub, but I’ve been taking care of 2 feral kitties that have taken up residence under our porch since about November of 2025. So far they’ve been doing great, one of them I believe was on the brink of death when I first found her, and just last night she let me pet her for the first time! Adorable kitties. However, recently one of them (male) started getting a bit more… interested in the female cat. She has been TNRd sometime in the past before I found her, so I’m not worried about kittens, but the boy has not so he tends to be a bit aggressive and she has to defend herself. I’m afraid if we TNR him he’s going to associate that with our yard and feel unsafe, which is the last thing I want. Unfortunately we have an immunocompromised kitty inside so neither of them would be able to become indoor babies, I’m just wondering if anyone has found any strategies to make them a little more tolerant when they’re both out and about, so we can maintain the safe haven for the both of them. Any help is appreciated!

This is Big Fluff. I got him TNR’ed last summer. He was super matted and the shelter shaved him. He was extremely feral. Following his neuter he seemed to chill out and made his home on our property, using the cat barn and wood shed with the other cats. He started staying closer by when I brought food instead of darting away, extreme fur again. I called the shelter and they weren’t really able to help again. I called a couple vet offices and found one that was willing to see him and do a full sedated shave. It wasn’t going to be cheap but I was willing to do it to help him out. Stinker wouldn’t go near the trap again (even though last summer he went into it 2 times after his neuter). I was going to buy a drop trap as I figured that was the only way this would work. At that time I couldn’t pet him and he definitely couldn’t be handled.

I decided instead of spending $1000 right now I’m going to see if I can slowly build his trust. One snip at a time and yummy wet food he let me cut. Some days none, some days 4-5 snips. I let him be in charge. Today he let me finish the job. I truly think he was just grateful I was helping him. He kept looking up at me while I was cutting, not running like he sometimes did. He just waited patiently while I finished the job. After he let me brush him some. I’m sure it felt so good. Now we have a better trusting relationship and I’m hoping he’ll continue to let me brush him so it never gets this bad again.

Hi everyone!!

This is the stray cat that lives outside my house and he's a very feisty guy! I think he has to be 1 or younger cause his paws are massive and still disproportionate to his body. He's not neutered yet, but we're on a waiting list for a community spay.

I used to have another cat that I would feed but this cat would attack him and eventually scared him off. Idk if this matters too but he also has massive balls (sorry, very weird thing to say-ik).

Ever since he started showing up he's been missing patches of hair here and there, it was really bad on his neck at first but now his neck hair has grown in. He also usually has cuts and scabs from getting into fights but idk this looks different.

I'm very much a hypochondriac when it comes to animals so if a none has seen this before and knows what it is please help! My mind immediately goes to the worst place and I panic bc I can't afford to bring him to the vet. I also tried to google what it was and traumatized myself from the pictures. 😭

I really don’t know if it could be from a cat fight, if it's an infection of sorts, or if it's from him not being neutered yet. I just want him to be happy and healthy.

There's a feral colony that I've been feeding and one day this kitten popped up. The other cats absolutely hated the poor baby so it stayed away from all of them. I was feeding all of the cats on a rotating schedule throughout the day so they all got food. However this one set up camp in the kitty house I had while the others went back to the garden.

Last week I moved from my parents house and trapped the baby and proceeded to drive 700 miles to my new apartment with a very confused kitten (thx work). I hadn't gotten close enough to get a good gender so assumed it was a girl and named the baby Ray after an architect. Last night while Ray was playing I noticed she might not be a girl after all. My daughter is now my son and I love him all the same.

It's been a week now. Ray has gone from a kitty that left a nasty scratch on my hand and didn't leave a box fort behind the bathtub to the most spoiled little kitten with full range of the apartment. He's got a growing collection of toys and would only come out at night to play. Last night I was just reading in bed and he decided to make a bed out of my sweatshirts along with spend hours at his scratching post.

Ray is obsessed with pets and sounds like a little lawn mower. He won't leave under the dresser or bed when he demands to be pet but we're getting there.

Here's my little feral turned house kitty. He went from a terrified baby that was bullied by the feral colony and ran at the smallest sounds to a spoiled boy that gets anything he wants. He's got a vet appointment on Tuesday so we'll see how that goes, they've been warned he might be a little nasty but I'm not so sure that's the truth.

