Topic: limping stray- wimping feeder (Read 3360 times)

Desley (booktigger) · « **Reply #21 on:** November 30, 2007, 23:25:20 PM »

fingers crossed you can catch him and get him sorted - if you do ring CAT77, Elke is a lovely person.

Pinkbear (Julie) · « **Reply #20 on:** November 30, 2007, 16:36:33 PM »

Claire

Try not to get too worried about the leg, however... sounds to me like this puss has an abcess as a result of a fight injury. He'll need antibiotics at least. Possibly surgery to lance it.

Try Cat Action Trust 1977. The London area branch is run by a lady called Elke. She may be able to lend you a hospital cage while he's recovering. And for heaven's sake get his bits sorted while you're at it.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #19 on:** November 30, 2007, 16:34:54 PM »

If hes healthy why test him.....

Good luck Claire, i hope you get Elvis soon (love the name!)

pappilon · « **Reply #18 on:** November 30, 2007, 10:18:27 AM »

OK, thats fine .

Just let me know .

Yes it is Mayhew home, but if i catch MR TRAMP i am not taking him there for treatment bacos they told me if he is FIV , they PTS him being a feral, they have FIV cats which they rehoming but not the ferals.So i am planing to take him to my vet and if positive find a place for him.

But i havent had the chance to catch him yet, a bit like your situation.
PM , me if you think you can use the trap and we can sort out the address and...

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #17 on:** November 30, 2007, 09:56:44 AM »

Thanks Pappilon, that's very kind.
I may well come over to you or the rescue (is it The Mayhew?) to collect trap if we decide to attempt trapping.
Unfortunately I'm away in Belfast until Monday but possibly next weekend.
Wouldn't expect you to drive!
Didn't see Elvis before work today so not sure how he is...
Claire

pappilon · « **Reply #16 on:** November 29, 2007, 23:36:48 PM »

Hi claire, just read this . I borrowed a trap from our local rescue to trap a my feral MR TRAMP , i live in kilburn is not far from you i can arrange to send it to you for few days if it helps to catch Elvis and then you can return it to me?

Let me know , i am more than happy to do it this saturday.

Millys Mum · « **Reply #15 on:** November 29, 2007, 20:51:16 PM »

Try celia hammond for a trap or battersea. If you dont expect them to take the cat on they be abit more helpful with lending equipment.
Good luck

Dawn (DiddyDawn) · « **Reply #14 on:** November 29, 2007, 18:27:10 PM »

I know when I was trying to coax Tiger into his kennel, I smothered it with Catnip leaves and also the spray. I used to put bits of chicken inside as well so he associated it with being a nice place

Good luck hun, xxxxxxxxxxx

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #13 on:** November 29, 2007, 18:17:10 PM »

Mm. That's interesting about the storage boxes. What a good idea. I've got to buy some of those anyway so I'll look for an Elvis-sized one... and I've got some vet bedding left over from feral kittens... A silly question but how did your friend persuade the ferals that the boxes were a good idea- or did they just get the idea when they saw them?
(Mind you what I really need to do is catch him if he's got a leg wound!)

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #12 on:** November 29, 2007, 18:13:18 PM »

Wow Michelle that was some hotel room. A cosy little pod...

Dawn (DiddyDawn) · « **Reply #11 on:** November 29, 2007, 18:12:52 PM »

My friend uses the plastic storage boxes where you have a lid on it to seal them tight. She cuts a hole out and puts either vet bed or a nice fleecey blanket to keep them warm. She has these dotted about her garden as she has quite a few ferals, and they look fab.

Michelle (furbabystar) · « **Reply #10 on:** November 29, 2007, 18:09:11 PM »

A good idea for a shelter for him is a covered-in litter tray and take the door off !
I used that for a feral cat i had.

I also ran a lead outside and he had a heat mat in it.
Once it got colder i put newspaper around it and then covered with a black sack, then i put a cut up duvet on top and covered again with another black sack - he was as warm as toast inside it

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #9 on:** November 29, 2007, 17:56:55 PM »

Thanks- much appreciated!
x

Dawn (DiddyDawn) · « **Reply #8 on:** November 29, 2007, 17:54:15 PM »

Keep me posted hun, the offer is there if needed

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #7 on:** November 29, 2007, 17:52:29 PM »

Dawn you are a saint but I know you're over-run with little fellas of your own!
I am more than happy to pay for his vet care etc.... it's just the blasted catching of him that I feel (am!) inadequate about.
I'm going to try to keep an eye out for him tomorrow and see if he's still limping. If so, I'll have to try locating a trapper cage somewhere...
He's really quite a sweet chap (or at least I'm fond of him) with rather gentle round eyes.
x Claire

Dawn (DiddyDawn) · « **Reply #6 on:** November 29, 2007, 17:38:14 PM »

Claire, if I can help in any way, give me a bell, I think you still have my number. I'm not sure how far Lesley is from you but I will be meeting her sometime soon in Birmingham. If you can get hold of the little fella, I will get him in the vets etc and try and find somewhere for him

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #5 on:** November 29, 2007, 15:10:03 PM »

Thanks all, really kind of you to reply.

And hello Gill- lovely to hear from you!

