I've been enjoying reading this thread. I have 3 rescue cats currently.

But ya know, gun people are supposed to be a bunch of knuckle dragging, grumpy old farts that dislike everything and everyone.

You guys are killing our reputation!

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Reg. Magnum wants/Rossi wallet

it's interesting how much knowledge is available on this forum.
no matter what i ask, gun related or not, i get help.
people here are experienced in most everything.
looks to me like gun people are just smarter than the general population.
h***zz to you all.

i hope you post anything further than you can think of.
i know house cats n barn cats but not feral cats.
oh, i notice that during the night, feral cat gave up on her hunger strike n ate half the friskies.

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susie

When I go bear hunting with my 338wm I'm the baddest thing walking in the woods. Even the chipmunks fear me but they love my fifth avenue candy bars. The whole apple orchard comes to life. There sugar high sounds unbelievable there bouncing off the trees. I don't need any stinking tv. Natures music. Never had to kill to eat the market in town isn't the world class markets at home but they do have fresh local grown beef, portabella mushrooms, potatoes, fresh corn. It sure does eat good.

Honest truth. My wife tells me to ask the Forum if I have a question about anything, from plumbing to wiring to RVs to mole traps......

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Even older, even crankier....

some of you guys seem to think you are telling stories.
stories they may be, but i consider them valuable training aides.

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susie

I used decon once I pushed the boxes under my wood pile I had rats move in from the old farm at the old house. It was killing birds somehow, decades later I been still using cats. A Lot safer to use.

My three cats that go outside like friskier over can food.

Hi Susie! You are doing the right thing by feeding her, if you want her to stick around. Seems she really likes milk but I wouldn't give her anymore because it can cause GI upset. Most likely she is thin from being feral and slightly malnourished but she is probably healthy otherwise.

The problem with an unspayed female is a healthy fertile female can have 4 litters a year so one cat can quickly turn to 30. If she is not in tip top shape and at least a year old, having a litter could be her demise. If you can find a vet that will handle ferals, spaying is a good option. Plus, deworming and vaccinations are things to consider. We have never had a cat run off after releasing from spaying. They might "disappear" for two days but will come back because they know where the source of regular food is. Some shelters have "barn cat" programs where you could get more cats if you have somewhere safe for them to sleep like a barn or coyote proof cat dwelling.

As many people said here, it takes a lot of time, effort and patience to get a feral cat to trust you but most will come to trust you. This will take months and maybe even a year or more. Just like people, every cat has their own personality and some will eventually let you touch them and some will bat your hand or run if you try. Food is a great way to start bonding. You might want to put a worn t-shirt near the food so the cat will become used to your smell. As others have said, once she comes around regularly, and is a little less spooky, start talking to her in a calm, gentle voice and sitting a comfortable distance from the food. Eventually, with time you will be able to get closer and closer depending on what the cat allows. Everything is always on their own terms but I think you already know this.

If you ever have any specific questions, I would be happy to answer any or reach out to my fellow cat rescuers/cat network if I can't answer.

I wish you the best with your new buddy mouser.

thanks, jen.
thing is, if she agrees to live in my garden, instead of just visiting, i'd very much like a litter.
i'd like a house cat or two n i'll feed all the barn cats she can produce.
it is very hard to find kitties to adopt out here. lots of puppies, but no kittens.
the coyote predation is very high.
if you know anyone who would ship a just weaned kitty to me, i'd pay all costs.

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susie

We have coyotes too and my husband saw a cougar in our backyard the other night. The ferals we look after are fairly protected by industrial fencing in the business complex they reside. Have only lost a few from colony #2 and we don't know if it was coyotes or if they just moved on. The dynamics in cat colonies are always changing. It took a few years but all the ferals in the 2 colonies are fixed except for 2 males who guard the colony so no more kittens for us unless more transients move in.

A simple way to build a cat shelter is to use a plastic storage bin that you cut a small hole in just big enough for the cat. You can insulate it with styrofoam if needed, and line the bottom with hay that can be cleaned out. Maybe this would work in the fenced in garden?

I do hope your little Missy decides to stay and comes to trust you. Who knows she might become an inside/outside cat.

suzie, next time you go into Clovis shopping you might try checking their animal shelter there, might be a good start on finding a good house cat. Just an idea.

Three litters per year I need to catch the turtle colored feral cat to see the odds if she a female. There is a higher percentage in turtle colored cats that she is a female. I wish I had a barn. But one litter is ok. Haven't seen her yet.

just remember, bill. there is someone right here that will take excess kittens off your hands.
ups overnight is pricey but i'll pay it.

