Neighbor cat leaving presents

Here's our Tuxedo Cat and Annie (old pic). Tux just got his "fix & vax" last week
and seems to be doing pretty well. I just can't seem to catch him to put the
drops in his ears.

Hey BillyPorter, Love your kitty names, Peteys' eyes are so intense what a great photo.
Garden Mermaid ~ your guy looks more agile than feral, pretty boy!
Tammy, is Tux wild or does he avoid you cause he knows the meds are coming? I always use a towel to wrap in, then I don't need a hand and they can't slip off...

Tux is a feral. It took a good year to get him to eat on the deck with our other
barn cats. Then another year to get him trust me enough to let me touch him.
So this fall I took him to get fixed & treated by the vet. He's not so happy with me
right now. I can touch his head and get in a little petting but he's careful to be
under a chair so I can't grab him. I will do the meds when he's a little more trusting
again. I fear if I man handle him too soon, I'll lose all that progress we've made!

Tam

I was worried about that with Patches, my newest. He was very subdued and timid when I got him from the shelter (and matted and oily), but when I came into the bathroom where I was keeping him and petted him, he'd purr and enjoy it.

Then I let him out of the bathroom to meet my brood. Then he got a URI. Then EVERYBODY got it. And his life seemed to be nothing but wheezing, sneezing, coughing, being yelled at or chased by the other cats, or my grabbing him to brush his fur or try to give him his meds.

He went back to not wanting anything to do with anybody.

He still hasn't really bonded with me, although he does enjoy being petted. He still needs to be brushed regularly, but I haven't been doing that because I don't want the reputation of that nasty woman who grabs him and pulls his hair.

I've loved all the pictures of all of the cats here.

Of course, if I take Grey in, he'll become an indoor cat, and I'll lose my garden champion and defender of the vegetables.

WH, I find that it can be overwhelming for the newest cat in the household to meet all the kinfolk all at once. I moved the cat playpen (large cage with three benches) into our back bedroom while Spook was at the vet getting neuted. I kept him in the playpen for another week after moving him into the house. The other cats could see him and sniff him, but they couldn't get to him to have any arguments. I let him out for a closer encounter only after the other two started spending time sitting next to and on top of the playpen to keep him company. He knew he could go back in his cage for safety if needed. Not that the others were really threatening to him. It was a lot of new experiences for him. He didn't know what the litter box was when we first trapped him. Didn't do his business for two days. The rescue groups suggested putting a handful of garden soil over the top of the litter to give him the idea. It worked and he made up for lost time. Every aspect of life among humans was foreign to him. He didn't even know how to play with another cat. All his moves were fighting moves and then he'd look dejected. I had to explain to him that swatting a girl in the face is not the way to get a date! I never knew that cats could bark. Spook has a way of barking and then growling a warning if someone comes near the door. Of course he runs off to hide in the closet, but he's warned his "colony" about the danger first.

GM ~ That is most interesting. Most of our recent collection were kittens when acquired. You have taught me alot about introducing an adult. We do have one that will growl lowly at something she considers unusual and then runs to hide under the bed.

Thanks Pod! Petey is the baby. He sleeps on my head, kneading it first and he has his claws. Zoe beats him up. Zoe is the snuggler and thinks he's hypnotizing you while he's kneading!

Love everyone's cats! The male ferals seemed to tame better than the females. I called two female cats Owly for the arching and hissing they did when I fed them.

We got all of them trapped and taken to the humane society. Now we only have 3 cats roaming and haven't seen any kittens. I adore ferals and the kits tho. We used to feed them and marveled at the perfect markings.