Kittens We Have Fostered

April 23, 2012 in Cats, Fostering, Kittens by Tom | No comments

Since we started working with cats we have fostered quite a few kittens

Maxwell was the first. Marie went to the shelter and saw this frightened, hissy kitten. With in a couple of hours at home she had him purring in her lap.

To keep Max company we then got Blanka and Sabine, two out of several kittens languishing in the shelter. Within two weeks they were adopted together.

Max was with us for about a month more, became good buddies with our adult cats, before being adopted as a companion for an energetic girl cat.

In the fall we started fostering semi-feral kittens for Alley Cat Project, starting Biscuit and Ginger:

Brother and Sister. Biscuit was adopted fairly quickly as companion for another cat. We then got another little tabby. He was so very scared when he came to us. Within a month he was totally relaxed, bonded with Ginger, and one of the friendliest cats we ever met.

The two were adopted together.

About a day latter Deb brought us three semi-feral kittens. These were from a colony that produced very social cats.

This is soon after they arrived and they are looking wary. Greyling, a girl, was adopted as a solo kitten (something I’ll never do again) and the boys went together where they were reported to like laps.

Once they left we got Odel and Winnie. These were slightly older kittens and took a long time to socialize.

They were also very special cats with exceptional personalities. Odel got adopted to a couple in Everette where he has a great life and companion cat.

We briefly fostered this solo bottle baby until he could be moved to another foster with a solo cat. He was one of the cutest kits I’ve ever seen.

Winnie stayed with us a couple more months. I was just resigning myself to his not being adopted when he went to a home in West Seattle where he goes on walks on the beach.

In June 2011 ACP trapped a feral mom with kittens who we housed in our garage:

Pumpkin had an abcess and had to get antibiotics.

Deb had another mother with 4 kittens. We took that family when she went on vacation.

And they all got integrated.

A couple other kittens came through about this time.

Saami, a beautiful lynx point, got socialize and integrated into the clan.

It took us till September to a) raise them to an adoptable age then b) find homes for all of them.

While we were fostering them we had several kittens come through our garage facility.

Georgina was one of 3 grey kittens as playful and friendly as the summer days were long. They got adopted quickly.

The Burr brothers (there were three) were a wild bunch. They went to the Seattle Animal Shelter for socialization and adoption.

Huck and his two siblings went to PAWS. Sadly, they were euthanized a week later for Panleukopenia. (No other cat we housed concurrently got sick so we don’t think it came from us. None the less, we cleaned thoroughly.)

Sara was sweet but shy. Hard to get much sense of her personality in the garage. However, it did not take her long to get adopted and word back was that she became a playful, happy kitten.

In November, soon after finding a new home for our boy Nelson, we picked up two families from the Seattle Animal Shelter who were languishing there because the mothers were reported to be feral. Together they had 4 kittens. The kittens were adopted through the shelter but we continued to foster the mothers through adoption as there were shy and would show best in a foster home. Both were only about a year old.

That closed out the 2011 kittens. In March Alley Cat Project started to see pregnant females and on March 14th one gave birth to 4 kittens before we could get her to the clinic. A week ago we took them. The mother is feral with us but very attentive to her little kittens:

So it begins again…

Baby

April 1, 2012 in Adoptions, Barn Cats, Cats, Feral Cats, Medical by Tom | No comments

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Baby came from FCSNP clinic with a very bad upper respratory infection.  I set him up in the basement and began to explore how much handling he would tolerate.  If he was very feral there would not be much I could do.

He liked to hide in his carrier. I found that if I disconnect the top of the carrier from the bottom I can lift the top up just enough to reach in and can often handle semi-feral cats while they are in their safe place. I start cautiously with stick, then a golved hand, then my bare hands. Baby was a little squirrley but did let me handle him. Later he got wise to my taking the carrier apart and he would hide behind it. I would just move it then reach back and pull him forward a little.

