Feral Cats

[littlehouse]

We live out in the country, and with that comes dumped cats and feral cats.  Over the years we have trapped and taken many to shelters as I can't bare to think of them fighting through our winters and everything that goes along with the country.

I had a pregnant feral come by, she would run if you even looked at her.  But her hunger won out and my offerings of food brought her closer and closer, to the point she would talk to me, and I could pet her back (never her head), she is still doesn't like to be looked at too long.

She had her kittens before Mothers day.

Today she brought one kitten to our house.  I did the worst thing.  I was too excited.  I opened the door to feed mama, and her kitten hid.  Mama ignored her kitten yelling for her, she was busy eating.  I went to the bush to peak in.  It spooked the kitten so much it squeezed through our chain link fence into the forest behind it.  Mama called for it to come out, it didn't.  It was too scared.  Mama looked for a bit and left.

I was so distraught I cut down all the wild rose, and raspberry.  Then ripped a hole in the chainlink so the kitten had a clear path back.  I waited a couple hours and then went back to the spot and played a video of a mama calling her kittens.  The kitten responded but wouldn't show itself.  But it was still there.

Then we had a huge downpour.  

Mama came back 6 hours later.  The kitten is not there.  

I am crushed.  I basically in my excitement doomed this kitten to death.  Either by predators, the elements, or starvation.  Mama is to wild for me to carry over to the fence.  Tromping though the forest will send it off even more, and it is all grey.  I will never see it. 

I know better than this.  We have had feral kittens before that we have caught and handled.  I know better than this.  

This is haunting me, I just had to be able to write it out.  My husband doesn't understand and I just needed to let this out.  I just can't stop thinking about it.

[Fenchurch]

@jiggleromp I'm sorry to hear this story, it is very sad and unfortunate.  You probably weren't expecting any response, but I'm going to give you one anyway.

I think you need to give yourself a bit of a break.  You made a mistake and the outcome could possibly be bad but your intent was not harmful.  I'm sure that next time you will do things differently, and a lesson has been learned.

I hope that you can forgive yourself and remember all the kindnesses you've done for other feral's in the past.

I understand your pain.  A very long time ago, I accidentally hit a bunny with my car (he just jumped right in front of me, and although I wasn't going fast, I was going fast enough).  I stopped to check if he was okay and if I could get him to a vet.  He was definitely hurt, but still fast/mobile enough to run into the 'veld' next to the road and I couldn't catch him.

I thought about that bunny for weeks, but eventually realised that there was nothing I could do to change that event, and I had never intended to hurt the little thing and sometimes that's just how life goes.

[kachuu]

On 6/22/2017 at 5:44 AM, Fenchurch said:

I think you need to give yourself a bit of a break.  You made a mistake and the outcome could possibly be bad but your intent was not harmful.  I'm sure that next time you will do things differently, and a lesson has been learned.

I hope that you can forgive yourself and remember all the kindnesses you've done for other feral's in the past.

 

This. It needs to be printed out and put on a damn billboard.

 

@jiggleromp stay positive that hunger may win out here too!!

[littlehouse]

Thank you very much, it means a lot.  

 

I am not sure what happened to the little one, but I am hoping that mama came and collected it.  Mama has since brought 5 kittens to our abandoned chicken coop.  I have gone very slowly with this family, and have handled most of the kittens now.  The intent is to trap them all and fix them, hopefully get the kittens into a shelter, and my brother wants two as he his cat passed away last year.  Mama may never make a house cat, but we will spay her and she is welcome to live outside our home.

 

[Khan]

@jigglerompmy heart hurts with you but @Fenchurchsaid what I was thinking so very well.  I'm glad the mother trusts you enough to bring the family around. Thank you for helping these little ones. 

[littlehouse]

I caught all five this weekend, and Mama.  My brother and his wife came by tonight and took home two of the friendlier kittens.  They will have a wonderful home, my brother loves his cats.

I just have to try to get the three and Mama in to a rescue, if they won't take her we will get her spayed and she can stay outside around our home.  Not the best, but she will have food, water and access to a warm spot in the winter.

[littlehouse]

The last three went into a no kill shelter, but they were so full that they could not take mama.  So mama has been spayed and now is outside our home.

While we were away a for a week another mama showed up.  With two kittens, one of the kittens went missing while we were gone and only one was left.  This one kitten was being left alone for up to 12 hours a day, mama was off doing her own thing.  Kitten was 4 weeks old.  So now we have the kitten inside with us.  I think he may stay.  The trap is out for this new mama.

The dad went for a neuter yesterday.  Sigh.