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Post by Summertime on Dec 10, 2012 20:35:24 GMT
I inherited 5 Ferral cats (from an elderly neighbour who died) a while ago now and everything has been fine! However a couple of weeks ago the old one went missing and a neighbour rang (with heating in their tack room) to find him snuggled up asleep in there, they have other cats and a cat flap! They duly brought him back and he stayed for a week but has gone back there now! So I am wondering if I should supply mine with some sort of heating. They currently are fed well, have beds in one of the stables but move around frequently, fresh water available, I worm them and de-flea them! They have stables and a barn to shelter in, they very rarely leave the yard as they are always down there, they are all neutered now! My OH says I am mad to think I should build them a shed and put some heating in it but what is everyone elses experience with ferral cats and their needs?? Just to note that TomKat (the old one) has never wandered off before he was always down the yard! He is deaf as a post, looks very flea bitten but can still boss the others about and got a good turn of hoof if he needs to!
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Post by mountainsandhorses on Dec 10, 2012 20:52:10 GMT
I have had three ferral sister cats that I "re-homed"- one went off to live with a Tom (she was spayed but seemed to like him) The other two have moved with me to my new yard and have been AMAZING at keeping vermin at bay and errr, leaving me gruesome evidence of this! (was starting to worry I would have the local rare breed protection type after we identified some feathers as being that of a lesser spotted woodpecker! ) They have moved "yards- field with a shelter" with me and follow me slavishly around...they want for nothing more than access to water (horse trough) dry biscuits and whatever tit bits I have, they LOVE bread- weird. They sleep on the rugs in my "tack room" and are now bessie mates with my whippet! They try to "kiss" him on arrival (he is scared of cats). I worm them and apply frontline but the main point is that they are neutered. One got trodden on by a visiting horse the other day- I was really upset for her paw. She seems none harmed and rather disgusted by the visitor. I regularly find them sitting with my horses trying to share their sugarbeet. I have had house cats but I find the ferrals seem more happy and dog like in their devotion when you arrive. They don't need heating but an expensive thermatex rug seems to go down well!
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Post by Summertime on Dec 10, 2012 20:59:03 GMT
Thank you mountains and horses, thats good to know, I shall leave the new shed and heating I had in mind and carry on as I am and hope that he comes back! Won't let OH know he was right!!!
The first thing I have to do on the yard is the cats they are so demanding and will not let me do anything until they are fed!
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Post by mountainsandhorses on Dec 10, 2012 21:15:39 GMT
Yes indeed this is the price we pay for extreme rodent control
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Post by roseview on Dec 31, 2012 13:59:09 GMT
Having feral cats is such a rewarding thing, I think. I wish more yard owners would take some in as they make great pest controllers and are quite amusing themselves. We have 3 in the yard and they own the place. They have a stable where they are fed, another where one sleeps in the hay rack, two sleep in the barn. On bad weather days one of them seems to think an empty stable is a toilet (one little downside!) but the others use a litter tray. They sit on the stable doors and watch the house door so that they can run to meet me at the appropriate time of day! They demand feeding before the ponies otherwise they get amongst the hooves. I do love having them around.
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Post by Summertime on Jan 3, 2013 7:52:52 GMT
awwww he still hasn't come back! I have checked with neighbours and been up and down lane but nothing! I just hope he is ok somewhere!
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Post by roseview on Jan 4, 2013 13:11:24 GMT
I'm sure he will. One of my ferals only seems to come in the winter, I seldom see her in the summer at all unless it rains. She roams quite some distance as I have seen her when out in the car.
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