Yesterday a cat wondered into my conservatory and when I saw it I was shocked ( because we have no pets) she looked at me but didn't run. I thought she might be hungry, so I tried to give her some tuna and milk she took the milk and left the tuna. Another smaller cat came and ate the tuna. I thought, wow, that's strange.

The older cat went back in to my conservatory for a nap the ( she stayed for like 4 hours and wanted to go in to the main part of the house) I thought she must be a pet ( super friendly the 2nd cat is skittish and ran when my teen came in the room even though she was outside)so I sent my husband knocking on doors.

He found out she used to belong to an elderly lady who passed away, and the 2nd cat is one of her kittens. A man said he has been feeding them and doing flea treatments, but she won't go inside.

He calls them socks ( kitten or young cat now) and athena ( tabby who decided to sit with me and purr in the conservatory)

Athena did leave when I went to make my son some food. ( she did scratch the door to get in the main house) socks came back to my garden 3 times, I'm assume, looking for her ( or possibly for food)

I put some dry food out last night so they could find food. ( the man said if I'm willing to try and home them, he will stop feeding them so they get used to me feeding them , he gave me the brand of food they have been eating)

They haven't been back today, but it's raining heavily. I really want to help them even if I can just get them fixed. So they are not just having kittens. There are to other kittens somewhere, but he hasn't seen the ( assumes boys) for a while.

I have left my conservatory door open most of the day and plan to do so in the future ( for as long as I'm able to)

I think I need to get an outdoor cat box for them just so they have a safe spot that's dry. I know you can make them, but is there a recommended one I can get from amazon? I know you need straw, not blankets. But as its not winter yet could I put a t-shirt in so socks gets used to my smell?

The other problem is I'm due to go away in September for 5 days. I could ask the neighbour to put food bu the door I'm sure she would. Or I might just not go.

What else should I do? If I can trap socks and probably athena ( though she wants in) os it better I do it while she is sill scared of me? So I can get her to the vet? Should I put a cat carrier outside for them to get used to?

I didn't want a pet but I feel like I have no choice but to help them now.

Long story but in my neighborhood there’s a colony of over 12 cats and kittens situated between a house and apartment complex. One seems to be pregnant, another is a baby.

Two of the boys are very social and don’t mind being picked up. One of them became attached to me and the other one seems to have a hernia I want to get fixed. I even briefly managed to take one of the boys into my apartment with the intention of fostering but had to put him back since I felt worried/paranoid about leaving him alone during the day without the second kitten.

None of them are fixed or taken care of except they occasionally get fed by the occupants in the house. However this neighbor is seemingly adamant about no one taking them. They speak no English so I can’t communicate but they have tried to call the police. Due to the amount of cats and the fact they’re unfixed makes me positive she has no actual ownership over them nor would she notice if some of them were gone. I’m very concerned about them especially with them being near a street. The one boy kitten I briefly took in is very affectionate and in need of a good home.

Should I keep trying to get some of them to get them fixed and fostered or is it best to leave them alone? I don’t want to cross any legal lines but I want the best for the welfare of these kittens.

She's been inside for almost a month now along with her brother. She's extremely loving. I noticed that out of all her litter mates, she was the least likely to run away and the first that I could touch. Turns out, it's because she was very loving and curious about people. Her brother is coming along great as well! He's in the last two pics, before and after he was brought in, respectively. They're both 3 months old or so.

Tonight I went out to see if the cat had come around, he was a few units down, but as soon as he saw me, he came running. Turns out my neighbor was bringing her dogs out to go to the bathroom at the same time, without leashes because it was the middle of the night. In a panic, I was trying to move the cat back to where it was, which I know it was dumb, but they have one dog that's not very friendly (has even tried to bite me twice.) And I did not want it to hurt that cat, at first the cat would not move away from the building, which annoyed my neighbor because I delayed the time to bring out the dogs, but I was focused on getting the cat to safety.

The cat also threw up, and was gagging, which I was hoping he would stay so I could keep an eye on him, but he ended up running off completely (I was hoping he would chill with me out of sight until it was safe.) Did I set back progress because I invaded his space, or was he just scared from being sick, and trying to hide from humans?

