BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 06:35 AM

Gnu, a friend gave me an old, heavily constructed stereo component box, with a door on the front. I cut a cat size hole in one side of the door. It's about 20X20 inches, 18 high, and has two inch sticks on the bottom so it is raised a bit off the deck boards. I lined it inside with blue foam sheet insulation, sides and bottom, and soft foam on top (just because I had scraps around). I put an old thick fake sheepskin construction worker type vest in for a bed - it goes up sides and back and covers floor.

Then we started having all these rainy windy days, and water was going inside, so I covered it with old raincoat, shored it up with slab wood, and made eaves for it (more slabwood, the inventive non-carpenter solution) to stick out about five inches to help that problem. There's about four to six inches of slabwood all around it now, further insulating it.

It ain't a pretty deck ornament, but I have a dry and reasonably warm outdoor cat. If we get oldfashioned really cold weather, it may not be enough.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: gnu
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 07:25 AM

I was thinking about making something for buddy (buddette?) but my problem is placement. My "deck" is just a landing - not enough room. If I put in between the woodpile and the house, snow and ice could be death. I'll just have to try to figure some thing out... if it hangs around. It may not be ferrel... just visiting until the owners are up in the AM or sommat.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 07:43 AM

Gnu, you might want to make sure it's cats, as opposed to strays or wandering neighbours' cat. Woodchucks and raccoons will nest behind woodpiles. I once startled a woodchuck behind the firewood and those suckers get right snarly when in a corner.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 09:35 AM

If we get oldfashioned really cold weather, it may not be enough.

When we moved into this old country farmhouse, our back porch included a few similar atructures left for us by the previous tenants. The farmer up the road (our landlord) had a large feral population on his place up the road, and the overflow usually headed here.

What you have constructed should work quite well as long as it is out of the worst of the wind; the key in cold weather is not the amount of shelter, but more the amount of calories the cat has available to burn. Cats have very fast metabolisms, so as long as you keep the food supply ample he should do fine. If you give him a hear source, you may reduce his natural ability to grow a thick coat and keep warm, and get into an increasingly-active cat-keeping strategy you didn;t mean to sing up for. On the other hand, if you WANT to do more, and you have a place he can access that is safe for electronics, a 100-watt bulb in a clamp-lamp creates a huge amount of heat; as long as he's not trapped under the bulb he can choose how much time he wants to spend under it. I raised chicks under such lamps many times, in wooden shipping crates with a chicken-wire lid. I just sat the lamp on the lid and watched the chicks to see if the bulb was too hot. (They'll move away from too much heat and maintain normal activity under the right amount of heat.)

If the shelter you made is not warm enough, he'll seek other shelter. The problem comes in when the shelter they choose is under a car hood~~ radiator belt injuries (spinal twists) are common.


A more difficult issue to address will be the winter water supply; cats tend to drink far less than is good for their health, so they are usually on the edge of dehydration under the best of circumstances. You can find safe, electrified water heaters at your local farm store. A chicken waterer set on a heated base (out of the weather) worked well for us, but not all cats are willing to use the narrow water channel these offer; you may perfer to set a large metal reservoir over the heated base. The amount of heat is minimal-- just enough to keep the water from freezing.

Cute pix! With that much long hair, it can't be that long ago in his ancestry that his family was indoor cats. He may tame easily.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: gnu
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 09:46 AM

Bee... oh, it's a cat. I can tell by the beds in the leaves that it's not a coon. And, a woodchuck would not chuck... you know.

Other hint are the garbage bags along the street are not touched on a regular basis nor are any of the beds used every night, so, no coons close bye and PROBABLY not stray or ferrel cat. More investigation is required.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 11:57 AM

Susan, I'm beginning to suspect that he is not from the feral cat keepers I know, although the lady said she thought he was one of their feral kittens this spring past, I think she may have been wrong and he was dumped or strayed - more likely dumped, as once I started feeding his skeletal little self, he never left. His muzzle is very short, as you can see in the pics. Not too far from a Persian type indoor ancestor, I would say.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Becca72
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 11:58 AM

Oh, Bee, he is a sweet heart! He looks just like my Maddy except where his dark patches are Maddy's are tan. What a couple of gorgeous fellas you have there!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 12:21 PM

Of course the easiest way to water him in the winter will be to gradually incorporate him into the household.... it's just a matter of time, really.....

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 09:25 PM

So how is SOUSER these days? Oh, errr, I mean SNOWBALL.

Cute pic

Cans we has more?

SHow him the LOLCat bible. Ceiling Cat has clearly been looking after him and deeming it good. Git teh kitteh somes relijin

Teh blessigs of teh Ceiling Cat b pwn u!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 09:46 PM

[gossiping] Psst! I heard (from Bee herSELF) (over in the pets favorite things thread) that Snowball is INside a LOT these days. Oh yes, LOL! Because it's COLD outside now? uh huh! So.... maybe it's time to change this thread title, to take out that nasty word "feral" and make it "furball"..... yesyesyes!

