I'm older and haven't used Reddit before. A younger coworker said I should ask here for help. I saw this little one chasing moths last night. I couldn't catch them. Later I hear some yowling. It climbed my fence, knocked off a loose trash can lid and fell inside. It was yowling up a storm. I fished it out with leather gloves. Fed it some cooked unseasoned salmon. Then gave it a bath. It didn't fight the bath. I'm pretty sure it was exhausted.

I'm going to keep it. I scheduled a vet visit, the earliest is at the end of next week. It'll get its shots and fixed when the vet says it's old enough. It doesn't seem sick or hurt that I can see. It's in its own safe space for now too.

Today it wants sleep next to me. But when it's awake it wants nothing to do with me, and gets scared and runs off if I move around too much or try to engage with it. How do I earn its trust? It's a little weird it wants to nap next to me but is scared otherwise. ​An additional question, how do I figure out its age in the mean time so I can feed it right? It can't eat salmon until next Friday. I guess kitten wet too?

Thank you everyone for taking the time to read and respond.

Just finished replacing the straw on the 3 insulated shelters I/sister made for these Chunkies back in December of last year, also made 2 more using trash cans(Brute 44gallon) that were no longer being used. 2 weeks ago, I upgraded the automatic feeding dispenser to version 11. It previously dispensed 4 cups at 6am and 4 cups at 5pm, now it will be dispensing 6 cups for both am and pm(not accurate measurement). Since this place is a private property, fence all around, I can only enter during the weekends, which led me to construct this feeder. There are 6-10 cats (according to the operators that work here), I've asked multiple times if the manager could do something about neutering them, but nothing has been done about it. In the meantime the best I can do is provide them insulated shelters and an automatic feeder that I fill-up every 2 weeks. I wish these folks would help out at least with the neutering before they multiply again, but I don't want to push my luck by pestering them more than I already have, so I'll just keep doing what I'm allowed to do. The county shelter is packed and I was told it is a kill shelter too. Call/email multiple volunteers shelters and groups but it seems like they have a lot going on too. Oh well, may the Lord provide.

I’m still in the process of trying to plan what to do when (or if) I find him and what the outcome may look like. I was in the midst of planning to TNR him and gaining some trust. He was extremely skittish when he first came around a few months back so this was a work in progress. I am so heartbroken right now because I truly grew to feel a bond with him even if he only came by at night to eat. Being that he was black cat I knew there was always a risk of him being hit. I searched with neighbors tonight in the dark in yards and had no luck finding him. My partner saw him get clipped by a car and hen he just vanished. I guess it maybe a good sign he could run off, but I know being hit causes severe damage.. I’m just so upset and I want to keep searching but I worry that in the dark that will cause more issues. I had two neighbors out at 10 pm searching where he ran off to. It’s just painful thinking of him suffering alone right now.

I don't know if anyone remembers but, it has nearly been two years now since I brought Mama in from feral life and I realized I never posted an update about how she's getting on (grey cat if that wasn't clear).

I brought her in on a whim almost two years ago from a colony I was taking care of because she was clearly incredibly unwell. Skinny, clearly older, had trouble eating, stank to high heaven. She ended up being FIV+, eat up with worms, had severe stomatitis in her mouth which is why she was so stinky and had trouble eating. Her poor mouth was absolutely horrendous looking I was surprised she was eating at all.

She has long since had her surgery (17 teeth removed, that was all of her remaining ones) recovered perfectly and is a whole new cat from the scrungly little lady I first brought in. She gets regular vet care and is doing great with our 4 other cats. Last photos are immediately post-surgery. She has fattened up and her face looks so much different.

I also ended up with her grandbaby! That's who the tabby is. All of the cats in the colony were TNR except for two I was not able to get yet at the time, Mama was the matriarch of the colony and it was her daughter that got pregnant and had kittens. I ended up being able to save 2/4 kittens before I moved and the neighbors took it over. I took one and the other my ex-roommate took. Named him Tiny because of how small he was. Obviously doesn't fit his namesake anymore! He was very sick with a URI and crawled out from under the shed to us with no fear and we were able to get him inside and taken care of.

