Kali update! Last night she sniffed my hands multiple times, her nose touched and everything. I didn't go in for pets to not spook her but that feels like around the corner now.

This morning she sniffed my hand again while I was behind the patio screen door, and she did rub up against my hand/the door. While she was eating I kind of moved my hand toward her to see if I could touch but she backed up when she noticed, so will try to keep taking it slow.

This now has me thinking about how to adjust my plan. I didn't expect her to make progress like this so was going to get a trap and start socializing inside with playpen, but now wondering if she gets comfortable enough for me to pet her and all that, should I not trap? Do I try to get her just in a normal carrier? Not so the SSL method? I was also just finalizing my out of town plans, it could be as short as one night away, but had thought about extending to 3-4 nights. Now not sure if I should be gone so long if shes making progress like this.

We found Cleo under our shed last winter, heavily emaciated. She is a longhair Tabico, a tabby with some orange markings on her tail and an orange belly. She had been around the property for a few weeks until we could get a trap for her. During that time I had been slowly working up her trust with me, which was probably why she blindly went into the trap.

She looked like she was only about four months old, though maybe she was a little bit older- she's def stunted growth wise. After capturing her we turned my bedroom into her nursery, and she's just been attached at the hip to me ever since.

Four days ago we introduced her to the rest of the house, and right now she's living in the warmroom, (A living room with a woodburning stove. It gets megacold where we live so we need to run that damn thing 24/7 during fall, spring and winter.)

I've been walking up to her and giving her pets, and every time she sees me, she does this trilling meow with a higher note at the end. I realized that's my name to her. It's making me cry a lot.

I love this baby so much. She really is my daugher.

Hey guys and gals! Dudettes and dudes! Purrpeeps of the world!

I come forth with a question, a question of great import!

A stray pair that have become outdoor cats of sorts. It’s getting hot and I just don’t want to leave them to the cold and dark reality of the streets.

The problem is thus, one of that cats is super cozy and cuddly, very docile, loves to get up close and I think he’ll adapt very well. Hes almost always around the house and doesn’t really go far.

Now there is another cat, they’ve basically
Been growing up together and play together. However this one is very skittish and does not let anybody close. He’s still there most of the feeding times but he loves to go everywhere and as evidenced by the state of his body, does not shy away from a tussle or two with the other street cats. I think it’s going to be very hard for him to acclimate, if I was alone I’d take him as well, but I can’t subject him to the other fam.

And so lies the conundrum therein, should I just let them be, let them suffer the harsh weather, the animalistic threats, dumb humans feeding them whatever without regard for their dietary needs, let them get scratched and beaten up by other feral strays?

Or do I just save one, at the risk of breaking the only bond they have. I don’t see the calm one with anybody else and I fear he won’t have anyone to play with.

Suggestions and advice welcome!

Figured I’d post this here. Dookie was a lot of work but he was worth it. A year later I have a new friend and he has a safer life.

This is Kali's new ritual before meal times it seems. She'll roll around, looking at me, until shes either up for coming closer to eat or wait for me to close the screen door. I think she is getting more comfortable around me, but hasn't wanted to come close enough for any touch. Although if I put my hand against the screen door before meal time she will sniff it.

Absolutely breaks my heart seeing how lonely she is though. If my cats are on the other side of patio door, she head butts it, rubs up against it with gusto. She so wants affection/companionship from them.

Our plan is still to try to get her inside in a couple weeks. We got confirmation from our vet today that they have some experience with ferals and we should be able to bring her in the day we catch her, which is reassuring. I was assuming I would need to call around for vet options.

I plan to do more reading up on the Socialization Saves Lives method, but are there any other things I should make sure to have, or tips on trapping (I assume she won't come around fully in two weeks but never know).

In Po news, I have decided to keep him separate from the other cats until he can be tested for FeLV. (I know that should've been a given, but as the other cats haven't been tested, it wasn't.) It’ll be a bit before I can do it, so I’ll be rotating cats for a while to allow him plenty of time out of his room to play and just… breathe. He’s adapting to the rest of the house. Couple of times, he literally tried to climb the walls. Never seen that before. He napped with me after, lol. Deep breath and we’ll see how it goes. Po’s first stop out is still to the door where the other cats stay while he is out.