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 09:50 PM

You don't say?

I'm shocked, simply shocked that a cute feral kitten has become an indoor kitteh. Shocked!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Sorcha
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 10:11 PM

Shocked! AND he has got reelijons too!

Will long johns be next? It's COLD out there!
(bet the bed is warm...hee hee)

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 11:11 PM

Well, ya had to know SOMEthing was going on that she didn't want to tell US about, nope, nuh uh, not in THIS thread. Naw, she's telling all her news in the OTHER thread (like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth)!

Ah bet she's nigh unto ready to 'fess up, though.....

C'mon, Bee, come clean! All will be forgiven (if you just telltelltell)!

It's not Bee's fault, of course; I can't think of any of us who'd have been immune in her situation! What's a girl to DO?!??!

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Sorcha
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 11:14 PM

hee hee....and my Mr. just don't get it. He's never had a kit attach itsself to HIM.....he will someday. He 'tolerates' my cats....but I'm 'forbidden' to have more than 2 at once. Oh yea?

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 11:20 PM

Men, tough guys! heeheehee....

Hardi is SO CUTE with either of our two kittehs on his lap on a cold, sleepy afternoon. Natcherly I got him the best kittehs to show "traces of fur" on his black work pants! That there is EVIDENCE that he has to wear to work among all the dear sweet parish ladies! And to meetings with the Bishop an' all! Yah, he's a tough guy all right!

I do love a man know how to trail his fingers over a warm, sleeping kitteh, make that kitteh purr nice. Any day now he's gonna let big ole lapdog Faulkner up on that chair with him; it just hasn't got COLD enough yet! :~)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 11:22 PM

Current page ad:

Interventions don't work
Ultimatums do. Force the issue or be forced by issues. Use AVRT® now.

KITTEH interventions that is! AVRT®, that some kinda catfood?

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 15 Dec 07 - 11:41 PM

She DID say this, in this thread-- saw it coming right off.....

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee - PM
Date: 27 Nov 07 - 11:57 AM

Susan, I'm beginning to suspect that he is not from the feral cat keepers I know, although the lady said she thought he was one of their feral kittens this spring past, I think she may have been wrong and he was dumped or strayed - more likely dumped, as once I started feeding his skeletal little self, he never left. His muzzle is very short, as you can see in the pics. Not too far from a Persian type indoor ancestor, I would say.

Uh huh, yepp-ER.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 12:04 AM

"Any day now he's gonna let big ole lapdog Faulkner up on that chair with him; it just hasn't got COLD enough yet! :~)"

WHAT??? Faulkner ain't on the chair????? Good gods and greyhounds, what is wrong with that dog??????


(Woke up the other night/morning...I don't know, was dark. 4 dogs and 2 cats on the bed. Don't know where the Other Dog was. Poor Mr had to fight for space when he finally came home from work, 4AM ish...hee hee)

They are all so pleased that we bought a new couch and recliner just for them! First thing they did was make sure the Put the Foot up/recline back handles all worked properly.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 01:40 AM

I can see now that I'm going to have to find me my own feral kitteh if I want a kitteh named Souser. I should have named Inky "Souser" when I had the chance. I almost had a cat named Luther a few weeks ago but he was just a visiting kitteh.

This big round faced tomcat came strolling into my yard and right up onto the porch and into the house. I said 'WHo are you?" and he said "why, I am Luther of course. Don't believe me? Check my tag!" So I did and he was, in fact, Luther.   He made himself comfy on the bed while I called his mother. She said Luther likes to wander and sometimes he stays away for days at a time but people usually call her. She came and got him 4 hours later. Luther had a good time using the cat pan, eating Inky's food and sleeping all over the house. I took pictures because I didn't think my hsuband would believe me that a strange cat just decided to come on over and have afternoon tea with me.

I haven't seen Luther since then. He lives over 10 blocks away so I'm not sruprised. he's probably having afternoon tea closer to home these days.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 08:15 AM

WHAT??? Faulkner ain't on the chair????? Good gods and greyhounds, what is wrong with that dog??????


Hardi is a man of contradictions-- one Kickass Alpha Male at home, very unlike his always-yielding pastoral self (I am the honored Alpha Female of course). Teens with surging hormones scampered out of that chair (actually its predecessor), and only our houseguests have ensconced themselves in it.

But the F issue is not the chair, it's the lap sitting in it-- he wants THERE, but Hardi has never had a dog until I introduced him to the necessity. NO LAP! NONONO! F would not dream of climbing up, uninvited; but he will climb up onto me and dangle his head on the adjoining chair arm for a scratch from H, so I know it's just a matter of time. For now he's content to be the Only Dog Hardi takes outside with him for XC skiiing, John Deering, and barn explorations.


