MY GARDEN IS PROTECTED !

[susieqz]

SHE INITIATED CONTACT !
this animal is a creature of habit.
she will always eat 75% of her food, then go away.
5 or 10 minutes later, she comes back to finish.
i was sitting, bowl touching my thigh, just talking.
when she finished the whole bowl in one sitting, i knew i hadn't
given her enow.
so, i went to the house n grabbed a handful more.
my hand was just over the bowl, dribbling kibble into it.
drifter came up n rubbed the side of her face against my wrist.
since she was being so friendly i scratched her behind her ears.
then, she went back to the important business of eating.
we then hung out like normal, til she went her own way.
it looks like we can be friendly for short periods of time.

she is not a normal type pet. she enjoys my company for 20 minutes, twice/day, but that's plenty for her.

 

[steelslaver]

Slowly but surely. She wants some company and friendship too.

 

[kthom]

Steelslaver said:

"I think it will be a long time before you can shove her in a cat carrier without some serious loss of trust. Even if you can coach her into the house I would leave the door open at first. The need for an escape route and the fear of being trapped are not going to be easy to get over for a wild cat."

And I say it will be a VERY long time before you can stuff that cat in a cat carrier without being seriously and permanently well marked up, gauntlets or not!! One human ain't got near enough hands to control a freaked out cat. Everything that moves on a cat brings blood!!! And you'll likely destroy all the progress you've made thus far.

When drifter rubbed your wrist with the side of her face, she marked you. That is a very good sign that she is accepting you as her friend and maybe even possession. Just be patient and let nature take it's course. I think you are gonna be very surprised about where this relationship leads, given time and allowing trust!

 

[Bekeart]

Carrier may NEVER be an option.

Friend owned a cat - Miss Mimi - or was it Miss Mimi owned my friend.

Miss Mimi was a very loving purring machine.

EXCEPT when put in carrier for trips to the vet. HOWL - HISS - CLAWS OUT - you are going to be sorry about this ...

Remember - the cat is in charge ...

Bekeart

 

[susieqz]

k, i get it. no cat carrier for her.
everything i've been doing is to build up trust.
i don't wanna waste that.
i was only thinking about it because i worry when she goes off for 5 hours after i shoot.

 

[kthom]

But she has come back every time, right? I think it's OK.

 

[susieqz]

drifter returns only after 5 hours or so.
on normal days, she prowls outside the fence for only an hour or so.
i figure, on those days, she's close enow to retreat over the fence in case of coyote trouble.
i don't care where she wants to mess around. i just don't want her eaten.
i could ask the state to come in n poison the coyotes. but i lost a dog to coyote baits n would probably loose a cat.

 

[Grip_Maker's_Wife]

She is indicating that she is comfortable with you. If she kicks back and lays close to you slowly move your hand towards her nose. Try letting her smell your hand before trying to touch. If she smells and doesn't run try petting her. They have scent glands in their cheeks, gently rub one finger against her cheek or rub the back of the head. They also like the nose bridge to forehead to be petted.

All you can do is try. If she doesn't like it she might bat your hand away or run but I highly doubt she will scratch. If you fail once, try again, she might be more open to it later. Cat scratch fever is not very common at all. I would not be worried about it. I think much of it is people not cleaning and tending to their wounds. I have never known anyone who has been infected. I am part of a large network of cat fosterers and feral trappers and feral kitten socializers. I have a few scars on my hands and arms to prove it! Next time you go to the doctor, ask him or her for some Mupirocin ointment. It is the best antibiotic ointment to prevent infections from anything from rose bush scratches, to fence post splinters to cat scratches.

Edit: sorry, I didn't read the post before that said she rubbed her cheek on you. That is great! She is marking you as hers!!!

 

[susieqz]

i was sooo upset with this animal. i was thinking myself foolish to bond with an animal determined to get herself killed.
she left last night, didn't come for breakfast, didn't come for supper.
i knew she was dead.
when i went out for a stroll, i found her sitting on the steps waiting for me, food untouched.
she came just to see me !
she greeted me like a long lost friend, more affectionate than ever.
she acted just like a kitty.
since she was being cuddly, i forgave her for worrying me.
i finally realized why she wasn't hungry n stayed away so long..
she must have caught a bunny.
my adorable little killer.
thanks for easing my mind about cat scratch fever.

 

[susieqz]

i got smart. my new neighbor likes hunting, so i told him i got a pack of 4 coyotes hanging out here.he said he'll shoot some.
of course i let him know the cat is mine.

i know some hunters shoot feral cats because they thing they hurt game animals, but drifter is just killing bunnies.
i can do without shooting them, as long as they wind up dead.