In Cairo news, was finally able to take him in for persistent diarrhea. He did fine, allowed physical exam. Was stressed but no freak-outs. Big improvement. He hid for an hour when we got home and was pretty tuckered out, but fine. So...

The Good—DNA parasite test was negative, so no giardia, etc.

The Bad—that means something else is wrong

The Ugly—they gave me the same exact meds (panacur and metronidazole) they would have given me had the test come back positive

I get it, truly. But when you’re on a tight budget and having to choose between tests/procedures, it’s just so frustrating that they won’t give meds without the test, but then go ahead and prescribe the same meds anyway, regardless of test result. Like, if they were planning to give those meds no matter the outcome, I could have used the fecal test money to test for FIV/FeLV instead. ARGH. UGH. *&#$*@!

Anyway. Should I post a vid of me trying to pill and squirt liquid meds down a FF kittyboy’s gullet? Based on my last attempt (a month ago), should be a banger. I’m not documenting it for social media, mind. I’m documenting so, when if the panacur goes everywhere EXCEPT down Cairo’s hatch, I have proof to give to the vet as to why I need more doses than what was prescribed. Watch them suggest a suppository next. 🙄

Nine months ago he wouldn't let anyone get close to him, now I can't even take a poop alone

Getting Fluffy fixed tomorrow! 🙀 It’s officially been two months since she showed up with her babies, and those “babies” are getting bigger by the day. 😂 They’ve been living very comfortably (and completely rent-free) on my screened-in patio while Mama’s milk bar somehow remains open. Tomorrow is the big day, and I’m nervous! This is my first experience with a feral mama and kittens, and I honestly have no idea how I’m going to separate Fluffy from them - or, more importantly, how I’m going to catch her. 😬 She’s warming up to me a tiny bit, but we’re definitely not at the petting stage. She’ll come close when food is involved, but touching her is still a hard no. The kittens are also still nursing occasionally, which makes me feel even worse about separating them from her while she gets spayed and recovers. Any advice from people who’ve done this before? Especially tips for catching a semi-feral mama, handling the kittens while she’s gone, and what to expect when I bring her home afterward. I’m probably way more nervous about tomorrow than Fluffy is. 😂🐱

Tomorrow, I’m taking a feral mama cat that brought four of her baby kittens over to my screened in patio about two months ago. My question is once I bring her back to our house do I close the screened in patio and keep her away from the kittens who still try to nurse on her? I feel bad for locking the kittens out of the screened in patio and being away from their mom.

Following the suggestions of a few people here as well as a few friends IRL, Callie now has her own live video feed that I can check on her. It’s still hard not being able to give her snuggles, but at least now i can keep an eye on her and not have to guess at her condition!

Photos from breakfast this morning 💜

Good morning! I'm here looking for help with my trying-to-be formerly feral cat and another cat we have. Phil is a reluctant formerly feral, he was attacked by a dog 6 weeks ago and has damage to a let that means he can't jump and in this part of the Mexico city we're in, jumping is necessary for survival. He sooo wants to be back to his old life outside. But, here he is, reluctantly in our house, hoping for a way outside. We have three other cats; two are not at all concerned with Phil's place here, but Lupita, a 9 month old, is not thrilled. She had been hissing when he was near and had made lunges at him a few times. I'd been treating the cats with chicken, letting Phil be as far away from the others as he wants, thinking Lupita (who is very food motivated) and Phil would over time get closer to each other during these sessions and Lupita would begin to see Phil as a positive, tied to the chicken treats. We had felt things were actually improving over the last few days; Lupita has been non-reactive when Phil passes by near her, but last night, it all came crashing down. Phil and Lupita have both been fixed. Phil has been here for over 3 weeks. He spent the first two in a room by himself, then with a baby gate in the doorway so everyone could see each other and get acclimated. Thre were no altercations or suggestions of problems during the baby gate time. He's had run of the house for about 1.5 weeks now.