(F BTW does not lounge about in the LR when we are out and make use of the couch and chairs. Oh, he'd be perfectly welcome to do so and I have tried many times to sneak past him on my way out. But he's convinced that when we put shoes on, he's going to his corner; he races us there, wagging, to show us how smart he is. "I spotted you again! I'm right! I go here!" He insists on staying in there even if I leave the gate open!

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Sorcha
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 10:14 AM

Oh, Whiz, what a dog. We need MORE pics!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 10:18 AM

Aw, this is Bee's "formerly feral" kitty update. F's exploits properly are listed elsewhere. (You heard of his hockey habit?)

But als, I fear my digital camera have died. :~(

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Dec 07 - 07:20 PM

Bee.... come in Bee...... telltelltell

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 17 Dec 07 - 02:02 PM

Beeeeeeeee........


~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:08 AM

maybe I can lure Bee back here to share all her Kitteh news if I teller her that on Christmas day 4 feral Parrots came over my house. Yup, they did.

An we can has pitchurs too once my husband imports them to my computer.

4 wild green conures (possibly young cherry heads or hybrids) came over to spend Christmas afternoon in my magnolia tree. They stayed long enough to cause a huge fuss since never see the wild parrots south of Franklin nor this far west. After being admired and fussed over for an hour, they screamed bloody murder and wheeled away in formation. A quick glance to south revelaed they had spied our not-so friendly neighborhood Red-Shouldered hawk. Smart birdies!

They've been back a few times but not for as long. If I want them to stay around, I may have to get some already mature loquat or kumquat tress and plant them in the yard. They like to eat the fruits. Another favorite is hisbiscus flowers. I don't want to put out seed for them since that would discourage them from wild foraging. I am resolved tho! I want them to cvome over my house some more!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 10 Jan 08 - 11:53 AM

Feral parrots... cooool!

I'm looking into getting a photo page online, where you will see, DW, Snowball sprawled out on his back snoring in front of the stove, on the couch, on the rug, and on the bed. All right, he appears to be my cat, now, and I should have named him 'Ragbag' or 'Pigpen', as he is always picking up twigs, burrs, dead leaves, bark, sawdust and whatever he's eaten recently and having these bits get wound up in that long fur and turn into mats.

He also has been getting into minor scraps - most of them with Tommy, who swats him every now and then. Snowball leads with his face: not a good fight plan. He's always got one or two dings on his little phiz.

He's also a greedy cat - likely a response to having gone hungry - and always thinks the food in Tommy's bowl must be better than what's in his. But he does not comprehend cheese. Tommy loves cheese, and when I give him some, Snowball always rushes over, sniffs, backs away, and stares in disbelief watching Tommy eat it with obvious enjoyment.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 10 Jan 08 - 07:14 PM

Bee, I can recommend a MyOpera page - it's free, has a large capacity and a very short, Plain English agreement.

Kat recommended it to me & Mudcat uses it for the members pictures.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 11:41 AM

Hey Bee, how's the kitteh?

I thought I'd refresh this thread as a place to put in a kitty-save, BIG WHEW.....

With stroke-brain, I don't always notice that I've noticed something-- like a few days without orange kitty Atticus (sorry CET) on my lap or at foodtime. So of course when I DID finally notice, I dropped everything to look/call/listen. It's a regular drill-- the 12 places he can't be, to look first. The 12 places he might be, to open doors and see if he wakes from a nap to saunter out. The 12 places he usually is, last, because if he'd been there, I'd already have seen him. And then, the Big Outdoors, where he never wanders far but maybe this time he DID.... you know the drill.

But with each call I could only hear the answer from Isis, the loudmouth! Eventually she waddled off for a nap so I started over, after having left a LOT of cabinet doors open. In one "unlikely" spot I could hear a very faint, distant answer. Thank God I'd cured my swimmer's ear and could hear well-- I deduced he was up in the Mudcat Drm attic, and YES! Up I went, and there he was, so relieved to be let out! He'd been up there for several days, because I haven't been up there since I went up to get the tape-to-MP3-recording stuff.

I think he'd nailed a mouse up there, tho I didn't find the carcass yet, because he wasn't all that urgent about the food waiting for him downstairs-- he just wanted to rub and rub and rub.

So if you "see" CET, tell him his cat is fine and lookng forweard to their next visiting opportunity.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 04:39 PM

Glad you found him! It's been a long time worry of mine, that one of my cats will get trapped somehwere.

Tommy and Snowball are thriving, though I think worming is about due. I haven't seen any symptoms, but Snowball should be fatter, given his huge appetite.

