Anyone else think this is odd?

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Lauren and Lucy

Lauren and Lucy

Member Since 2017
Sorry this isn't diabetes related directly, I just need some advice!

So basically my neighbor feeds ferals, maybe five, in the area, and of course the outdoor cats of the area (including my own) go to see what the free food is about.
That's fine, I leave a bowl out myself.

But they bring all cats into their home and allow them to be fed, sleep, etc. They let them in though the back door and whatnot.

My question: Anyone else think this is odd?

I'm not meaning to complain about my neighbors! I know they mean well, it just seems...odd to me. Especially because my Felix has gained five pounds in about two years from the overfeeding, and often comes home with scratches after visiting. A few days ago he came home with a huge bald spot and open wound after I saw him go in their direction. I just don't feel that great about the idea of ferals attacking my cat! The neighbors admit to there being occasional fighting within the home, though don't see any real problem in it. They actually proudly boast that my cat follows them around the home and willingly sleeps there.
I guess now I know where he is at night.

Any advice? Sorry if this is just a rant!
-Lauren and Felix
 
Actually I would be worried about the possible spread of disease with all those feral cats running around. I would be furious if my cat was attacked by feral cats. Just my opinion though
 
Ferals have a code on territory so I am little surprised to hear that they all go into the house together.

Side question - are any these ferals TNR'd?

I would be worried about what diseases they carry. We had a feral cat at work. We worked two years to get him to come in the office and eat. He was not interested in being petted. He started to look mangy or had an infection on the side of his face, so we trapped him so we could get him checked, shots, maybe some ABs, neutered and released. He looked healthy outside of the mange or infection he had on the side of his face but when the vet did the blood work before surgery they found out he was FIV positive. We ended up doing a euthanasia.

I keep my kitties in the house and they have a cage they can go outside in.
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Tracey&Jones said:
Ferals have a code on territory so I am little surprised to hear that they all go into the house together.

Side question - are any these ferals TNR'd?

I would be worried about what diseases they carry. We had a feral cat at work. We worked two years to get him to come in the office and eat. He was not interested in being petted. He started to look mangy or had an infection on the side of his face, so we trapped him so we could get him checked, shots, maybe some ABs, neutered and released. He looked healthy outside of the mange or infection he had on the side of his face but when the vet did the blood work before surgery they found out he was FIV positive. We ended up doing a euthanasia.

I keep my kitties in the house and they have a cage they can go outside in.View attachment 28016
Click to expand...
Is this your?!? That's the coolest thing ever
 
I installed a pet door into the garage door the ferals I feed. I don't allow my pet cats out of the house... They are all vaccinated and tnr'ed. Cc will go out for 10 min or so a day with us but that's it. I wouldn't let your diabetic out to eat the food they are... You'll never get his diabetes under control.
 
Tracey&Jones said:
Ferals have a code on territory so I am little surprised to hear that they all go into the house together.

Side question - are any these ferals TNR'd?

I would be worried about what diseases they carry. We had a feral cat at work. We worked two years to get him to come in the office and eat. He was not interested in being petted. He started to look mangy or had an infection on the side of his face, so we trapped him so we could get him checked, shots, maybe some ABs, neutered and released. He looked healthy outside of the mange or infection he had on the side of his face but when the vet did the blood work before surgery they found out he was FIV positive. We ended up doing a euthanasia.

I keep my kitties in the house and they have a cage they can go outside in.View attachment 28016
Click to expand...
Great set up!
 
Cherish Gallagher said:
Is this your?!? That's the coolest thing ever
Click to expand...

It is! That is Jones in the picture with his GA buddy Weazy. I just open the window and they can go out as they please during the spring, summer and fall - until it gets too cold. We don't have it open during the winter. They can smell the air, watch the birds and bugs. There is shade or sun through out the day. It has a lock on the man door - so we can get in if needed but keep strangers out. We got it as the kitties wanted out but I wanted to keep them safe. There was someone in the city that was trapping pets and mutilating them, one cat was taken out of the back yard when it was on a leash. And the bylaw here says that your neighbor can trap your cat and submit them to animal control. You don't have to keep your cat indoors but if it leaves your property it can be classed as a nuisance animal. Just helps me cover my bases.

There is a company that makes them, but really once we had it, by DH thought we could make our own with materials from home depot or the local farm store.

http://habitathaven.com/
 
Lisa and Smoky said:
I would be furious if my cat was attacked by feral cats.
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Me too.
But they are feral cats.That's what they do - fight over food and territory, natural thing...
I am glad to hear your neighbors spent time and money on feeding them - now there is a chance that some/any of them can be trapped, seen by a vet, neutered and released back. There are organizations/programs that do just that. Hopefully neighbors will hear about this as an option.
 