I gave him:

  • Oral antibiotics by squirting some liquid down his throat
  • Eye antibiotics by squirting some ointment into his eyes
  • Subcutaneous fluids by sticking a needle under the skin on his back and letting fluids drain into him

That was a lot of handling and he was surprisingly calm – as if he knew that it would ultimately help him. I was most impressed that he let me administer ointment to his eyes. This can’t be comfortable. With one hand I scruff him and twist his head to one side. With the other I squeeze out a bit of ointment and then lay that across his eyeball. I then turn his head the other way and do the other eye. If I miss I try to massage it in a little.  Baby allowed all that handling and more.

I was always ready to pull my hands back, especially while giving fluids.  To help cats who are not eating stay hydrated we inject saline solution just under their skin with an IV drip.  As the amount of fluid builds they must feel discomfort or just strange and they start to resist little. Often, once I had the needle out, he would swat but he never got me.

After several days I could see that he was improving.

After several more days I began to rub Baby’s cheek after treatment. Soon after that he began to respond. Each day he was a little more open. Soon he would come out of his carrier and soon he was crawling into my arms. In the end Baby turned out to be just a big Baby.

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Baby was promised to a student house in Ravenna as a garage cat to hunt rodents. Since that time his status changed and he clearly wanted to live inside with people. They were happy to have him and gave him plenty of loving. Never the less I stayed in contact to be sure it was right fit. They said that Baby never showed interest in going out side or hunting anything. Ultimately one of the students adopted Baby as his own.

Sammy and Maggie go to St Francis House

February 29, 2012 in Barn Cats, Cats by Tom | No comments

St Francis House

In mid February Alley Cat Project got a call from Julie looking for two “barn cats” for St Francis House.  This is a day shelter that provides people with meals, clothing, and house hold supplies.  They are open 5 days a week and full of volunteers and clients during those times.  Evenings, nights, and weekends they are empty.  The building is full of supplies.  In recent years they have had a growing mouse problem and Julie convinced the board that some resident cats were the best way to control the mice.

We immediately thought of Sammy and Maggie.  This pair came from a feral colony in Shoreline and have been with us for about 5 months.  I felt particularly responsible for them as I made the call to not return Sammy to his colony.  Making decisions about the lives of cats is the most difficult part of this work.  I want all cats to have great lives.  Often we do find very good homes but I always agonized as we wait for the right adopter to show up.  We worked with Sammy and Maggie but they never reached fully adoptable status.  Sammy remained shy.  Maggie would always come to me for pets but was more interested in socializing with our other cats than with us humans.

I took them down to St Francis House on Tuesday.  There is an upstairs room with kitchen and back office that sees little human traffic most times of the day.  They get this as their sanctuary.  Once established there they will have full run of the building and get to choose how much they interact with people.  Though empty on the weekend, during weekdays the building is full of nurturing people.  Among the staff and volunteers there are several excited to have cats coming to live in the building.  Sammy and Maggie will have a large and interesting indoor space to live in, a job to do, and time to develop relationships with the people around them.

The upstairs room with back office at the far end.

It did not take Maggie very long to peek out from the office and start exploring

While Maggie was sitting in the door a mouse ran right in front of her! In the daylight! She got very interested.

Maggie looking for the mouse

Sammy is shyer and it will take him longer to settle into his new environment but ultimately he will be the real mouser of the two.

Socializing Sammy 2

February 29, 2012 in Cats, Socializing by Tom | No comments

Sammy on the pedestal

This is a follow-up on my work to socialize Sammy.  During work days I isolated him upstairs with me for about a week.  Other cats could come and go but I made Sammy stay upstairs with me.  There was a pedestal in my office with a view outside and this became a favorite perch of his.  Every morning I would sit right next to this for over an hour to meditate.  He grew more comfortable with me near by and soon let me pet him.  Before long he was making a point of showing up on the pedestal before morning meditation so he could get pets.  Once he even followed me upstairs and jumped on the pedestal.

However, in other context he did not want to be approached by me.  He loved pets on the pedestal but not anywhere else.  I do believe that over time, perhaps a year, he would grow to accept pets in other places.  He is very affectionate with his buddy Maggie and I believe this would transfer to people, eventually.