I'd say he's unneutered because when he sprays the smell is certainly pungent. (Pudding's spray doesn't seem to have any smell by comparison- or perhaps that's just a mother talking!)

Our garden is very small and we go down to it via steps from a roof terrace outside our kitchen (we're on the raised ground and upwards, there are people in the basement but peculiarly they don't have garden access...). I'm feeding Elvis on the roof terrace. It's fairly large (about 15 feet wide and 10 feet deep) but still close to the house. I wonder if he'd dare to sleep there and I wonder what Pudding would do about it... But could be worth a try and I do have a spare wire cat carrier (bought when I first planned to catch him) that could be covered. We've been told he may be seeking or finding shelter in the local alms-house flats where we know an elderly resident but it's hard to judge whether this man's eyesight can really distinguish Elvis from any other black cat...

I have spoken to OH about building a shelter in the garden, though Elvis rarely ventures down into the garden where I think he suspects he'd be more vulnerable.

Oddly he comes to feed in daytime. I think he waits until Pudding seems to have gone off for a jaunt in the morning, then comes round for food. Occasionally he's wrong or she's waiting for him and they collide... If food goes out too early then Pudding eats it instead of her own. But if Elvis turns up between 9/10 am and finds no food then he comes into the house, eats Pudding's food and sprays. (Which is partly why I started to feed him initially, as it was understandably upsetting her).

I do like the idea of giving him shelter. I'll have to rack my brains for a place to feed him that's not the roof terrace and not in the middle of small lawn or flower bed (there's really not much else below!) so I can offer shelter that's not directly outside Pudding's kitchen and catflap... I don't want to make him vulnerable to foxes or attack... But definitely worth trying to come up with something...

Claire

clarenmax · « **Reply #4 on:** November 29, 2007, 14:51:25 PM »

Hiya, sorry, don't have much in the way of useful suggestions, but good on you for caring about Elvis and wanting to help him

Just one thought, would it be possible to keep Pudding inside for a bit, while you borrow a working trap to try and trap Elvis?

Gill (sneakiefeline) · « **Reply #3 on:** November 29, 2007, 14:51:12 PM »

Hi Claire long time no see

Poor boy, he sounds like he definately needs help but has come to trust you to a certain extent and of course I know of Puddings story.

Do you know if he is an unneutered Tom, the smell of him spraying would give it away.

I am sure that there must be other rescues in North London but afraid I am not up in how it is best for him to be trapped.

I am sure others are going to come on here and tell you all the ins and outs.

I was wondering does he come to feed at certain times, like at night?

If so do you have a plastic cat carrier that will survive the rain? If so it may be an idea to start puutting that outside covered with a plastic sheet except for the doorway and put a blanket and his food inside, not to try to trap him right now but just to get him going in there to eat and for a bit of shelter to start with.

madkittyrescue · « **Reply #2 on:** November 29, 2007, 14:40:34 PM »

I'm sure someone here will be able to offer up advice on who is best to contact... sadly we are too far away to help!

Claire Hirsch · « **Reply #1 on:** November 29, 2007, 12:15:51 PM »

A plea for help or thoughts about where to get help.
I've been feeding a local cat who seems to be a stray (and who, for complicated reasons, is known in our household as Elvis). Nobody claims he belongs to them, he's wary of humans, but will stand within a few feet of me.
When I first encountered him he was very thin and had a wound on his back leg. Because he was relatively friendly I managed to get close enough to him at that stage to touch him, and so thought I'd try to capture him to take him to the vet...
Stupid me. Of course my attempt to grab him and put him in a cage was useless. He struggled like mad and I had to let him go. Since then of course he's been wary of allowing me to get close.
After a few weeks of feeding he's now a very healthy weight and leg wound seemed to have healed...
But... today he's limping. Badly.
My own cat Pudding feels threatened by the fact that I feed Elvis (she's taken to spraying everywhere and whacking me- a sure sign of stress with her) though he's always been very careful to be "polite" when she's around- making all the right gestures. However he is territorial, marks the terrace where I feed him and doesn't back off when she stands looking threatening... So he's no pushover and he's twice her size.
I'd really like to take him to the vet, do whatever's necessary, and get him rehomed. (I'm pretty sure he could be a friendly cat given a bit of time).
With my work/family schedule there's no way I can observe a trap. And since Pudding is in the habit of eating the food I put out for Elvis I'm nervous of baiting a trap and leaving it. It's taken two years to tame the ferocious traumatised Pudding so a spell unwittingly caught in a trap wouldn't exactly do her much good. Also I don't actually have a trap! Although I'd be perfectly happy to pay for one.
Ideally in my lazy/overstretched world I'd love someone else to trap poor Elvis and then I'd take it from there. I'm very happy to pay for any treatment, general care, neutering, vaccinations, teeth, etc. And I'm very happy to get him rehomed.
The local CPL weren't interested and offered me use of a trap (which turned out to be broken) but nothing more. (Though I reckon they would house Elvis prior to rehoming if I asked nicely).
I feel really bad about him and don't quite know what to do. Also have to confess I have hands full with various unwell family members and having to travel to deal with them...
Urg. Feel a very inadequate cat-loving person writing this but any suggestions welcome... (I'm in North London- Kentish Town).
Claire

Author Topic: limping stray- wimping feeder (Read 3360 times)