 

[Skeet 028]

Well make no mistake..feral cats kill game animals by the boatload. I watched my ol black cat catch a bird right out of the air. They are usually great hunters/killers if they live in the wild...They have to make a living you know They kill the heckout of rabbits..but we have so many rabbits I don't really care. When I lived on the farm back east...I shot cats and even more so foxes. We were over run with foxes. On a little 40 acre place I had 4 covey of quail...A dwindling species...tween the owls foxes coons possums and cats...the quail have a very hard life..so I trapped and shot all but the owls. The farm across from me was about 1200 acres and they may have had 20 quail on the place and maybe 35 cats. With you feeding your kitty it will kill less critters but will never stop. Try to get it to come in the house...especially for winter`

 

[ACORN]

Good work Susie! I think you're winning her over.

 

[Bekeart]

Well make no mistake..feral cats kill game animals by the boatload. I watched my ol black cat catch a bird right out of the air. They are usually great hunters/killers if they live in the wild...They have to make a living you know They kill the heckout of rabbits..but we have so many rabbits I don't really care

Cats kill more wabbits than Elmer Fudd.

Elmer was not a very good hunter. Obviously wabbits are not a contributing factor to his body mass.

Bekeart

 

[susieqz]

so far. i know drifter eats rabbits, mice, rats, locusts n lizards.
i kinda like lizards, but the rest i'd like to wipe from the face of the planet.
if she kills some game animals, that's a small price to pay.
acceptable collateral damage.
she is not a rifle i can aim. more a mine that goes off when anything presses her trigger.
i think that's adorable.

 

[BigBill]

Rabbits have been extinct here on the decline they say. You need to get out and sit before first light to see them. As twilight appears they run around chasing each other like crazy. There are more rabbits than most think. They don't see them. I left the thickets on one property line, planted black and red raspberries so the rabbits have feed. Everyone has to eat.

 

[susieqz]

bunnies here are ravenous beasts, not at all like they are up north.
they cost me more than $300 in ornamental plants. then forced me to dig a huge trench to bury chicken wire underground.
so, i shoot on sight.
i hate them.

 

[Roadtrash]

They're good with gravy and biscuits.

 

[Skeet 028]

Cats kill more wabbits than Elmer Fudd.

Elmer was not a very good hunter. Obviously wabbits are not a contributing factor to his body mass.

Bekeart

I love that statement..As ol Elmer said...Hunting wabbits is vewy vewy stwenuous....hahahaha.

As Suzie said rabbits can be destructive. Last year we had so many rabbits I couldn't grow much of a garden(I sell veggies at farmer's markets for part of our income). I had to plant many of my income producing crops 4 times. We had so many rabbits I resorted to shooting them en masse. Still had too many but I was able to grow stuff. To give you an idea...I shot 78 in an hour and a half on the dry ground side of the irrigation canal. The were living over there and raiding the garden crops from dust till dawn. I had already shot more than 40 in and around the garden area. This was all on a piece of ground less than 5 acres. And the ol black cat probably hunted down 15-20 over a month or so. As far as game birds I have never seen the black cat catch even a young pheasant. He brings us all kinds of "presents" such as mice moles voles kangaroo rats and wabbits. He does not mess with snakes..in fact avoids them. I did shoot a very large coyote that was stalking that ol cat not so long ago. When he noticed me he was so close he growled at me just before the shot. He was engrossed in trying to catch that cat. Like rattlesnakes I don't want coyotes near the house. Momma wants to have chikins for eggs again...LOL

 

[Roadtrash]

I was surprised when I came to AZ years ago just how many rabbits live out here in the desert. Of course there are some big farms out here.

 

[susieqz]

DAY 41
well, everything is different.
i started touching by ''accidentally'' brushing her while she ate, which made her jump.
after i hand fed some beef, i started stoking her as she ate.
she enjoys the contact, which increases every day.
when i call for dinner, she comes even after a good day's hunt. she takes only a bite of food.
she now comes to see me.
i spend extra time out there n in the evenings she wants lots of touching.
so, this part is working better than expected.
but, the main plan of getting her to live in the garden is failing.
i think she was spending extra time in the garden due to food insecurity.
now, she knows she's gonna be fed, so she is spending less time in the garden.
she has a den somewhere that she prefers.
she wants 20 minutes of attention in the morn n an hour in the eve.
she prefers to be on her own the rest of the time.
the weird thing is, even now that i'm stroking her, she still runs if i'm on my feet n not holding food.
she is a real dr jeckel n ms hyde.

i'm happy we can have contact, but my big aim was n is moving her into safety.
i seem to be failing at that.