If they're going into the house voluntarily and hanging out there to sleep and eat, with other cats around, I wouldn't call them ferals--they sound tame enough that somebody ought to be taking responsibility for their health! But there's nothing you can do to ensure that, or to ensure that they don't attack your cat, or keep your cat from eating whatever random food is sitting around and gaining weight, except control where your cat goes. I guess it would be worth saying to your neighbors, very directly, "Thank you for being kind to my cat; I'm glad he likes you. But I do not want him spending time in anyone else's house or eating food I have not provided, especially since he's diabetic. Please help me by not allowing him into your house and perhaps keeping the food where it's harder for him to get to," if you haven't already said that. But if they're like some of my neighbors, it's not likely to make a difference no matter how nicely you ask--it's their property, and they're going to do what they want on it...

We built a fenced yard area for our cats, along the lines of this: http://www.purrfectfence.com/ . The commercial version is very expensive, but building something similar yourself is doable. We've been really happy with this set-up--they can go outside through a cat door in the window, run around in the grass and watch birds and things, and come back in, without most of the hazards of going outside. In our area, that includes foxes, coyotes, huge owls, crazy drivers, free-roaming dogs, and neighbors who may be putting out rat poison, etc. that cats could get into--I know it's probably not that bad everywhere. They still have to be on flea/tick prevention and could still have a run-in with a snake or something, but I feel ok about it.

I hope things work out well for you and Felix! If only we could talk directly to our kitties and ask them not to do dangerous things...
 
Hi all!

I'm mainly using the word feral loosely because that's what they seem to be calling them-I truly wouldn't be surprised if it were other housecats just going to hang out and they don't know that's the case. I'm not sure if the cats are TNR'ed

And sorry for no clarification-Felix isn't my diabetic one! However, my Lucy before she passed last week (:() was literally going until the day she died. They didn't bother asking me about her diabetic needs until the day of when they told me she needed her insulin because she was walking funny-it was an odd conversation to tell them that there was something else going on that was why she was doing it. I guess it goes without saying that I wasn't very happy to see all the different foods Lucy was eating. No wonder her numbers didn't match her feeding regiment!
Felix is the one who got himself scratched pretty good, though. Thankfully he JUST got his rabies shot. Unfortunately, keeping him confined inside isn't an option as the warm seasons come. He learned from the best-Lucy on getting in and out of the house. When Lucy was a kitten she found a pipe that lead outside and scrambled her way out!

Also, that outdoor cage looks awesome! Such creativity :)
 
Tracey&Jones said:
Ferals have a code on territory so I am little surprised to hear that they all go into the house together.

Side question - are any these ferals TNR'd?

I would be worried about what diseases they carry. We had a feral cat at work. We worked two years to get him to come in the office and eat. He was not interested in being petted. He started to look mangy or had an infection on the side of his face, so we trapped him so we could get him checked, shots, maybe some ABs, neutered and released. He looked healthy outside of the mange or infection he had on the side of his face but when the vet did the blood work before surgery they found out he was FIV positive. We ended up doing a euthanasia.

I keep my kitties in the house and they have a cage they can go outside in.View attachment 28016
Click to expand...
That is awesome. I need that for my guys!
 
www.habitathaven.com Is that where you got yours Tracey? What did they charge for shipping? I've had two balconies that the landlords didn't have a fit about me screening them off. Probably because I didn't use chicken wire. Big problem in Toronto, garbage, mattresses, 6 bikes on the balcony. Looks real nice. We had a carpeted ledge and stairs, from the seventh floor, those cats were in Heaven, except when a bird made it through the 1/2" gap.
 
Noah & me said:
Is that where you got yours Tracey? What did they charge for shipping?
Click to expand...

That is where I got it...

Well, that was awhile ago...but I think it was about $1300 for everything - the unit and the shipping which was very expensive coming out to Alberta from Ontario. And it wasn't like I got the smallest one either. I spent my bonus on it....DH almost died when he found out....

I see they have gone up in price!

ETA - Looks like they have an option to contact about shipping costs.
 
Holy crap! I have "Man" syndrome, I start things but never finish. Like the TV I made out of wood, never seemed to work right. I've got the tools and my Dad was a mechanical engineer, I know exactly where to get this stuff and how to do it, just need to get off my butt (28 inch waist, not the 34 I had in high school, no prom date). We have two really nasty cats that prowl our back yard, I'd have to do some kind of double wall so nobody loses an eye. Did you buy one of the older houses that has a milk door? That's right out of the 50's.
 
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