Comments on Existence is Wonderful: October 16 is National Feral Cat Day - Help Your L...

This is a great post. If you don't mind I am g...

2011-10-02T13:10:15.866-07:00

This is a great post. If you don't mind I am going to link it to my post about National Feral Cat Day. I too took in a feral kitty, she is about 4-5 months old. She is so cute and is adjusting just fine.
Good luck with your little ones and keep up the good work.

Oh, and regarding the coyote thing when it comes s...

2009-10-26T10:31:27.753-07:00

Oh, and regarding the coyote thing when it comes specifically to feral cats (as opposed to "human-aligned" cats who might occasionally venture outdoors), I still think it's best to neuter the feral cats and return them to their territories of origin whenever possible.

This is NOT the same thing as "letting [companion] cats roam", as feral cats have generally never been tame (tame cats that "go feral" can usually be re-socialized pretty readily; such is not the case for "wild-born" cats who have never been handled by humans). Obviously it makes no sense to figure that every feral cat could or should be tamed and brought indoors -- even if they could all be taught to be less wary of humans, there are just too many of them to make that realistic, and there certainly aren't enough "cat sanctuaries" for all of them either.

Given all that, it seems that letting them (after they're spayed/neutered and ideally vaccinated against rabies) continue the outdoor lifestyles they're accustomed to is the most humane and feasible option. We can't get rid of all risk in the world, and frankly for a feral cat, I'd figure that malicious or even just well-meaning but ignorant humans comprise a much greater risk than coyotes!

abfh: Yeah, I know about coyotes and cats. ...

2009-10-23T21:21:56.802-07:00

abfh: Yeah, I know about coyotes and cats. :( One of Matt's aunts lives in a somewhat rural area and they've lost kitties to the local coyotes. Around here (in the suburbs where I live) we don't get too many coyotes, but there are definitely plenty of other hazards (i.e., automobiles, large dogs, etc.). My kitties will definitely not be the "roaming" kind, if they go outside at all it will be when I've got a cat-fence or something similar up, because I could never forgive myself if they got out and hit by a car or worse.

Marla: Well it could be that M isn't al...

2009-10-23T21:17:38.767-07:00

Marla: Well it could be that M isn't allergic to *all* cats, or that maybe someday she will outgrow the allergy...you never know! Also some breeds are more or less allergenic than others...oddly enough Maine Coons seem to be less allergenic, though I suppose it varies from person to person. However it sounds like you have your hands plenty full at the moment with all the human girls, dog, and rodents!

Coyotes prey on feral cats, and also cats whose ow...

2009-10-23T07:05:24.860-07:00

Coyotes prey on feral cats, and also cats whose owners irresponsibly let them roam around. I used to live in a neighborhood where several people let their cats wander. One day a coyote happened by, and that was the end of the cats.

I'm glad your kitties are feeling better now.

Toby looks exactly like the cat I had growing up. ...

2009-10-22T08:06:20.578-07:00

Toby looks exactly like the cat I had growing up. Her name was Tiffany. I brought her home when I was eight and had to put her down when I was in my twenties.

M is very allergic to cats so I will no doubt never have another cat. Sigh.

Your pictures are adorable. I admire your patience and devotion in helping these kitties.

Once in a while when I feel like I could use some ...

2009-10-21T17:13:34.997-07:00

Once in a while when I feel like I could use some kitty foozling, I go and volunteer here:

http://www.elmsfordanimalshelter.com/about.htm

They are a no-kill shelter, and when I go I brush the cats as the longhairs really need it, and get them used to handling by people. I'm pretty good with most cats, even the ones in the feral rooms, so I usually get enough fur to make a small sweater when I'm done. :)