Many of you have read the story of Logan, the stray “werewolf” cat Cat Man Chris was notified about a couple of months ago. When we write these stories, it is to share the amazing rescue tales happening every day. We began this adventure wanting to educate, inform and entertain cat lovers. As our feline world has grown, we’ve learned there are more cats that need help. More than we ever could have imagined. It’s not just here–sadly, it’s everywhere! And every day we receive stories just as amazing from our supporters. For one family in Sparta, New Jersey, reading Logan’s story inspired them to take action. And to our delight, they messaged our Facebook page to share the amazing news. I wanted to share here because it’s an amazing reminder of another thing. After TNR’ing a feral feline, that doesn’t mean they never need our help again!
Thank you to Sharon and family for what they did for the feral cat living in their neighborhood!
Story as told by Sharon.
About 6 ½ years ago, on a cold December night, I saw a stray cat run out of my neighbor’s garage. I knew that kitty was in trouble with the cold and the snow. I was able to lure it to my yard by putting some food outside (it sure was hungry). It was a very feral cat and would not let me get near. Over the next few days I continued to feed it, and I noticed that its ear was clipped. I was relieved to see that this cat was “fixed”.
My husband built it a custom house, complete with insulation, a rubber-lined roof, and a heated pad for the floor. We would put the food in it so it could eat in the warmth. However, after it ate, it never stayed in the house; it would go to sleep elsewhere. I suspected that it didn’t feel safe staying there since we were putting the food in the house twice a day.
But because it was winter, I couldn’t bear to think that it didn’t have a warm place to sleep. So, we put together another house in the front yard out of a plastic storage container, insulation and yes, another heated pad. We did this so it could eat in warmth (backyard) and sleep in warmth (front yard).
Life was good for the kitty.
It had two square meals a day and shelter. It had its favorite spots around our home to sit in the sun, and every once in a while we saw evidence of its good hunting skills. Although it grew accustomed to seeing and hearing us, I was never able to get close enough to pet it. However, throughout the years I was able to get within a close proximity.
Then, late last year, the kitty started to limp on one of its front paws. I struggled with this because I wanted to help it, but it still would not let me get too close. Thinking if we tried to trap it and it failed, the kitty would leave and never come back. I kept hoping that its paw would heal from whatever was bothering it.
Earlier this year I started to read about Logan’s rescue on your Facebook page and how poor Logan had ingrown toenails. I thought to myself that this could be my kitty’s problem too! I know how painful those are.
It was settled – we were going to trap it.
We set up a humane trap, but we were only going to leave it set while we were awake because it was winter, and I didn’t want it trapped out in the cold all night. I didn’t hold out much hope that this very feral, timid cat would go into the trap.
Boy, were we wrong – we caught it on night #2! The cries coming from the trap as we drove it to the animal hospital were heart wrenching. It was so scared.
When we arrived at the hospital, they asked me if it was a boy or girl – I didn’t know! Again, I was never able to get close enough. But, through the years, I suspected it was a girl. We registered her as “Kiki” (the name I always had in my mind). We told them to update her on all shots, deworm, give a flea and tick treatment, and check out her paw. Kiki would spend the night at the hospital.
As it turns out, she DID have an ingrown toenail (and she WAS a girl)!
They were able to remove the claw from her paw pad, clean it up and give her a long-lasting antibiotic shot. Then they explained that it would be best if we could keep that paw dry for a week….yikes! We had no idea how she would handle being caged for a week – especially since she didn’t drink or eat at the vet, and she never stopped crying….poor baby!
We were able to borrow a large dog cage from a neighbor, and we set up her temporary home in our garage. We were able to put a box in the cage and put her heating pad in that box. This way, she had a sheltered bed, just like outside. To our surprise, the minute we put her in the cage, she walked right over to her heated pad, stopped crying and slept for hours. She was exhausted! Later that day, she came out to eat, drink, and use the litter box.
She was content for the entire week!
She let us clean her cage once a day and feed and water twice a day with no crying. I think she knew we were there to help. After a week, we carried the cage outside for her release. She did get a little nervous as we moved her, and she started to cry. But, once she realized the open door, she ran out.
Kiki is back to her happy life with us. She is on her old schedule like nothing happened. But, best of all, her limp is gone! We are so happy we decided to trap her. She must have been in a lot of pain, and that can wear a cat down. Kiki is back to being the Queen of our house, at least on the outside. Afterall, we have three indoor cats too (all rescued from outside at one time or another), and they like to think they run the house!