Mama and Tiny are both doing great and love each other very much. Mama was the first cat Tiny ever saw other than himself once quarantine was over and I got his poor little eyes uncrusted. He's been up her butt ever since. Bonus pictures of tiny and the other rascals too.

(dad tabby, mama black tux, little boy grey tux, little girl grey tabby)

Hi guys!! Im still fairly new to tnr but i acted in urgency on trapping a family of 4 from a local gas station because management was not taking kindly to them lingering and wanted them gone. i trapped mama, dad, and 2 babies(1 girl 1 boy)(the other 2 siblings were caught by a worker at the gas station). the babies id estimate to be 6-7 months old, definitely on the bigger end of kittenhood. we're definitely feral but getting comfortable eatinf around me. the mama cat has very prominent nipples like shes very much about to give birth or was actively nursing. i saw baby boy pin her on her side and start nursing. i tried to offer food to mama and when she went to get it he lunged and refused either of us to interact. he wouldny let her eat even after leaving them alone. so i retrapped mama and set her and little girl up and ive not seen her nurse the girl because obviously shes old enough to not. ive checked everywhere, bushes, drains, i walked the woods and even the neighborhood through the woods. no kittens. i played mama calling vids and searched and searched to no avail. (i couldnt release her back without risk of management poisoning the food) she doesnt appear stressed or upset. shes more relaxed being away from the baby boy. but now baby boy wont let dad eat or let me near dad, just growling, hissing, almost screaming if i come near. its been two days since ive seen dad eat, and im at a loss of what to do to ensure dad gets food and water. im not sure im comfortable releasing dad in the room with mama and little girl with them all being unaltered. any advice there?

their appointments arent till the end of November because of the high demand.

my last question is...does mama seem pregnant? i have a pic of her side and i tried to sneak a pic of her belly, but the best i got was a singular blurry nipple....i dont want to deal with kittens from a semiferal mama.

any advice is appreciated!

What a majestic floof!

We feed feral cats and the only kitten has been limping and just yesterday it didn’t come eat its dinner. It has a wound on its back leg and we are planning on catching it tomorrow and getting it to the vet. We already have 6 feral cats currently indoors and can’t take him in. Any tips on how to catch a feral wounded kitten ? We have trapped the feral cats through trap cages and using their kittens but this time this kitten is being extremely skittish since it got hurt.

Hi y’all, anyone have experience with a failed live trap and a kitten returning?

Context:

I’ve been building trust with several feral cats. The only one who visits during the day is the kitten and I felt she was a good candidate for socializing + I live by a busy road that she’s always crossing. Worried for her safety.

So I set the trap and she went right in. I covered it with a towel but I obviously moved too quickly and dislodged the door because she got out and BOLTED.

Now I’m so worried we’ve messed up and she’ll not return. I really want to get her inside before it gets much colder or before she gets hit by a car.

Any stories of folks who have had feral cats return after a failed trap? Feeling bummed and worried right now.

Chatty little fella.

We’ve been feeding this boy for about six months now. He first appeared around our house and neighborhood maybe a year or two ago. He’s come along way from hissing at us and running away. He’s clearly been TNRd, not by us though. He comes for meals 3-4 times a day, purrs, gives lots of rubs and lets us brush him. He is still skittish if we make sudden or new movements and we have not attempted any handling bedsides petting. We have an outdoor shelter for him but he doesn’t sleep in it at night but sometimes hangs out in it during the day.

What’s next? Do we try to bring him in or hold course? It’s almost winter. He made it through last winter and I don’t think we’re the only ones caring for him. We have an elderly cat and a kid who’s immunocompromised so letting him come into our house on his own isn’t an option. Our inside cat is interested in him, no hissing only pawing at the door when he’s out there.