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susie

day 9. feral cat is sneaking into the garden during the day to get a drink of water.
it was104 today so i wasn't out there.
the canal is more than 300 yards away so she has decided it's easier to sneak into the garden.
i've seen her several times.
the other night, i saw her thru the window. i said hi!. she ran but not in panic.
progress.

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susie

WEEK 2 PROGRESS.
i stepped out at dusk. the cat had come for a second helping. she saw me, n i said hi but didn't move. she loped to my work bench n jumped up. before leaping over the fence she looked at me over her shoulder.
this was a leisurely escape. i'm impressed. she used to flee in panic.
that's how i measure progress around here : the speed of retreat.

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susie

My experience with barn cats (feral) is they will eventually tolerate your presence if you feed them. They won't let you handle them. You don't want to even try that. The best you can ever hope for is to give the cat some shelter and some food. Make an out building accessible and leave some food and water in there. Your vermin problem will disappear, so will all of the birds around your house.

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That's just somebody talkin.

day 15
this is one smart kitty,
she has learned a verbal command.
i've taught her to come to call.
not to me. she doesn't wanna be in the same county as me, but she comes to dinner.
every night, when i set out food, i yell at the top of my lungs:
SUPPERTIME, KITTY.
within 5-10 minutes she shows up.
as an experiment, this morning i brot out a little bit of friskies, at 9:30am.
i yelled out it was dinnertime n, sure enow, she was eating in 5 minutes.
it is now possible to get her into the garden during the day.

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susie

Good job! Thanks for the report. Every cat we have ever owned was trained to come for food by the sound of a "Clicker" used by my wife. You can find them at Pet Smart or Petco. Just a small plastic gizmo the clicks when you push it. It's loud enough for them to hear it from quite a distance. Our newest cat Molly comes running back to the house every time and she has only been with us less than 2 months. Just give it a few clicks every time you feed them...works like a charm and saves your voice!

Keep up the good work

Be a good opportunity to grab a photo of Notorious HPK (High Plains Kitty) for the forum.

when she gives me a chance, zip, i'll get a pic.
this is not the same cat that showed up here.
she looked like she was dieing of malnutrition.
she now looks healthy.
cat people sneer at friskies. they want you to spend more on cat food than prime beef.
but, for a working cat, friskies are great.
a couple weeks of good food n she looks great.
i don't see her in person, but i'm feeding before dusk, so i see her from the window.

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susie

Great. I'm glad to see it's holding it's own in that high-threat environment out there.

I'd like to offer up a graphic for HPK from another feline that thrived in a high threat environment, the F14 Tomcat.

Susie...here are some links to the "Clicker" I mentioned. It takes very little time to train any animal. When my wife clicks for the cats to come for dinner, our dog is the first in line.

http://www.petsmart.com/dog/training...ker-43714.html

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcos...aining-clicker

Susie is havin' about the same luck I use to have with wimmen.. After a few months they would stay in the same room with me.. That was about as far as I ever got though.

Maybe one of them clikkers is what I needed.

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Eccentric old coot

My grandmother fed feral cats on her farm who were dumped off by city folks who didn't want them any more. Every night after milking she would put out a pan of milk with some stale bread.

They were ornery critters but they earned their keep by taking out the mice and rats.

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I like Ike.

thanks for the link, lee. i'll check it out.
saw her last night. she jumped to the top of the fence.
i froze in place n talked to her for a while.
i promised i wouldn't chase her n i told her we could share this place.
she listened for a while before she left.
i ordered a factory second cooler that was cheaper than the plywood it would take to build her a house.
i'll cut a cat door in it.
if she moves in, i'll be able to keep her alive thru the winter.
if she lives in the garden, i can keep her fed even after heavy snow.

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susie

I keep their dry food in a large plastic, airtight container.

All I have to do is pop the lid and I am instantly wearing fur leg warmers.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

got a recommendation for an air tight container, rusty?
a 16 pound bag is pretty big, but it's the cheapest way to buy, as long as it doesn't go bad.

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susie

Amazon 33 quart, $16.99.(they have larger)

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

Feral cats can be tamed, somewhat, if you have the time and work at it. We have had two feral cats over the years on our place that we could eventually pet. We couldn't pick either one up and wouldn't have tried it but both were great cats. Neither are around anymore. I suppose something happened to them or they moved on. I like to think it's the latter.

