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Twenty-two months ago, I TNR'd two adult kitties and brought them to the shelter for neutering/spaying. I quickly learned that the female cat was NOT feral and she became our Lucy and lives with us.
Lucy had had a litter of kittens, but despite my attempts I could not trap any of them. One of them, whom we named Diamond, came once in a while for food. He disappeared for nearly a year, and I sadly thought he had died.
A few months ago he started coming daily--and I got him on the list for TNR at the local shelter. I gained some trust and was able to pick him up briefly. This morning I was able to put him in a carrier (only getting one scratch) and he is at the shelter today for neutering!
Hooray! While he doesn't understand it, his life is about to get so much better. No more fighting, spraying, or making kittens.
Are you bringing him home after surgery and trying to socialize him? Or just releasing back outside? Kudos to you for stepping up and doing the right thing. Hope he settles down and you can keep him.
Are you bringing him home after surgery and trying to socialize him? Or just releasing back outside? Kudos to you for stepping up and doing the right thing. Hope he settles down and you can keep him.
I picked him up after surgery and put him in our enclosed porch. He had cryptorchid (one of the testicles was in his abdomen and he needed stitches to remove it) so I'd hoped to keep him in there a day or two.
However, after letting him out, he panicked and was climbing the blinds, falling, jumping everywhere, just trying to escape. I was afraid he'd hurt himself! I managed to get him back in the carrier and kept him there overnight. He did eat several cans of food. This morning, he would not eat the food I left for him, so I decided to release him in our backyard.
I admit I had some hope of seeing if he could become a pet. But, I figured it was unlikely. It took me two years before I gained enough trust to pick him up (outdoors) and now, neuter him. He is wary of all humans and, being that he's around 3, there's little hope of changing him.
He received a neuter, a rabies shot, and an ear notch. He will get fed anytime he comes to our house. I think he lives a couple of blocks away, but i'm not entirely sure.
It is a strange feeling to care about cats like these. You know you're helping, but you wish the outcome were different.
I picked him up after surgery and put him in our enclosed porch. He had cryptorchid (one of the testicles was in his abdomen and he needed stitches to remove it) so I'd hoped to keep him in there a day or two.
However, after letting him out, he panicked and was climbing the blinds, falling, jumping everywhere, just trying to escape. I was afraid he'd hurt himself! I managed to get him back in the carrier and kept him there overnight. He did eat several cans of food. This morning, he would not eat the food I left for him, so I decided to release him in our backyard.
I admit I had some hope of seeing if he could become a pet. But, I figured it was unlikely. It took me two years before I gained enough trust to pick him up (outdoors) and now, neuter him. He is wary of all humans and, being that he's around 3, there's little hope of changing him.
He received a neuter, a rabies shot, and an ear notch. He will get fed anytime he comes to our house. I think he lives a couple of blocks away, but i'm not entirely sure.
It is a strange feeling to care about cats like these. You know you're helping, but you wish the outcome were different.
It can change over time. It probably won't if he lives outdoors, but it could happen. We all know how much good you did for him even if he never figures it out. Though sometimes it's the anesthesia - it makes them paranoid for a while. I hope you'll be able to pick him up again now that he'll be a calmer guy in general. That may have to be your relationship peak with him. Not so bad, really, for a feral.
It can change over time. It probably won't if he lives outdoors, but it could happen. We all know how much good you did for him even if he never figures it out. Though sometimes it's the anesthesia - it makes them paranoid for a while. I hope you'll be able to pick him up again now that he'll be a calmer guy in general. That may have to be your relationship peak with him. Not so bad, really, for a feral.
He's made decent progress with my husband and I. We know how powerful of a motivator food is, so we talk to him and let him approach us before feeding. He even headbutts my husband's hands now (he seems more wary of males).
I just hope he knows our house is a safe haven (and food).
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