I waited till she ate,picked her up,& put her in the carrier I had set outside. She's not a happy camper & if looks could kill,I'd be dead twice over. I'll have to secure the door of it because one of the hold-downs is broke. My major problem is where to keep her so she stays quiet till tomorrow. If I don't get her out from the backyard she'll freak the rest of the cats out. It might even be too late for that. Her mother,the Siamese,is standing next to it. I'm afraid it will scare her off again for a long time,especially since she has 4 new kittens next door. I'm about ready to panic. If I can keep her quiet enuf to calm her down,that will be great,but not thinking,I didn't secure any water in there for her & there's no way I'm opening the door of it till she's at the vets. I'm happy one minute & bummed the next for being stuck in this predicament. Thanks for letting me share & vent. Susie
Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens
FINALLY caught Prettygirl
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Susie, see if you can run to a Wal-Mart, Target, or an open pet store and see if you can get those bottles like you see in pet store cages, where you don't have to open the cage door to put it on.
Posted 2 years ago by JenniferSigman #
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Congratulations, Susie! Your patience has paid off. *doing happy dance* Wooo Hoooo!!!
Posted 2 years ago by Kitten Whisperer #
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Susie you did good. Prettygirl is scared and mad now but she will thank you for it later. A water bottle that attaches to the outside of the carrier is a great idea. Maybe Prettygirl would like a little turkey meat (like Thanksgiving dinner) it may calm her down a bit. Keep your spirits up dear friend. You are doing so much to help these cats. You are an angel. ((HUGS))
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Thanks...I'm afraid tho that I should've waited one more day. I was sure I'd be able to get her in,but,like an idiot,I didn't think about the fact that she'd be in there for 24 hrs. There's no litterbox or nothing for her in there. Just a bit of newspaper on the bottom. I know it's one of the best things that could ever have happened for me,but,I didn't think thru all of the possible problems it could produce. The fact that I have nowhere to keep her away from other cats so she'll stay calm & that I have to get her out of the backyard so the rest of the ferals aren't freaked & run off.
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Woo hoo! First step accomplished. Can you open the cage in an enclosed and small room like a bathroom so that you can put in a litter box? If not, a water bottle and some treat food should help calm her down. Maybe a blanket over the trap, too, so that it's dark inside? Cats like to hide in the dark. If it makes her panic more, you can always take it off again.
If there's some really smelly treat food in there, that will reassure her mama, too.
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I know it's upsetting you BIG-time right now,Susie,that's understandable!
These are all good suggestions being given here.Just hold on to your sanity for 24 more hours and you and your feral fuzzbutt will pull through it!!You're doing a wonderful thing under less than wonderful conditions!! Keep us posted on your progress,girl! :-) -
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Thanks you guys...I have the carrier inside now next to her babies with a blanket over top of it. I got a cheap water bottle for water. Don't know if she'll use it or not. She's either too scared to care or doesn't seem to recognize her babies & vice-versa. The kittens are alittle scared of the noise coming out of her when I uncover her. As for letting her out to put a litterbox in their...well...it took me a year & a half to catch her. If I were to let her out(even in a closed room)I'm convinced she wouldn't cooperate to get her back in. Kittens are hard enuf to catch when running loose. She's had alot more practice in the field of avoidance. I did make sure she ate good before she went in,but dummy me forgot to think about going potty from the eating. I'll try & figure something out,maybe a piece of cardboard shoved in ahead of my hand to put a small pan of litter. I definately don't want her to have to wallow in feces tho until I take her in. I'm not even sure if the vet will take her on a moments notice. Being that she's a feral catch,I'd like to hope they would. This is why I hate to do any trapping on the weekends. Thanks all for your suggestions. She may not be,but,I'm starting to calm down alittle more. Love ya,Susie
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Yea Susie!! It's been long coming. You caught her!! Pat yourself on the back!!
She will calm down and then maybe you can put a litterbox in there but do it quickly!! Congratulations!
Peace
DoriePosted 2 years ago by 3 kits staff dorie #
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Susie, you know what I would do? Put the trap in the bathtub, and cover it. Seriously. She will be able to pee and poop, and you'll be able to clean it up. If you want to put a towel underneath, folded longwise, go ahead; but she could completely shred it, too.
When you need to use the tub/shower, pick up the trap and put it on the floor. When you're done, dry off the bottom of the tub and put the carrier back.
Don't worry about food, and if she doesn't drink the water, that's okay; she'll still be fine. 24 hours isn't that long; she'll be fine.
Posted 2 years ago by anncetera2 #
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Oh, and CONGRATULATIONS, Susie, on finally trapping her! Yay!! That's a MAJOR victory. And while she may not be grateful now, and she'll be miffed and uncomfortable when she's released back outdoors, she'll keep coming for food, and you'll be able to work on re-establishing a relationship of sorts.
Posted 2 years ago by anncetera2 #
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Just saw this thread, congrats Susie! I know it has really bothered you that you couldn't catch her for so long. I think the others are right; you need to take your opportunities where you can get them. You might not have been able to get her the next day. The bathtub idea is a good one. I wouldn't worry about food, if you can get her in to be spayed right away they won't want her to have eaten anyway.
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Congrats on catching Prettygirl Susie, she will be a bit upset but in the long run it is the best thing for her.