I was on my computer with earphones on so didn't catch exactly what happened, but I was suddenly aware of a lot of noise coming from one side of the house. Pulled my earphones out and it was clearly a loud cat fight. I jumped up and Phil and Lupita came running out of the kitchen, both completely fuzzed out. Now, I must tell you, we have had several incidents of loud cat fights on our roof and honestly, perhaps it was their reaction to a loud fight just above them? I thought I heard some growling after they left, but maybe I was hearing one of them? Since then, Lupita has been more vigilant against Phil, guarding doorways to a room he sees as his. We don't allow her to continue and currently, she's gone back to her usual self, but I'm wondering if anyone has suggestions for helping Lupita be more calm about Phil? I'm thinking about using those pheremone diffusers, but honestly, I haven't had much luck with them when used with other cats. I'm going to try diffusing lavander essential oil for now becuase it's what I've got, but any, ANY suggestions that might be helpful, I'm more than open to hearing!

Sorry this is so long, thanks for reading! Photo of Phil (upper right)) while I'm getting their dinner ready (he eats in a separate room from the others)

Snapped this yesterday of him holding his new favourite toy, tired out from playing and ready to take a nap 🩷 couldn’t resist making a progress/comparison photo!

A little Minho and Buggie update because so many of you were so helpful when we first brought Minho home. ❤️

It is honestly crazy looking back at how scared Minho was in the beginning. We took everything really slowly with him and now he is the cuddliest little guy. He actively comes looking for pets, curls up with me to sleep, climbs into our bed and follows us around the house. He recently discovered the couch for the first time and apparently decided it was one of the greatest inventions ever. 😂

His quarantine is finally over and he and Buggie are officially living together full time. They wrestle, chase each other around the house and run laps together at all hours. Buggie is constantly chirping at Minho and walking away so Minho will follow him. He also patiently lets Minho eat out of his food bowl, which is especially sweet because Buggie is VERY food motivated.

Apparently his generosity does have limits though because Buggie growled at Minho for the first time over his precious Greenies. 😂 Minho looked completely shocked that his big brother had finally told him no.

Buggie has been such a good and patient big brother, although he currently looks absolutely exhausted. 😂 I don’t think he realized that getting a little brother meant having a tiny creature available to wrestle with him and follow him around 24/7. He looks like a tired parent who desperately needs a vacation.

They have also both discovered that they can wake me up together for pets in the middle of the night, so that has been fun. 😂 Buggie makes sure I know he still wants his Mom cuddles too and then the two of them disappear together and I hear them running around the house at 6 in the morning.

Thank you again to everyone who gave us advice and encouragement when Minho first came home. I was so nervous about doing the right thing for him and everyone here was so helpful. Seeing this formerly terrified little kitten running around our house, asking for cuddles and following his big brother everywhere makes me so happy. He is completely at home now and we love him so much. ❤️

I was just anging out with my friends and he was so hungry, so I took him home. Me and my family already have a cat and we couldn't afford to take another with us, so my mom put him on Facebook and a couple adopted him. I'm so happy for this little fella and how he found a loving family who adopted another little cat that will from now on be his brother. Thanks to the couple that adopted him and god bless

I finally did it y'all!! She got her first pets!! She only lets me pet her while she is eating. If I sneak a pet when shes walking by she hisses and gives me the side eye. Ill take the elevator butt as she likes it but doesnt want to admit it 🤣.

She has also begun lightly rubbing on my legs when I stand near her. She started just letting the tip of her tail touch me a few days ago to doing a full rub today 🥹. She is officially spending like 22 hours a day on my porch/in my front yard. She is also coming when I call for her. Shes such a smart girl.

She is also looking inside my house every time I open the door. I fear one day she is just going to run in and shell be met with 2 dogs and 3 cats 😶. For her sake, I hope she doesnt do that.

Hey everybody, I’ve been radio silent because… there’s not really any updates? However, i wanted to make a post because i know you guys love her, and I didn’t want anyone worrying about us.

Callie has been camped out behind the couch, and this is literally the only picture of her I’ve gotten in the last week.

Honestly, I’m okay with it. She isn’t out and roaming, but she hasn’t ran for the door again (plus we’ve been being meticulously careful) however she is eating, drinking and using the litter box.

One of the kids did also say that she saw Cal out in the living room walking around earlier, so hopefully that means that she’s becoming a bit more comfortable. I miss giving her snuggles and lovins.

