Comments on: A Man After My Own Heart http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942 Just another WordPress site Fri, 03 May 2013 04:56:27 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1-alpha-15359 By: centaur http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-68777 centaur Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:35:59 +0000 http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-68777 Thanks, Mia! I appreciate your detailed comments and the knowledge you bring to the table! When I do an update I'll call this comment out because people need to know the 5-7 days for females note. All the best, fellow cat lovers! -Anthony Thanks, Mia! I appreciate your detailed comments and the knowledge you bring to the table! When I do an update I’ll call this comment out because people need to know the 5-7 days for females note. All the best, fellow cat lovers! -Anthony

]]> By: centaur http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-68776 centaur Tue, 21 Aug 2012 04:34:43 +0000 http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-68776 Thanks, Carolyn! Yay for you and Kit and Peanut! Loki is doing even better now. I'm more and more impressed with Loki. Recently I went to pet him when he was sitting on a fence, and when I tried to pull away he grabbed my hand with his claws and began gnawing on it - and I got not one scratch, because he was just being lovey and didn't want to give up his scritchy hand. He has exquisite control over his teeth and claws and knows not to use them on humans. Someone loved this cat before they lost him to the wild. Thanks, Carolyn! Yay for you and Kit and Peanut!

Loki is doing even better now. I’m more and more impressed with Loki. Recently I went to pet him when he was sitting on a fence, and when I tried to pull away he grabbed my hand with his claws and began gnawing on it – and I got not one scratch, because he was just being lovey and didn’t want to give up his scritchy hand. He has exquisite control over his teeth and claws and knows not to use them on humans. Someone loved this cat before they lost him to the wild.

]]> By: Carolyn http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-68199 Carolyn Sat, 18 Aug 2012 19:47:37 +0000 http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-68199 I'm so glad he came back to you! We had a similar experience when our local feral-turned-somewhat-domestic cat brought (what we think or pretend is) his son to our house one day, as a just-weaned kitten. We caught him when he was old enough, had him neutered, and released him. He stuck around to get fed with his "dad" for a whole (harsh) winter, living outside though, under our shed and wherever else his dad had shelter. However, this spring (his 1st) he started coming inside, and now is a mostly-indoor cat whom we named Kit. As for his dad - he's at least 10 years old and while my mother and I can pet him occasionally, and he sleeps and eats in the house, we have not been able to trap or grab him to take to the vets. Not in 10 years! We've tried all manner of things, so not looking for suggestions (thanks anyway) ... just saying that I agree with TNR even if we can't achieve it with Peanut. Again, yay for you and Loki! I’m so glad he came back to you!

We had a similar experience when our local feral-turned-somewhat-domestic cat brought (what we think or pretend is) his son to our house one day, as a just-weaned kitten. We caught him when he was old enough, had him neutered, and released him.

He stuck around to get fed with his “dad” for a whole (harsh) winter, living outside though, under our shed and wherever else his dad had shelter. However, this spring (his 1st) he started coming inside, and now is a mostly-indoor cat whom we named Kit.

As for his dad – he’s at least 10 years old and while my mother and I can pet him occasionally, and he sleeps and eats in the house, we have not been able to trap or grab him to take to the vets. Not in 10 years! We’ve tried all manner of things, so not looking for suggestions (thanks anyway) … just saying that I agree with TNR even if we can’t achieve it with Peanut.

Again, yay for you and Loki!

]]> By: Mia Carter http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-67842 Mia Carter Fri, 17 Aug 2012 12:42:12 +0000 http://www.dresan.com/blog/?p=1942#comment-67842 Hi there! You linked to my article on ferals vs. strays on PetLvr. I popped over to read your article. It sounds like you and your wife are just like me and my husband! I just wanted to say "thank you" for neutering Loki and for caring for your local outdoor kitties. You've changed their lives for the better! I'm sure Loki will forgive you for the neutering. LOL I've done a lot of TNR work and they always come back. Though some sulk for a couple days! But there's a very good reason for this: Male cats in particular associate feeding spots with other cats and therefore, when they visit your house for food, they're more apt to get in a confrontation with other cats. So they instinctively avoid these confrontation hot spots when they're sick or injured or freshly neutered/spayed. It's nature's way of keeping them out of a fight until they heal! A tip for the future: if you have a cat who is a stray or a semi-tamed feral, who tolerates being crated, I recommend keeping them for 5-7 days after the surgery. This way, you keep them safe and well-fed during the recovery process. (More important for females than males...males have a much more superficial operation, whereas with females, you're cutting through the abdominal wall muscles -- much more invasive and much more difficult to recover.) Then, you don't have to worry about them wandering off and having after-surgery complications! Hopefully, the spraying should quit too. That's a wild card, though. Spraying can become so ingrained that they sometimes continue after neutering. And lastly, I wanted to comment on your point about "getting rid" of one cat, only to have 4 more come in to fight over the territory. Absolutely correct on that! One of our dominant male ferals passed away a few months ago. And within a few hours, we had half a dozen males jockeying for his territory (2 were 'regulars' but the rest were unfamiliar cats from outside "our" territory.) It was awful! Our property was a kitty war zone for several days, as males came from far and wide to fight for Hans' honey hole. I'm glad to hear of another person out there who is caring for the neighborhood kitties. Keep up the good work! Best, Mia Carter Author: http://petlvr.com/blog/2012/03/28/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-a-feral-cat-and-stray/ Hi there!
You linked to my article on ferals vs. strays on PetLvr.
I popped over to read your article. It sounds like you and your wife are just like me and my husband!
I just wanted to say “thank you” for neutering Loki and for caring for your local outdoor kitties. You’ve changed their lives for the better! I’m sure Loki will forgive you for the neutering. LOL I’ve done a lot of TNR work and they always come back. Though some sulk for a couple days! But there’s a very good reason for this: Male cats in particular associate feeding spots with other cats and therefore, when they visit your house for food, they’re more apt to get in a confrontation with other cats. So they instinctively avoid these confrontation hot spots when they’re sick or injured or freshly neutered/spayed. It’s nature’s way of keeping them out of a fight until they heal!

A tip for the future: if you have a cat who is a stray or a semi-tamed feral, who tolerates being crated, I recommend keeping them for 5-7 days after the surgery. This way, you keep them safe and well-fed during the recovery process. (More important for females than males…males have a much more superficial operation, whereas with females, you’re cutting through the abdominal wall muscles — much more invasive and much more difficult to recover.) Then, you don’t have to worry about them wandering off and having after-surgery complications!

Hopefully, the spraying should quit too. That’s a wild card, though. Spraying can become so ingrained that they sometimes continue after neutering.

And lastly, I wanted to comment on your point about “getting rid” of one cat, only to have 4 more come in to fight over the territory. Absolutely correct on that! One of our dominant male ferals passed away a few months ago. And within a few hours, we had half a dozen males jockeying for his territory (2 were ‘regulars’ but the rest were unfamiliar cats from outside “our” territory.) It was awful! Our property was a kitty war zone for several days, as males came from far and wide to fight for Hans’ honey hole.

I’m glad to hear of another person out there who is caring for the neighborhood kitties. Keep up the good work!
Best,
Mia Carter
Author: http://petlvr.com/blog/2012/03/28/how-to-tell-the-difference-between-a-feral-cat-and-stray/

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