After about a week I decided that Sammy was a long-term project.  He was not going to have a quick change of mind about comfort with people.  I wanted to prevent him from hiding from us and push his comfort level a little, but not too much.  And I wanted him to have fun.  Cat’s lives are fairly short.  I always want them to have as much enjoyment as possible.  I stopped closing the stairway door but continued to closed off our bedroom so that he could not hide out there away from people.  Sammy could be upstairs in my office or downstairs.  In both places he had to encounter people.  He was about 90% comfortable with this.  He and Maggie spent a lot of time running around our house with their tails up, looking for the next adventure.  And they spent a little time slinking under things to get away from us.

Sammy being pet the pedestal

Sabrina ready for adoption

February 8, 2012 in Adoptions, Fostering by Mills | No comments

Sitting on our cat bench

This beautiful young lady is ready for her new home.

A charming young girl

UPDATE

March 14, 2012
Sabrina was adopted by loving couple in Fall City.

Simple Winter Shelter

February 2, 2012 in Equipment and Gadgets by Tom | No comments

Here is an article submitted by Kyle Smith about making warm shelters for feral cats using simple, cheap materials.  I thought the design was so simple and effective that I agreed to post the article to help spread this information.

Make a winter shelter for feral cat colonies. The winter and summer seasons are the hardest for feral cats. Cold temperatures, wind, freezing rain and snow can lead to frostbitten paws, noses, and tails. Food and water become scarce and braving the elements makes finding food harder. Feral cats exist in every city and small town. They number in the millions and mostly go unseen and unprotected. ASPCA recommends implementing a TNR program in any area where feral cats roam. This program helps capture, neuter and return cats to the colony, which in turn reduces the population and helps maintain the cat’s health. Most animal rescue organizations are willing help you join or set up a feral cat program in your area. If there are feral cats nearby you can help them have a warm place to hide out this winter by creating a “Roughneck Home”. Erubbermaid has created a not-for-profit program called “Roughneck Homes” where you can purchase or donate an 18-gallon Rubbermaid tote at wholesale prices. Spend a little time, today, to help your fellow feline this winter.

Cat Shelter

What you need to build a Rubbermaid Roughneck Feral Cat Shelter.

  • Rubbermaid Container (the 18-gallon size is pictured)
  • Styrofoam Cooler
  • Straw
  • Duct Tape
  • Exacto or box knife
  • Eight inch diameter pot lid or plastic lid
  • Marker of pen
  • Nail file

Make a hole in the front of container by using a marker to trace around the lid then carefully cut out hole with Exacto knife. File down any sharp edges. Place the Styrofoam container inside the Rubbermaid container. Mark inside hole by tracing around outside container with a marker. Cut out Styrofoam hole. Pack straw into the gap between the Styrofoam container and the Rubbermaid container. Place the straw inside the inner container. Place the lid on Styrofoam cooler and tape edges with duct tape then do the same with the lid on the Rubbermaid container.

For more information, step-by-step instructions and photos go to the Roughneck Feral Cat Shelter site.

The shelter pictured is an 18-gallon container, suitable for one cat or two small cats. For a larger shelter, use the 36-gallon Roughneck and a bigger Styrofoam cooler.

Getting feral cats to use the homes isn’t too difficult if you think like a cat.

Cats are cautious, like small spaces where they can hide. Place your home in a secluded quiet area where you’ve seen cats. Avoid open spaces, noisy populated areas, away from car fumes and chemicals and away from dogs.

Entice cats with food and water. Never place food inside a shelter that’s meant to be ‘slept’ in. Cats don’t like to sleep with food near them. Place a dish of food near the shelter to draw cats closer and boost their curiosity. If using food only visit shelter once or twice per day. Feral cats get nervous and will avoid something that attracts too much human attention. You can also create a separate shelter for food using just the outside container with no cooler in it. Place ‘food’ shelter in the same area as but not close to ‘sleeping’ shelter.

Patience. It may take a few days to a week for feral cats to trust the new shelter. If there have been no signs of habitation after 2 weeks consider changing the location of the shelter.

Additional modifications: Often, feral cats will be hesitant to enter a shelter with only one exit, since it leaves them vulnerable to predators. You may need to cut a second hole on the opposite side to encourage ferals to use your roughneck home.