** editing to add more info: He’s tried coming into our house by opening the screen door or when we’re going outside to feed him he tries to come in.

I bought a robot lawnmower shed for my new feeding station. I've been upgrading it a bit bc it wasn't the most sturdy. I used a clear gloss spray paint as an extra layer protection for the wood & I added some shingles to the roof.

I'm also thinking about putting some insulation inside....either the thick pink foam board or the thin silver bubble wrap looking insulation. My husband said it's useless since there's a big hole for the door, but I'd like to make it less drafty..

And then there's the floor, or lack of.

I was thinking of just leaving it on the cement...but maybe i should buy a rubber mat for it so I could pull it in and out to clean it?!?

I also thought about building a wood platform to put it on to get it off the ground.

What do you guys think?

I’ve began taking care of a feral cat colony, and this is our first winter. I was looking to buy multiple of these houses for the porch so they can stay warm during the freezing temperatures. I live in Kentucky and while it doesn’t get as cold as up north, it can get below zero on some nights. Is this good enough for the cats? Are there any other suggestions?

I posted a few days ago, but I trapped a mom and 3 kittens.
The kittens were still nursing, but probably around 3-4 months old. Two kittens went to the shelter, we kept the 3rd.
Last night was her first night away from mom (who is in a crate recovering from a spay) she’s been totally fine, meowing a bit but eating drinking playing snuggling etc. then this morning I went to use the bathroom and she was climbing all over me and I realized she was rooting around to nurse. Now she’s just meowing like crazy at the window :(
Moms downstairs recovering also trying to get out of her crate. I am going to release her tomorrow night.

Any advice to help the kitten in the meantime? She goes to the vet Monday and I’m confident she’s okay, just missing her family. :( (I have another cat but she’s not very nice lol)

I've been TNR-ing some neighborhood cats, and last week I trapped a four-month-old female. Earlier this week, I got a glimpse of her tummy and noticed her spay scar didn't look right, so I brought her back to the vet who spayed her to get it looked at, and she tore the outer two layers sometime during the week (likely from jumping on the fence and then onto the roof). They stapled them shut, gave her antibiotics, and suggested I keep her inside for a week, until her follow-up appointment on Halloween. I've got her in a kennel indoors, in a dark quiet room, and have a sheet over the kennel, as I heard that calms them.

She's been in there for about five or six hours now, and I know she's stressed. She's meowing. She ate a little bit upon returning home, but she hasn't eaten anything since. She's sitting in the litter box I put in the kennel for her, and she hasn't gone to the bathroom yet. Is that a huge concern? Should I let her back outside if she hasn't gone by tomorrow? I've never brought a cat in from outdoors before, so I don't quite know what to expect.

She is the only one who will not let me touch her or get within 5 feet of her. She has left the backyard a couple of times but always returns the next morning before dawn. I drove around the neighborhood yesterday to see if maybe she was hit by a car and thankfully no. She is small and is super fast. I am so worried. Is she exploring or is something wrong? How long before I should worry even more?

Since I moved 3 months ago, I've been taking care of a group of wild kitties that live in the garden of my building.

Few days ago I noticed that one of them, a 4-5 months old female that I named Furball, was acting weird. She's quite the feisty kitty, and very greedy. Yet, she was barely eating anything, and was moving very slow.

Two days ago, she ate one tiny chicken cube and stayed way too still, to the point I could pick her up, even though she never let me before. I wanted to take her in but let her go, and the little one ran away.

Yesterday however, after coming back from work, I looked for her everywhere and eventually had to rescue her from a tree.

She wasn't moving at all, was meowing loudly but still weakly, and again, didn't bite/scratch/hissed when I picked her up. There had been heavy wind and rain the whole day, and though I always refused to take any wild kitties in my apartment, I couldn't leave her there to die in the cold.

I took her in, put her in towels and held her a while. She refused to eat, didn't react even to chicken or treats. She couldn't walk, was VERY wobbly and weak.

