So the nightly feeding-and-watering ritual has continued. My own cat has gotten jealous and though she still begs to be fed, refused to eat for awhile. So, since her bowl filled to the brim, I had to stop feeding her for a day so she could work on re-gaining her appetite. Meanwhile, I haven't see Sidekick for awhile and Tubby is starting to get chubby again. So I've stopped putting out 2 bowls of food and have been moving the plate closer and closer to the door of the mud room from my kitchen that leads out to the deck. The mud room is screened and offers a little shelter and privacy at least. Something (hopefully Tubby) is still eating the kitten chow -- it's gone in the am -- but I haven't glimpsed Tubby through the window since I cut down on the food amounts.
No one really came forward with any practical advice, so I decided to consult The One Who Knows All -- the Internet. There is quite a good chunk of online info on feral cats and kittens -- although it has a very grassrootsy-feel to it. There seems to be a group of people out there who, as a hobby of sorts, frequently trap/neuter/release feral cats to help stem the tide of stray cats on out streets.
I don't think I'm ready to take up that particular sport, but I have been wondering about how to get the Tubby some (yes, I know) overdue medical care for his/her eyes. I didn't want to try and catch it since a)ok, this would be futile. Tubby is smart and knows all the secret holes in all the nearby fences. Its short little legs are faster than they look! b)I don't think that would help the trust-building process and it's possible that there would be some nasty, dirty, bloody scratches in it for me. Best to leave the handling to professional vets, eh?
However, the Feral Cat Coalition does recommend baiting a humane live trap. So I've ordered their deluxe economy cat/rabbit trap from somewhere in Wisconsin. Hopefully it will arrive in a few days.
I've also read the feral kitten taming instructions. I am not sure whether or not I am going to keep Tubby -- I live 5 minutes away from D.C.'s primary animal shelter. But -- who else is crazy enough to adopt a blind feral kitten? I'd hate to take it to the shelter only to have it put down a couple of days later. What I might do is take it down there right after I've trapped it -- they might be able to provide some medical care and then I can ask about their procedures and the liklihood of adoption. That's how Angel the puppy got adopted -- it was a parking lot-brokered deal with another soft-hearted animal lover looking for a dog.
I'm less eager to adopt, especially since my mother and another close friend are allergic to cats. Twice the food, twice the litter, twice the hair, twice the hairballs, what if Tubby and Monte don't get along, etc... But the memory of Tubby's ravaged face is enough to keep me thinking of solutions to the fuzzball's plight...
Something's wrong with my RSS feed, so I haven't been keeping up. However, a blind cat is a special needs cat and will be much more difficult to place -- not just because people want an intact pet, but also because people are scared they might not be able to meet that cat's needs.
Fortunately there are some cat rescue agencies. Here's one in Maryland http://www.catrescueofmd.org/ that specifically mentions the taming and placing of feral cats. Or you can plug your zip code in here and find a shelter that might be able to help: http://www.pets911.com/organizations/organizations.php
Posted by: John | August 23, 2004 at 06:46 PM