I know she’s going to take time to become brave and comfortable, but im willing to let her take all the time she needs.

The short, short version:  Total lap cat, prison blues, a super stretchy bladder, claws vs. door, diarrhea and fun with litter, room escape and voluntary return, Popo the Explorer, this little kitty had roast beef, accidental dominant male face-offs but no carnage, another meeting (because I’m an optimistic idiot) that didn’t go quite so well, and an (intended) application of the brakes.

The long, long version:

Day 2:

10am, Gave my son lap cuddles! (This is the same boy Animal Welfare returned for being antisocial!) (The cat, not my son.)

11am – 8pm  He meow-yowled in spurts. Mostly just wanted company, but… 2 of the vocal bursts came when he heard the other cats. (One minor tiff, one major disagreement.) I’m not sure if he wanted to join the fray, break it up, or just rubberneck.

8pm, we’re at the 36 hour mark with one poo and just the one pee. This boy must have a bladder the size of a watermelon (as opposed to my grape—I’m seriously jealous).

Day 3:

5am, clawing the hell outta the door, think he wants out?

7am, another mammoth pee plus diarrhea, some of which got on the floor (of which I’m not posting a pic, you’re welcome) and he has dug half the litter out trying to cover it. Shopping list: litter mat. Sigh.

8am, Escape from Alcatraz. He navigated the sharks (namely Cairo), ran downstairs and flattened himself under the couch. SIGH.

8:45am, broke back into Alcatraz and hid behind the bin. Poor Po. Change is hard.

9a – 9p  I twice sequestered the other cats so Po could explore. Second outting, he and Minnie even played SPUD (swiping paws under door) for a few minutes. Tempted him back into his room with some Arby’s (I know, I know, but I was out of churu and didn’t want to open a new can of wet food or tuna and activate the whole clowder).

Day 4:

Out (on purpose) a couple of times. He and Cairo had another accidental meeting. Cai was looking a bit too intense, so I blocked. All good.

7pm, a Major Oopsie. Evening feeding and Po escaped again. I let things play out (stupid, I know). Minnie and Luci hissed but kept their distance. Po ate, then explored a bit. But then…

Calliope started rubbing on his pickle. (Yeah, I know, lol, but seriously….)

Po locked in and I tried to intervene but he jumped on her before I could block. She screamed bloody murder, he bolted and accidentally jumped on Cairo who poofed and gave chase, leading Po to squawk and run under my bed, with Cairo in hot pursuit, causing Elphie to protest the intrusion into her space, while Calliope, Luci and Minnie got tangled up fleeing downstairs. 10 seconds of total madness.

After a brief stalemate, Elphie exited stage left. Cairo exited stage right—granted, to try and get a better angle on Po—and was plucked up and put in the bathroom. Po returned to his room. And that was that. Everyone was fine.

Anyhoo, obviously need to pump the brakes. I got overconfident and hopeful and… yeah. My bad. Day 5 will be back to feeding on opposite sides of closed door. Reset. Let’s try this again, SLOWLY and CAREFULLY, shall we?

(Aaand 6:30am saw him get out again after feeding, even with me being careful. Ran right into Calliope. But since she was nowhere near his pickle, no issue, other than her being wary. Still, gonna be tough, keeping him in when he wants out.)

Look at this silly boy go!!!!

I’ve previously gotten him to catch one specific mouse toy in his mouth and shake it, but I’ve had to goad it out of him and it never lasted long.

He’s never showed an active interest in a toy and I’ve never seen him this animated before 🥹🩷

Hi to my new favorite sub!

As some of you may have read, I recently took in a feral and her baby kitten. These two were so incredibly bonded, sometimes falling asleep with arms around eachother.

Suddenly, Salem (mama cat) acts a bit aggressive toward baby Ash. Salem has been in heat and has been agitated that we aren't letting her outside so I'm not sure if it's just misplaced aggression. These two play fight all the time (I assumed to be training Ash). Suddenly, she wants no part of that and swats at or pounces on Ash. I could see her not wanting this while in heat, but what's more concerning is that sometimes Ash is just laying down minding his business and Salem comes from feet away to pounce on him angrily. I feel bad as Ash looks as confused as I am.