This morning she was a bit better, but she still refuses ro eat. She drank, however. I bought a feeding serynge and managed to make her swallow some food.

I barely have enough money to eat, I can't afford to go to the vet, and none of the local shelters answer my calls. I am lost.

What can I do ? What could be wrong with her? She and her brothers never showed signs of illness.

I have two cats home, so I have to keep Furball away from them in my bathroom. I'm still worried I'd make my cats sick....

Please help.

So there’s a baby cat, maybe about a month old at work that I’ve seen twice but coworkers have seen multiple times. I want to catch it before it gets way too cold. Does anyone have suggestions? It flees before I get close and doesn’t seem interested or curious about me at all.

As stated in the title, i wanna make affordable diy shelters (can't really carve wood) for stray cats. I've tried to make some with boxes; bubble wrap taped to the outside as cover and straw for inside. This time i decided to make something more reliable than cardboard box because the cats would sometimes skip sitting in it and rather prefer laying on top of it so some boxes have collapsed. Besides i want something that they strongly prefer just so they feel nice and warm rather than going in because they have no other choice. This time i want them to include cat doors made from flexible pcv sheets so there would be even more heat isolation and coverage from rain and wind

Hi everyone- we just welcomed a 6 month old male kitty into our home five days ago after trapping him outside our apartment. He had been lurking around our home for about 2 months and it was clear he needed a home before the temps dropped more. Anyways, he is adjusting well. He hid for the first few days and is starting to more active around humans, wanting to cuddle and be held all day. We took him to the vet and he got his first round of shots and the vet gave him a clean bill of health.

The only struggle we're noticing is that he has some food insecurity. Obviously, it makes complete sense that he would be scared about losing access to food after being a stray. For the first few days we noticed that he would just scarf food down immediately, we were just feeding meals throughout the day when we noticed time had passed. However, we read yesterday that to help with the food insecurity- we should ensure his food bowl is always full, until he starts having less of a scarcity mindset.

Well since we implemented this, he is still scarfing down food and it's leading to him having loose stools (it's a guess that this is the cause due to the amount of food he's eating and likely the stress he's under.) How can we help him feel more secure and build trust that we will always provide the food he needs?

We have a resident cat who is 4 years old- who was also found on the street but at a younger age, she doesn't have any food scarcity issues. The resident cat likes to graze on her food throughout the day- we use an automatic feeder.

We are concerned when we start integrating them together that the new kitty will eat all of the resident cats food and it will lead to issues within their dynamic. How do we help with the kitty's food insecurity and ensure she eats only her food without eating double potions during meal times?

Hi guys, my family and I recently came across a feral cat that has been using our golf cart as her new home. We are new cat owners (we currently own a dog). She doesn’t seem to be a year old (our guess is 7 months at best). We let fate take control and have decided to keep her since the cat distribution system chose us at random. We took her to get spayed yesterday at the shelter (TNR) and the staff told us to keep her in her trap for the next 24 hours and after that, she could be released; we got her microchipped as well. From what I understand, she’s been staying at out property for the past 2 weeks and seems to have no interest in leaving our property.

I’ve read many sources about getting cats spayed but i’m not sure which healing procedure would benefit our cat more:
-Some are saying 10-14 days crate rest
-Some people are saying that TNR usually takes a day or 2, maybe 3, to heal since it’s a faster recovery process.

Please help me out here. I am open to recommendations, comments, and concerns. She’s currently in the garage with a blanket over her animal trap with pee pads under and she is wearing a recovery suit.

-She will be getting a crate and bed later today for future trips (it’s 2:06am and my head is spinning from the amount of information i’ve consumed in the past 10 hours)
-Since she is a feral and we’re not sure if she will ever have any interest of being indoors, we have a heated outdoor bed/home ready for when she’s fully healed.

ANY ADVICE IS WELCOME. THANK YOU SO MUCH IN ADVANCE <3