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"In God We Trust"

thanks rusty. i put one in my cart. gotta measure the bag to see if 16 lbs will fit.
viper, if feral cat disappears, that will mean a coyote got her. that's why i'm trying to get her to live in the walled garden.

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susie

Take a look at the common 5 gallon buckets with lids.


I was going to suggest looking for one at a thrift shop.

Glad you and cat are making progress.

Bekeat

actually, i have 5 gallon buckets around. i have no idea why i didn't think of one. thanks, bek.
they run $5 n $2 for a lid.

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susie

susie:

I know that I'm not the only one who is following the saga of "Notorious HPK" (to use bigwheelzip's nickname). We need at least bi-daily progress reports!! Needless to say, we are rooting for you and HPK equally!!

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

I have a clowder.

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Music/Sports/Beer fan

cool, rusty, a new word for me.
i'm making progress by leaps n bounds.
it was smart of me to feed her in the morn. see, i wanted to use wild animal psychology.
what i know for sure, is no animal fears me when i'm flat on the ground.
the deck under my arbor is only 10 '' above grade. i put down pads n a rug, so i read there, drinking cocoa while resting on my elbow.
in this heat i only go out in the morn, so this trick didn't help with a night visitor.
but today, as i was reading she jumped up onto a 4x4 upright of my fence.
there was only a screen of grape leaves between us.
we could see each other so i decided to ignore her. she spent some time surveilling the garden then jumped in.
she went to the shade under my smoker n watched me.
she was only 12' away, so i said ''hi'' n went on with my reading.
eventually, she moved to a more comfy place, under a bush not more than 8' from me.
staying flat works great with wild animals.
by this time, i really wanted to get up but i stayed down.
finally, she got up n wandered slowly out of the garden.
this was what i wanted. she now knows that she can leave my presence
when she feels like it, without being hindered.
this is big.
tomorrow i put out breakfast while i'm reading.
i'll call her n see what happens.

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susie

These work pretty well.


I use them for bird seed. Rim locks on a regular 5 gal plastic bucket. Just screw it off. No more cussing those snap on lids.

Hit the lower "Amazon" in the image.

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That's just somebody talkin.

Fancy Lids for bucket cost too much.

If you want to avoid having to fight with the lids as often - low cost method.

When the bucket is open fill a couple of caning jars. (or empty pasta sauce jars etc.) These jars have good lids. A couple of quarts would be more than a weeks supply for any one of the cats I know.

Glad to hear about the progress. Some cats are very slow to make up. Some never do.

Bekeart

Note: susieqz has exceeded their stored private messages quota and cannot accept further messages until they clear some space.

good idea bek. i'll do that. i cleared the msg box.
sorry for that.
i'm now going out for major training.
the funny thing is, i'm training feral cat to accept me exactly like i train lizards.

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susie

well, i know she will come to food in the morn, if called.
i also know i don't scare her when i'm lying flat, so i decided to combine the two.
got my outdoor nest set up. book, carafe of cocoa, pads.
put out a snack n called her.

she didn't show n eventually i wanted to get up, so i gave up n went to the other end of the garden to dig some garlic.
when i came back, i was pleasantly surprised to see the milke gone n half the friskies eaten.
pretty good because at least she was willing to eat when i was in the garden.
as i was sipping my cuppa n getting my book, i saw something hidden under a fig tree.
hoho, she hadn't left, she just found a cozy place to relax.
she always eats half her food n leaves for 15-20 minutes before coming to finish, so i just waited.
this creature of habit then came out to finish her meal. the food was only 6' away.
she came even closer to get at her water dish.
good stuff.
she then retired to her fig tree n just hung out.
i was happy about all this. getting tamer by the minute.
plus she found out how comfy it is in the shade of a fig, with nice soft mulch to lie on.
the neat thing is she could have fount that same comfort at the far end of the garden, with a better route of escape. instead, she chose to hang out close to me.
i think she's lonely.
also, she decided to meow at me. meows don't fit with a wild animal. do you think that means she wants to be my friend?

here's something cool. you have heard of a rusty voice.
or a skill that got rusty due to lack of use?
well, her meows were super rusty. to me, it sounded like bob wire rubbing against an old pick up.
never heard metallic sounds come from a flesh n blood throat before.
late in the evening i came with supper n there were more meows, but now they sounded like a normal meow.
she really was rusty. since she obviously hadn't meowed in years, meowing now must mean something, but i don't know what.