For cold windy areas added protection from wind or other elements may be needed. Installing a door flap made of heavy plastic, vinyl or canvas to each entrance of your roughneck home easily does this. Cats don’t like change so its best to start your shelter with flaps rather than installing them later.

Socializing Sammy 1

January 29, 2012 in Cats, Feral Cats, Socializing by Tom | 1 comment

A year ago we fostered two fierce orange tabby boys.  I worked to socialize Winnie and used that experience to write about how to burrito (snoggle) a cat.  We currently have a semi-feral cat, Sammy, and I’m going to some of the different techniques I use working with him.  I should say up-front that I’m no expert at this.  I have some advice from experienced people and am learning as I go.

It turned out that burritoing Winnie did not provide any benefit.  Initially he would start to purr as I wrapped him in the towel and seemed to relax after 20 minutes.  5-6 days later he would purr less and escape more.  I decided that I had mis-read the purring.  Cats purr when they are comfortable and happy but also when they WANT to be more comfortable and happy.  It is also called “stress purr”.  Winnie was purring because he was stressed by the contact.  As he got more comfortable with being burritoed he purred less and asserted his desire to be free more.

Forced contact, of which burritoing is one technique, may work well to overcome fear of humans in cats who have had little human contact.  If you can hold them long enough they will tire out, may realize they like human touch, and that conclusion may stick.  It did not work with Winnie because he had already come to the firm conclusion that he did not like human touch.  Repeating the process did nothing to change that conclusion.

So I changed tactics.  I let Winny run free in our house and made no attempt to touch him.  He turned out to be a great house mate and I really enjoyed him.  Eventually he allowed some touch.  Soon after that he got adopted.  His adopter continued the program.  Now he snuggles with her.

There was one time when I tried to pick him up.  He was eating out of a some one else’s food bowl.  We were at that point so comfortable around each other that I forgot about the no-touch policy.  I walked up behind him and picked him up.  He immediately turned into a ball of sharp claws and won his immediate release.  I apologized profusely and the incident was forgotten long before my scratches healed.

Sammy, who came to us as a young adult.  He purred when held so I assumed he was friendly.  We sent him to foster where he was reported to like pets.  He came to live with us in December and has slowly become more feral.  I now thinking that his purr is a stress purr and he really does not like human contact. That is not entirely true because he did like pets in the other foster and, at times here has shown enjoyment here.  He has  mixed feelings about human contact.

Helping him to overcome his discomfort with touch will make him more adoptable – make it more likely that we’ll find good home for him as a companion animal.  And, if we do place him as a companion animal he will be more comfortable in the company of people.  The alternative is to place him as a “barn cat” where is primary job is rodent control.

Letting him run free in the house may eventually work.  He will have constant presence of me and Marie, play time, treats, and meals to help him build positive association.  Given 6 months or a year he may decide that we humans are OK.  But I’m going to try to speed of the process by isolating him from the other cats in the house.  Sammy is very social and accustomed to a lot of contact with Maggie plus others.  If I deprive him of that he may be more willing to overcome his discomfort for the reward of my contact.

Sammy and Maggie love to be together but this reduces Sammy

There are problems with isolation.  He misses his buddies, calls out to them, and acts depressed.  I believe that on-balance the benefit is worth the short-term discomfort for him, but there is discomfort.

I work from home in an upstairs office.  It is easy to isolate him in two upstairs rooms: the landing and the office.  He has some choice.  He could stay out in the landing, in a completely separate room from me if he wants that much distance.  I’ve made the perches in my office more appealing.  If he wants to use those he has to share the same room.

At this point he has been with me one day.  Already I can now approach and pet him.  He will lean into my hand and show enjoyment.  I set up a pedestal in my office by the window.  It is such an appealing bed that he now will stay in the same room as me.

Sammy on the pedestal. This is far enough from me for him to stay.

I also set up a bed on my desk near where I work. He has already discovered that, but it is too close for him to remain while I work.

Sammy on the desk. This is too close for him to stay.

In a couple days I’ll take away the post and make the desk bed the most appealing place to be.