Posted 2 years ago by AZDEBRA 5/27 & crew #
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Thanks all...but it's not over yet. Prettygirl goes in this morning for 'fixing'. I have her in a karge dog carrier,not a cage or trap. I opened the door once while she was too scared to come forward just to slide a small pan of litter in there with a dish of soft food. I don't think she's drank water from the bottle on the door. I talked to the woman last night providing me w/the voucher. She also wants her cage back that at the moment is housing Runt's 2 blk.kittens. She promised me months ago that she'd take them & Prettygirl's 3 (which are still in caged)& has now broke her word. She's a hypocrite from the word go. She flat out told me to take them to the pound,that they were better off being euthanized than to live in cages. She then proceede to extend the offer for Misty,the female kitten to be spayed on thursday. I can't understand the logic in getting them 'fixed' if they're going to be put to death. And then that still leaves the 2 male kittens that need to be neutered. I asked her why waste her money? she couldn't answer me. I think in her selfish,twisted mind,that it alleviates some of the guilt from her mind. Sorry you guys for blowing wind right off the bat on a Monday morning. I was up all night & forgot what day it was. Love,Susie
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Susie, I'm so glad to hear Prettygirl is going in this morning! That will be a good thing.
Please find a different "friend" than the woman providing the voucher. Go ahead and take the voucher, but please don't rely on her for other help. It sounds as if she has some very unhelpful suggestions, and is not reliable enough for you to count on for help when you need it.
Are there any other organizations or friends in your area that can help? Are there any no-kill shelters within an hour or two of home? Even if they have a waiting list and a surrender fee, I'd look into them.
Seriously, I think you may be getting overwhelmed with cats and their needs. And that will not help with your depression. Is it keeping you up at night?
Posted 2 years ago by anncetera2 #
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anncetera2...only problem is she's the only TNR program in our area. The Humane society for our county is in the next town over. I've seen animals having to live in cages for years there. The only thing in our town here is the animal control...which has your usual 3-day stay. For now,because of her selfish attitude towards the future of these kittens, I'm going to accept the vouchers from her because I'm broke. She's allowing me(more like trying to kiss butt) to use her Thursday TNR appt. for Misty,Prettygirl's little gray kitten to be spayed. I just looked on my calendar & my kittens are younger than I thought. As of yesterday,Runt's kittens are 8 mos.old & Prettygirl's are 7 mos.old. The little black one of Pretty's is weighing in at 8.5 lbs. I dropped my jaw when I saw it.
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Susie, I know you're doing the very best you can. How young is the TNR program willing to spay & neuter? I know our program here will take them at 12 weeks or 3 lbs, but no smaller.
I know it's must be hard to work with such a difficult person, but I'm glad you're doing what's needed to get the cats altered. That makes SUCH a big difference in their lives, even if they live out their lives as strays or ferals.
Posted 2 years ago by anncetera2 #
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I've never asked. Most the animals to be fixed were already 7 mos. or older. Little Misty is going in on Thursday. She's 7 mos.old. I'll have to weigh her before then. She's always been a lightweight,with a whole lotta fur. I hope she's at least 4 lbs. Her fat butt brother Spunky (the black kitten) weighed in today at a whopping 8.5 lbs. I shouldn't call him fat,cuz he's not, he's really solid as a brick
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I went over my calendar again & i messed up on the math (I never was good in math. Runts kittens were born sometime in the week after Easter Sunday,which would put them at about 7 months old. Prettygirls were born a month after. So little Misty is 6 months old & I weighed her in at 5 lbs. this evening. She has the big fur look but is quite petite. She's healthy as a horse,so should go thru surgery okay on Thursday. Pretty went thru hers just fine today.I'm going to try & keep her in the carrier for a couple of days before letting her go outside. She's been out there all her life,so I don't want to stress her out too much by keeping her isolated. I want to make sure she starts eating again alright.
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one more thing I'm excited to mention...When feeding the Siameezer tonight,she rubbed herself up against my leg. I just might get a chance soon to trap her. She's the last female out there to be spayed. If I can trap her,it will be easy to trap the kittens. They may be cute as kittens,but also dumb & easily tricked.
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Susie;glad to hear you're getting the litter spayed/neutered.Annecetera raises a good question though,don't let all this saga overwhelm you girl.I speak from experience.When I was owned by my 5 calico ferals(4 girls and mom Leah),I was smack in the middle of my Clinical Depression and was for other reasons being treated for Panic Disorder.All I'm saying is don't take on more than you can handle alone. Voucher(Vulture?)lady sounds like a real case of heartburn to me.(Acid reflux).FIND someone who you can walk through this with.And that's a great developement with the Siameezer-mama!! Let's pray you can secure the "fount" of all these beautiful lil' ferals.When my 4 girls were born ('96),Mama Leah was the 1st one to be caught and brought to the shelter for fixing.Fortunately,I had a wonderful new girlfriend at the time who was and remains my best friend and was there to help with the drama. We're all behind you Susie,don't you dare go native on us here!Keep in touch.
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Teresa... I've still got her in a large cage inside. I want to make sure she's good & set to go back out. I was going to let her out today,but will wait one more I think. She's become quitw friendly to me,of course,only because she wants out badly. She's even been purring for me. I let her out of the cage in the only room that hasn't been taken over by other cats,& she was quite loving & didn't lunge at my juggler vein. I am being careful of that tho,because friendly as she is,ferals are unpredictable. I'll be glad when I let her out tho so I have alittle more space again. Thanks for asking Teresa
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BTW...The kitties are doing fine even tho they want to be out of their cages more than anything on earth. I'm keeping Misty seperate from her brothers still because they get too rowdy when together & I don't want her to tear her stitches. If you check out the Petsmart Pet of the day thread today,It'll be just like looking at Misty. Misty's eye's are a smidge greener,but the same beautiful gray fur
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