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susie

susie:

You are making progress faster than I thought!! Thank you for keeping us posted on Kitty's status. She (or he...do we know for sure?) is wanting to be friends. You are slowly but surely bonding with her. I think that your patience and steady, non threatening support of her is winning her over. Good job!! She will pay her way, but not just by catching vermin. She will worm her way into your heart as well!!

PS...I have read that cats only meow for their humans. They do not communicate with each other by meowing...so I would say that she is trying to talk to you, but has not (maybe never) talked to anyone for a long time.

Best Regards, Les

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SWCA 3084, SWHF 495, PGCA 3064

les, i'm thinking when people talk about a couple years to do this, that's to make a house cat.
i told her the deal right out. she kills anything that moves in my garden n i will do my best to keep her alive.
to fulfill my end igotta make her comfy enow to move in. but more, she needs to be able to ignore me moving about.
i smoke there, grill there, garden there, shoot there.
i can't just lie down n never move.,
if she wants to be friends that would be a nice bonus but it's not in the contract.
she has the lead here.

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susie

Didn't know cats only meow to people but not other cats. My feral cat is very talkative and listens very well when you talk to her but I have been living with her a lot of years. NO one should try to hold or pick her up! She gives some pretty rough love bites on occasion when she is enjoying being petted. She loves to rub on my boots when I take them off and goes nuts on them when I come from my hunting lease. I think she can smell the wild on them.

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Hue 68 noli me tangere

Looks to me like your new friend is well on her way in getting you trained! The beginning of a long term bond has been made and over time it will only get stronger. I can see this Thread expanding to many pages in the future.

I, along with your followers, appreciate the updates.

If anyone incurs the cat's wrath, see a doctor.

A friend's son ran out to their backyard when he heard his house cat in a fight. He see's a large cat fighting his pet and grabs a broom to use for separating the battling felines.

The strange cat turned on him, and tore him up. He's a big tough New York City firefighter, so he just cleaned his wounds himself. He blew up like a balloon, and was admitted to the hospital in intensive care. The cat had given him Cat Scratch Fever, and it almost killed him.

Of course his fellow firefighters never let him live down losing a fight with a kitty cat.

yow! i just looked up cat scratch fever. no way will i try to play with feral cat.
i don't recall ever playing with a kitty n not getting scratched.
can't get her toys either. most toys seem to mimic mice. fine for house cats that never have seen a mouse, but kinda silly for a professional hunter.
looks like my garden won't be fully protected. i have problems with locusts.
no organic method works, so i've been using poison.
but today i saw her pounce on a locust n eat it.
so, i can't use sevin anymore.
i'll get hurt by locusts but they aren't as disgusting as mice n rats, so, i'll deal.
after eating the locust she trotted over to the other side of this little fig tree by my head. she had the tree between us, but was only 4' away.
i think feeding her twice/day, while a pain, is getting her to just hang out in the garden more.
when i took out a load of laundry to hang on the line, around 8 am, i got some irritated meows from under a bush close to the door, so she was there even without food.
i'm super happy about this. the more time she spends in my walled garden, the longer she will live.
i can now say even tho not calico, i think she's a girl. well fed by now, but lean n muscular with very developed hind legs, which is why she climbs so fast n has avoided coyotes.
attractive black n white markings. looks to be maybe just over a year old, but i'm no expert.
she is hyper sensitive to threat.
she almost didn't come for breakfast because the laundry was flapping in the breeze.
while she ate, a shirt would flap n she would crouch down n prepare to fight.
i think she knows about hawks n owls that eat kitties, hereabouts.
she gives the impression of overall compitance, but that might be in my head.

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susie

This thread just keeps on getting better.

My experience is that once you start regularly setting out food, the raccoons will soon chase the cat or intended critters away to get the food.

Coons & Coyotes in Wyoming?
Sounds like fun...?

Recently saw a cat eating some scraps at the edge of a strip-mall parking lot, when a larger raccoon slowly approached. It got to within three feet and the cat turned it's head toward it. The raccoon turned and retreated. That alley cat didn't even look concerned about the visitor as it turned back to it's meal.

too dry out here for coons.
in any case, not a problem.
the gun toting chick is always armed for snakes anyway
n she is now fed during daylight.
she gets a tuna can full of kibble, 1/2 at each feeding.
she eats most right away, then comes back in 15 minutes to polish it off.
there is never any food left out past feeding times.
only water is always there.

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susie

yeah, zip is right.
this cat will defend her stuff n is quite formidable.

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susie