Meanwhile, I approach him as often as I can and offer some affection. If he stays and relaxes I pet him. If he shows discomfort I give him space.

At night I’ll let Maggie and some other cats upstairs so that Sammy gets some cat society time and they get to sleep in their accustomed places.  I believe this will lengthen the process but feel that the benefit to everyone is worth it.  If I find that Sammy reverts too much I’ll change that tactic.

One very effective technique would be to bring him into a small room with me to sleep at night.  Already he sleeps on the bed with me, often nestled against my legs.  I don’t think he realizes they are my legs though…

Winnie – Update

January 26, 2012 in Adoptions by Tom | No comments

A year ago, beginning of 2011, we received two orange kittens who were very fierce.  We worked with them for a long time.  Marie lived with Odel in her office for about a month.  He eventually grew to trust her.  I worked with Winnie by snoggling him.  Eventually I realized that he did not like contact and forcing it was not helping.  I change policy and let him have run of the house with no attempts to touch him.  Turned out he was a super fun cat to have around – always interested and very affectionate with our boy Nelson.  Ready for play, interested in what I was doing.  He just had a no touch policy.

We tried to adopt them together, and did send them home with one adopter who returned both the next day.  One reason for the return was that they could not touch the boys.  I told them this quite clearly but they must have a believed they had superior kitten taming abilities.  Eventually Odel went to a great home in Edmonds leaving us with Winnie.  Winnie had a number of potential adopters call. I screened carefully for adopters who would have the patience to work with him and stability (less likely to have life changes that required re-homing Winnie) and ended up convincing most adopters to look at other cats.

I was just accepting that he may be our cat, an idea I mostly liked, and he was just beginning to get snuggly when the perfect adopter showed up.  She was looking for a companion for her cat, had experience with shy cats, had patience, and seemed stable.  I was sad to see him go.

Our current foster Sammy is a lot like Winnie.  Wondering how Winnie, is I queried Jill who sent this report.  His name is now Pinto, aka Bean.

Hi Tom,

Little Bean is fantastic. I am SO in love with him! He is such an easy cat. Yes, he is super loving (to me) and although he may always be skiddish, he sleeps with me on the bed, loves to cuddle next to me, lick my hands and even lets me curl my face up next to him and take a nap with him and yes, pick him up. He even sits next to me now on my chair when I am working and lets me put him on my lap (for a while).

He and Pacha get along great (he is MUCH friendlier to her than she will ever be to him but they are really good buds now, finally – it took 6 months for her to be really warm to him and even then she prefers my company to his). She is on prednisone for asthma and that makes her more irritated but he is submissive and follows her around like her kitten. They play-fight and chase each other at least 6 times a day, just like children. They go out during the day and I lock them in at dusk. Pinto changed dramatically once I let him do that. He became SO much happier and less demanding of Pacha. They hang pretty tight outside and when the weather is nice, he likes to stay out most of the day, sleeping out there and coming in for dinner and a few snacks during the day. They love to go for walks with me on the beach and Pinto chases the sand-fleas and seagulls!
Pinto went to the vet, yes, TO the vet recently. I had to trick him into his box but he was fine there and checked out as healthy as can be.
I think because I NEVER pushed Pinto and let him come to me in his own time, he learned to trust me and not fear me in the least. If there were kids involved or a pushier person, I am not sure it would have worked out as well. He has such a strong memory and is overall a scaredy-cat, that I am not sure he will ever warm up to strangers.
I attached some pics. Please know he is super happy and well-loved. Best of luck with your new kitties. I wish I could take more.
Peace,
Jill
Walks on the beach:  sounds like cat heaven.

Winnie and Odel as kittens

Pinto and his new buddy Pacha

Pinto and Pacha

Pinto on the beach

Nelson’s New Home

January 23, 2012 in Adoptions by Tom | No comments

Nelson’s adopters have written us several times with updates:

First night:

As soon as we got him home he did the low walking all around our place like you said he would. Then once he realized there were no other cats or people he instantly started acting like king! We spent the evening playing with the feather toy you suggested and his tunnel box! After a few hours he fell asleep on Dan’s lap while we watched a movie. He has been eating well already (I think you were right 3 oz isn’t going to be enough, we are going to stick to 4-6). More updates and photos to come later. Thank you for raising such a great cat! We promise him a fun, safe, and loving home.

