UrbanAnimal

Print

E-mail

Text

Dear UrbanAnimal,

A feral cat has been hanging around my house this winter. I would love to bring him inside but I have two cats and I'm concerned about communicable disease. I'd like to take him to my veterinarian but he's absolutely wild. Any suggestions?

Elise

Dear Elise,

Cold weather often brings the neighbourhood strays to our doors but the truly feral cats can present an entirely different set of problems.

My husband and I adopted a feral cat from a friend who had discovered her huddled in a basement window well, fiercely protecting a litter of young kittens. When my friend approached, the mother made it quite clear that she and her brood were not to be touched. It was a cold winter day and my friend was concerned the family was in peril. She went to her basement where she could see the cats through the window then arranged furniture underneath to allow the cat to carry her brood into the safety and warmth of her house. She set up a kitty litter box and bowls of water and kitten food near the window, closed all doors leading to the rest of the house then opened the window and left quietly.

Several hours later, she saw the window well had been vacated and the family was nestled behind a couch in the basement. Mission accomplished!

Over the next few days, her veterinarian made a house call to give the kittens a health check, provide their first vaccinations and give medication for a variety of infections and parasites. The mother cat refused to make an appearance, of course, preferring to remain hidden in the ceiling panels until all humans had left the area.

When the kittens were old enough, each found a loving home and my husband and I adopted the mother after she was spayed and vaccinated. The next few years were spent desperately trying to earn her trust but, alas, it never happened. She remained fearful of us, our resident cats and dogs, and all other human beings without exception.

She refused to come indoors and we respected her lifestyle as it was obvious she never intended to live as a house cat. We relented, built an insulated outdoor sleeping box for her and provided food, fresh water and cat treats. We had to trap her several times to take her to the vet clinic for annual checkups where the veterinarian and his assistant were waiting with arms swathed in protective wrapping and hands donning heavy gloves. This cat never made it easy for us but we respected her feral lifestyle while ensuring she was fed, vaccinated and provided with a warm and secure place to sleep.

With your feral cat, however, you'll need slightly different tactics.

I would suggest you call your veterinarian and local animal shelter to discuss your plight and ask for assistance. Perhaps they can supply you with a trap and even offer assistance in the procedure. Or they may be able to refer you to a member of the community who has experience in trapping feral cats and transporting to a veterinary clinic or can suggest options to allow him or her to remain safely outdoors as we did.

Don't expect to turn this cat into a friendly house cat, however. Depending on his or her background, your loftiest goal may be simply to provide food, spay/neuter surgery and an annual veterinary checkup. Or, it's possible this cat isn't truly feral and simply needs time to learn to trust you. You won't know until you get to know each other better.

I agree you need to keep your own cats away from the feral at this early stage. Make sure your own cats' vaccinations are current and if they're indoor/outdoor, use all necessary means to keep the cats separated. And the feral is most like not spayed/neutered, which means, well, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Suffice to say that unwanted pregnancies as well as parasites and any number of nasty communicable diseases can be a result of a meeting between feral and domestic.

It's absolutely wonderful that you want to help this cat and although the saying "You can't help them all" is a sentiment often uttered by people who don't care about the welfare of animals, I think it's our obligation to help the animal who is sitting on our doorstep. This feral cat has turned up at your house because he needs your help and I think it's fabulous that you're willing to provide it.

For more information on feral cats, visit www.neighborhoodcats.org or contact your local humane society, animal shelter or veterinary clinic.

E-mail jacque-newman@rogers.com with a question, comment or suggestion.