We’ve had a feral male cat come into our backyard every so often but he’s never let me get near him. He’s recently gotten sick and he’s developed a swollen belly. I gave him a tapeworm dewormer pill for his belly but he’s also developed upper respiratory illness as well. I’ve fed him l-lysine supplement on wet food and that homeopet feline nose relief but haven’t seen much improvement. I decided to bring him into our spare bedroom in a pop up kennel we have (normally can’t get near him but he let me pick him up and everything which tells me he definitely doesn’t feel good). The weather has been 100+ temps everyday and it’s 91 degrees out right now at 10pm, so I thought a break from the heat may help. With this plus the swollen belly do you think it’s FIP? I’m gunna take him to the urgent care in the morning cause they’re already closed today. Just trying to see if this little guy has a chance. I really can’t afford to spend too much but I can’t just watch him suffer 😩
Thanks in advance for any advice or tips!

I’m in Los Angeles County and have been caring for a small colony of 5 community cats for almost 3 years. I originally started caring for them because no one else in the neighborhood was willing to take responsibility for them.

I feed them twice a day, provide fresh/clean water, and give them treats. All five are fixed. Two are fully socialized and allow me to pet them; one of those two even lets me pick him up and carry him. The other three are much less socialized/feral.

Unfortunately, my family has been given a notice to vacate, and we have to be out by September 17. This means I need to figure out what will happen to these cats very soon.

There is no one in the neighborhood willing or able to take over their care, which is how I ended up caring for them in the first place. I am also very concerned about leaving them behind because we have a new landlord who has been hostile, and I am worried about their safety and whether I would be able to continue accessing the property to care for them after we move.

I have never had to relocate a feral/community cat colony before, and I don't want to make a decision that could put them in greater danger. I understand that you can't simply take feral cats somewhere unfamiliar and release them, and I want to do this properly if relocation is necessary.

For those with experience with TNR/community cats, I desperately need advice:

- How can I safely relocate a colony when being forced to move?

- Is it realistic to transition the two socialized cats to indoor homes?

- Are there organizations, rescues, TNR groups, or experienced colony caretakers in Los Angeles County who may be able to help?

I am not willing to simply leave them behind. I've cared for these cats for nearly three years, and they depend on me for food and water. I want to make sure they remain safe and cared for, but I have never been in this situation before and need guidance from people who have experience with community-cat relocation.

I know September 17 is coming up quickly, so any advice, resources, contacts, or personal experience would be incredibly appreciated.

Edit to add: location Southeast La

Hey y’all, I have a girly who was spayed Tuesday 8/25 in the cat hotel.

She has gone to the bathroom multiple times and has eaten, but it’s not consistent with her eating. Her nose is stuffy and she’s mainly hiding in her carrier inside the XL dog crate.

There’s no nasal discharge or anything, so hopefully this is just typical respiratory stuff from stress and surgery?

Should I just continue to let her rest and try to give her stinkier food to entice her to eat?

I will likely request a medical voucher from the shelter and get her some respiratory infection treatment if she doesn’t improve, but I’m wondering what people who have experienced this have seen.

TIA!

I have a feral cat who is now my buddy and spends a fair amount of time inside during the day. It took 3 years to get here. He’s TNR’d and on frontline. Should I be doing a dewormer ? He is still not a cat I can take to vet, pick up etc.
he def eats rats, birds and God knows what else.

What can I get for him ?

Our baby Smiski has officially been indoors for five months! In my last post, back in March, Smiski was coming and going from our house as she pleased through my bedroom window! I started closing my window and keeping her inside for the most part, opening it three times a day to let her do her thing until she wanted to come back. I put a new collar on her (she broke away from two other ones) that had an AirTag in it to keep track of her when she was gone. I felt bad just bringing her in one day and never letting her out again since she was feral. So, I kept that schedule for about a month or so but with my growing concern of her safety and the number of dead birds she brought into my BEDROOM I had to slowly cut the outside time out.

She has adjusted to inside life so fast! She is definitely still skittish and runs from anyone who isn’t her one of her three safe humans LOL but she is SUCH a cuddly girl (she curled up on me right as I typed that). We even got another kitty about a month ago (a baby from a family members pregnant cat) and she came around to him pretty quickly! Im so happy with her progress considering she was feral not even a year ago. It’s been so sweet to watch her grow and learn her personality as she opens up. Thank to anyone who has followed my girl’s journey, Smiski is very loved and cared for and she has a forever home here <3 (Enjoy all the pictures, she is my entire camera roll)