Tommy tried unsuccessfully to teach Snowball how to hunt this summer. I first noticed that Tommy was giving Snowball dead mice to eat. Then he started giving him live ones. Snowball can't seem to figure it out. "Iz not fud." he says.

Tommy also tried to teach Snowball to climb trees, with marginally more success. At first, Snowball would sit at the bottom of the tree and cry because Tommy was up the tree. Tommy would come down, climb the trunk a couple feet, hang on, and look at Snowball. Snowball would dash at the tree, get up a couple feet, cling for a few seconds and fall off. Tommy would look disgusted and walk away. Eventually, Snowball mastered getting into conifers with low branches, which he regularly falls out of. I know when he's fallen out of one again because he comes in with twigs, needles and resin stuck in his fur everywhere.

Yes, I do think Snowball is developmentally challenged.

Snowball recently developed a new and annoying, and possibly unhealthy habit. He's taken to biting the 'pills' off wooly fabrics like blankets and eating them. Now, I have sweaters he could have a go at, but I suspect it just isn't good for him, so I'm trying to stop him.

And, Snowball's wintercoat is starting to grow in. I likely mentioned his extreme mattedness in spring. When he finally finished shedding, he looked like a soft-coated cat with quite short hair and no mane at all, whereas all winter he had a very long coat and huge mane and tail. Now I see his mane is just starting to be visible in a line just above his shoulders. Since all my other cats have been short hairs, I've never seen this total appearance change before.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Becca72
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 05:22 PM

Thanks for the laugh, Bee. Makes me feel better about my own 'gifted and talented' crew. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: gnu
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 05:34 PM

So, he's got a Snowball's chance in hell of learning to climb?

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 05:57 PM

That's a hoot, Bee!

I wonder if the wool pills are a way of eating "grass" to bring up furballs? I suppose the dyes are not the best, but I would think the wool itself is OK.

Yes, some of our past cats did die, trapped. They WILL insist on being cats-- waddaya gonna do? Best we can, I guess.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 05:58 PM

Ha! Pretty much, gnu.

Yup, Becca - some cats just don't quite make the top ten percentile, as it were. Kidding aside, starving during kittenhood likely impeded Snowball's development in a number of directions, including brain growth. I've no idea how long he was on his own. He may have been separated from his mother very early on - there wasn't much to him when I started feeding him.

On one subject, though, he has developed strong kitteh opinions, and that is - fud. Wild dead thins iz not fud. Dry kibble iz fud for one day. Then iz not fud, is stale yuckies, do not want. Gushy fud iz gud fud, except salmon flavour, which iz not fud, do not want. Lasagna IZ fud - WANT! (First cat I've known to even touch the stuff).

Tommy is more traditional. Wild thins iz fud. Dry kibble is fud. Gushy fud is fud. Except salmon flavour, do not want! He will only eat two kinds of people food -good aged cheeses, any variety, and vanilla ice cream - WANT!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Oct 08 - 08:12 PM

cats are characters!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Becca72
Date: 02 Oct 08 - 05:26 PM

Bee...I once had a cat (Mara Jade) who wouldn't touch people food unless it was chocolate donuts. She was nuts over them. And lord forbid a coin hit the floor. She would come running from anywhere in the apartment and snap it up. I would later find it in the water dish. Go figgah.
Madmardigan LOVES tortilla chips. He will actually steal them out of the bag if you don't watch closely. And Sheldon will put ANYTHING in the water dish (bracelets, coins, candles, frig magnets, cat toys). Maddy is Mara's biological son but Sheldon is no relation. I think she was reincarnated!

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: CET
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 03:38 AM

Hi, Susan. Glad to hear Atticus is back where he belongs.

Edmund

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 08:53 AM

:~)

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 01:55 PM

Becca: cats are just weird. And your cats are part Magpie. ;-)

Tommy will not drink water from a bowl... unless it is the toilet bowl. I can't figure how he balances without falling in, but I've seen him often. Otherwise, he prefers the lake and mud puddles, or a dripping tap.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 02:32 PM

Tommy, in an Edward G Robinson voice: "I'm feral too, see? Yah! Feral. That's me. I like my water feral, see?"

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Becca72
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 03:22 PM

LOL. Good one, WYSI.

As I've stated before, Mikey will only drink from the bathroom sink faucet. Of course, I'm kinda OCD myself so I really can't blame any quirks the cats pick up...

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: Bee
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 03:34 PM

Ha! Likely right, WYs - he's right some feral until until he gets caught in the rain or falls in the lake, then he wants me to dry him off with a nice fluffy towel, and will complain until I do.

Subject: RE: BS: Bee's Feral Kitty Update - pix added!
From: wysiwyg
Date: 03 Oct 08 - 03:59 PM

"Yah! An' I'll be feral when it suits me, see?"

~Edward G Cattinson