Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK

Cat General => General Cat Chat => Topic started by: sophie1971 on July 02, 2011, 19:35:34 PM

Title: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 02, 2011, 19:35:34 PM
i have rescued a feral cat and he urgently needs rehoming. right now he is at battersea cats home and they are struggling to find a suitable place for him. he needs a farm with an outside sleeping area and food and water daily. he is very shy with people but good with other cats (he loved one of mine!). he needs a new home - somewhere safe and with a caring owner. can you please advise? or recommend anyone that can help him out? Sophie x
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Tiggy's Mum on July 03, 2011, 15:22:35 PM
It's worth going through the yellow pages or googling for farms/stables in your area and ringing them to see if they are in need of a new employee. One of our members rescued a liitle feral family and managed to find homes for the adults by doing this.

:luck:
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on July 03, 2011, 15:32:38 PM
Not a lot of ffarms in London LOL....try yell.com for an outer London area maybe
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: lau200 on July 03, 2011, 16:17:18 PM
doesn't even need to be a farm, i have ferals living happily in my garden though for somewhere as busy as London maybe that is not an option? just somewhere they can shelter from the elements and someone to check they are getting food. my ferals have a shed to call home as well as a large dog kennel.
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 03, 2011, 21:35:32 PM
hi there. thanks for your replies... i took him today to somewhere in northamptonshire. its a stables with a barn where he has a bed and the lady who owns the horses will feed him every day.. i am worried that he will get lost there as its in the middle of nowhere!! have i done the right thing? when he was here in london he had no where to sleep and the big cat from down the road beat him up every day... i hope he is ok ... i cried all the way home!!!
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on July 03, 2011, 22:11:14 PM
I think he will be fine and you did the exact right thing. Cats find there way around very well and if he is getting regular food this will help keep him there.

I am sure he will be in his ellement and very happy  :hug: :hug: :hug:
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 03, 2011, 22:20:13 PM
thanks gill.. that's made me feel a bit better.. The lady is going to let me how he's doing... fingers crossed he'll like it there x x
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 03, 2011, 22:23:09 PM
one more thing.... will he be lonely? there is not much else around there other than fields?!?!? will he miss other cat contact? i am a bit worries he will pine for his old life in london... :-/
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on July 04, 2011, 00:28:12 AM
Doesnt she have any other ferals?

Even if she doesnt I am sure there are others around and he will make contact if he wants.
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Tiggy's Mum on July 04, 2011, 07:49:26 AM
Good on you for caring about him, I'm sure he'll have a lovely life at the stables once he's settled in - better to have countryside and regular meals than concrete and being beaten up all the time :hug:
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 04, 2011, 09:29:34 AM
hello! she got him for the rat problem she has.. should she get some more ferals?
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ on July 04, 2011, 22:50:20 PM
Hi Sophie, he will be ok on his own as cats don't need company. If the lady is prepared to take more ferals on, I would bite her hand off at the offer as suitable homes are so few and far between.

One thing, the lady will need to try and keep him contained in one barn or stable for a couple of weeks so he gets used to being fed there and knows to come back (similar to when you move home with your cats)

Finally, he is neutered isn't he?

P.s. I am the lady that rang round all the farms and stables in my local yellow pages. I'm on Bedfordshire which is just up the road from northamptonshire.

Well done for helping this guy too
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 04, 2011, 23:09:57 PM
hi steff... the lady text me this morning.. he ate his food and used his dirt box! so i guess he feels ok there.. I also gave her the bed he used to sleep outside my house so his scent may still be on there. maybe that would make him feel ok too... she said she would keep him in for a few days.. should it be longer? i am so worried that he will run off and get lost and not find his way back.. but i am glad he is free! he really hated being at battersea in a cage :-(...  he has been chipped and spayed, wormed and vaccinated and he is healthy so all good! i hope he is ok xx
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ on July 04, 2011, 23:24:47 PM
Good news   :)

Ideally she should keep him in for a few weeks but saying that my two ferals at the farm didn't, mum escaped after a couple of days and the son stayed in the barn for just over a week but both stayed because there was hay, shelter, warmth and food as well as lots o  :)f rodents! The lady just need to keep him in for as long as possible.

Glad he has a clean bill of health  :)
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 04, 2011, 23:29:36 PM
hi steff.. so, when your feral mum ran off, did she find her way back? and how long was she gone etc? there are loads of rats at this lady's stable which is why she got the cat there in the first place... i hope they tempt him to stay lol! xx
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Gill (sneakiefeline) on July 04, 2011, 23:35:57 PM
My feeling is that she needs more than one feral to get rid of the rats, rats can be huge.

Misa and Sasa never caught any here but they all vanished once M & S arrived.
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 04, 2011, 23:38:33 PM
hi gil... i was thinking about that.. i saw their rat pooh and it was huge!!! god knows the size of the rat... i hope they dont gang up on Jack :-/.... i will reccommend another feral for her. thanks for your advice x
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: Steff - Petsearch Bedford HQ on July 04, 2011, 23:40:00 PM
The farm is massive and has loads of HUGE outbuildings so she was more than likely in and amongst those instead of being completely missing but the farmer didn't see her for about a week.

They have four cats up at the farm now  :)
Title: Re: feral cat advice needed
Post by: sophie1971 on July 04, 2011, 23:42:33 PM
hi steff. this place he is in is just a stable and the building he is in.. there is a farm opposite though.. maybe he could go there if he got bored... i will advise her to get more ferals.. thanks for your help xx