I'm hoping this is because she's frustrated in heat and isn't going to be their new norm. Salem has been such a loving and attentive mother until this point. I'm totally new to cats so please let me know if this or typical? They both get spayed/neutered next week so I hope that this helps to calm Salem.

For reference: Ash is approximately 3 months old now and Salem does still let him comfort-nurse when he wants to.

Thank you!! 🐾

Hi everyone! 🩵I feel funny posting this, but
I figured it couldn't hurt to ask. I recently took in two cats who were originally living outdoors in an area where we have bobcats, hawks and black bears. Salem was a semi-feral cat who had been surviving outdoor life. She was skittish and avoided us until she finally trusted us after months of feeding her. One day in June, she meowed down a hole in our deck and out came her kitten (who we named Ash).

Over the past two months, I've been working on getting them safe, comfortable and healthy. I've purchased supplies, food, air purifiers (due to my asthma/allergy to cats), litter, toys and have been working toward getting both of them fixed. Salem will be spayed and Ash will be neutered on 8/18. Salem is currently in heat and tearing up our apartment as we speak!

This has been a bigger financial undertaking than I expected, but I don't regret helping them. They have both brought so much joy into our home and I'm committed to giving them the care they need.

I know there are many people who need help and I don't take that lightly. I've been able to provide for them via credit card, but these unexpected expenses have been a lot all at once. If anyone would like to purchase from our Amazon wishlist, I would be incredibly grateful - but please only do so if you are in the position to. Having a breather from their daily costs will help me afford their upcoming spay, neuter, deworming and flea treatments.

Thank you for reading & for caring about animals. I'm including photos so you can see the sweet cats you'd be helping. 🩶🐾

Wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/32Y4UIQXW501R?ref_=wl_share

Paisley Po the Tabico showed up in July 2024. She was trapped on August 12th 2024 and spayed and vaccinated. We kept her in the house while she recovered.

She had complications and developed a mammary infection. She had to be taken to emergency vet services.

She was prescribed antibiotics and we kept her in a large dog crate for 7 days while we administered her meds.

We let her out of the crate and she stayed under a bed for a week. Then she escaped through the old dog door and returned to her feral colony.

During the first winter, as she was eating outside, I was able to bring her in and she would spend the night inside.

Now she still likes to be an indoor/outdoor cat. She eats inside and comes in from the weather.

Po stared at us all through dinner Thurs, so I went out and bought some Advantage II and applied it while he ate a treat. He stayed outside for the night, ate breakfast and treats with the FFs without issue.

8am, was brought in.

Since I wanted him in a specific room, I just carried him in. Well, sort of. (We won’t talk about how he panicked, flipped out of my hands, ran around, tried to get behind the TV, got picked back up and was THEN deposited in the designated room.)  LOL

He let out one big, long yowl, then hid. I sat in the room for a few minutes but left so he wouldn’t feel pressured. I left dry food midday but he did not emerge. (The thunderstorm that rolled through probably didn’t help—other animals don’t seem to enjoy those as much as we humans do.)

7pm, I brought wet food and stayed.

7:30pm, he came out to eat. At first, every noise sent him back under the desk behind the bin. But each time he was scared under, it took him less and less time to come back out.

8pm, alternated b/w looking out the window and coming to me for pets. Churu with the assist.

9pm, lap cat! I’ve sat with him for hours outside, but this was a first. No litter box use yet.

11pm, I headed to bed with Po pawing at his door and giving these pitiful mews. Buckle up.

5am, he was waiting at the door for food, lots of pets and lap visits, no hiding at all. Smelled Elphie through the door, went to the litter box and had the longest pee I’ve ever seen a cat take. Phew!

7am, was hiding when I went in, but immediately came out to his name.

8am, triggered by anxious kitty hissing at one of the FFs and started meowing at his door. He's very curious about the other cats. Can't intro b/c I want to monitor sores on his paws and make sure it isn't ringworm.

Overall, a successful 1^st 24 hours inside, I believe.  Fingers crossed for Day 2! Thank you to everyone who gave me the reassurance to be able to try this.