Belly Time

Decembert 20, 2011

The king is doing fantastic! I was home sick for most of this week so we had some great bonding time. Now he follows me all around the apartment! I am never out of his sight! He “helped” me wrap christmas presents, and he was so helpful that I decided to build him a cat condo from the boxes I had left over.

Wrapping presents

 

Casa de Nelson

January 10, 2012

Here are a few pictures of the best cat on earth! I don’t know how he got the laundry basket to balance like this, but he is amazing! Hope you guys are having a good new year!
-Lauren

Laundry basket trick

It is great to hear from them and know they love Nelson and that Nelson is happy in his home.

Sammy and Maggie

January 20, 2012 in Cats by Tom | 1 comment

Maggie and Sammy are two ordinary looking cats with special inner qualities. They both came from the same site and look like brother and sister but are several months apart in age. None the less, they are good buddies and play mates.

Maggie when she first arrived snuggled when held

Sammy when he first arrived purred when held

Maggie arrived first as a known friendly.  She was paired with Lewis, a shy cat, in the hopes that she would teach him how to be friendly. Sammy came to us as a presumed feral and so got ear tipped. I discovered that he purred when held. He went to a foster house and was joined by Maggie a couple weeks later. They went through a couple transfers, including some time in an All the Best Pet Care store for adoption before we received them. In the store they were too shy of people to be readily adoptable so we took them for more socialization time.

They are teaching me how cats communicate with each other.  I am learning about chirps, trills, and body language from them.

Maggie comforting Annabelle who was ill.

Both love other cats. When Maggie meets another cat she, purrs, arches, and rubs up against things. Then she falls on her side, makes air-biscuits toward them, and rolls over a few times. This is cat greeting for: we are going to be the best friends! Annabelle, another foster and a story in her own right, feels the same about other cats.  She too will do the rolls and air biscuits.  I now often find some combination of Maggie, Sammy, and Annabelle curled up together.

They have such good cat social skills.  When a cat does not reciprocate their interest, such as our mid-aged lady Luna, they will respect that boundary. I’ve never seen them hiss at or swat at another cat. Neither have the hiss, swatted, or nipped at me. Maggie would nip playfully at my hand but I only needed to squeak at her a few times. Each time she would pull back and look sorry that she had hurt me. She has not nipped at me since.

Maggie investigating little Nansen, who is a little uncertain.

Both are playful but Sammy is the supper athletic one. He knows that before bedtime I’ll get Da-Bird out for a good round of play. He shows up near me, tail up, rolling around on the floor to say – ready to play now! He is like a panther – speed and lots of power. He makes great leaps and shakes the floor when he lands.

In previous foster, Sammy would allow himself to be approached and held but Maggie would not. Here I isolated Maggie first – she spent the first week with me in my office and got comfortable with contact. I’m doing a long at-home meditation retreat in January and thought it would be a good time to work with shy cats. However, when I isolated Sammy upstairs where I mediate he would complain and call to Maggie. Then Maggie figured out where her buddy was and they both scratched at the door from opposite sides. Needless to say, meditation was impossible in those conditions so I gave Sammy free run of the house. Even so, in the two days with me he allowed me to approach and pet him. After retreat, when I’m more able to tolerate interruption, I’ll isolate Sammy again and work on his human trust issues.

Maggie and Sammy in a love nets

Sammy and Maggie snuggle while I meditate

Sammy is content with Maggie.

I’ve developed so much appreciation for these guys loving, gentle, and smart attributes I am tempted to adopt them ourselves. They are so very good with other cats they would not be at all disturbed by the constant change in the cat population. But their addition would bring us to 4 resident, which is a lot.

The two spend a lot of time playing together.

These are two cats I’ll be sad to say good by to.  We are looking for a good home for them.  I think they would do best in a house with patient people and some other cats.  They will get along with and play with just about any cat.  The adopter will have to have patience with their shyness but will be richly rewarded.

Sammy and Maggie together

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