Cats

[Mr. Sandman]

Now that my dog died, I have noticed a cat that comes out of the woods behind my house every so often and will hang out under my deck. He/She? is very skittish and looked a little hungry so I opened a can of tunafish and put it out. He ate it in no time. For the last month or so he would come by for a few days then disappear for a week then be back. Now that it is getting cold I noticed he is around a lot more. I feed him when I see him. My son calls him Willie Nelson. (He is a little crusty like willie and he is always "on the road again") When I was cleaning out my bait freezer I found a hunk of freezer burned tuna and hacked a piece off and microwaved it and put it out. It didn't look that good to me and smelled a little fishy but he wolfed it down. He will sleep against the house on the deck but he will not let you get close to him. He will arch his back and hisss at you if you try and get close. I know very little about cats other than I sneeze when I get close to them. (an old girlfriend had them and it was a problem)
Anyway, will this animal make it thru the winter? Or should I call the animal control people and let them deal with it? If it will survive I don't mind it around but I if I call animal control I don't want to see it killed (put down), I also don't want to see it suffer all winter either.
please advise...

[Saltheart]

You could keep feeding him and some people put out a box shelter , like a dog house but for a cat , to help him over the tough weather. You can look on line for the design of a ferrel cat shelter box. Animal control will put it down almost for sure unless its ear has been bobbed showing that it was neutered as part of some ferrel cat assistance program.

[Nebe]

I agree 100% with saltheart.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[massbassman]

I'm no cat expert, but these type of cats can actually do quite well, providing they are free from disease or injuries, for longer than you think. They are very proficient hunters, and can easily kill small birds and animals to sustain. The problem comes from this time of year when animals go into hibernation and food becomes scarce, and the weather gets cold. It's biggest obstacle will be from becoming a meal for another predator. Cats have great memories, and will continue to come back to your house as long as you continue to offer food. You can be sure that your house isn't it's only stop during the course of a day. Although it may look mangy, it may actually be quite healthy.
But, I would caution you to be real careful when approaching it that you don't get bit or scratched, as it could be carrying some diseases and even a scratch could lead to nasty infection.
Animal control varies from town to town on how they handle strays, depending on their availability to take care of the animal, and the assessment of its health. If it's skiddish and aggressive like you say, it wont be very compatible for an adoption and would probably be put down. Hopefully it can learn enough to survive, and find adequate shelter before the real cold sets in.

[Mr. Sandman]

We have a lot of boneheads that come to vacation here. I spoke to an animal control guy one time (after he picked up my dog roaming around chasing geese) and he told me that a lot of people come here with their kids for the entire summer and buy a dog or cat, when they leave they just set it free and it roams around the island. At one time I guess it was a real problem esp in the early fall and he says it still goes on to some degree and it would not surprise me if this is a cat that was once someones pet.

Thanks for your advice. I'll check his ears closely.

[massbassman]

That was a great point that Saltheart made about neutering, also check to see if it has been declawed. This should tell you whether the cat was once domesticated. Hopefully this isn't the case, as it wont last long outside without them.

[niko]

ive had a feral cat living in my back yard for 6 years. he just hangs around and meows at me for food and fish - sometimes 4 times a day. he'll let me pet him on the head every once in awhile when he's eating but hisses at everyone else. I figure he keeps the varmints in check so the least I can do is throw him some food. I made him a shelter a few years ago but he has no interest in it. he's surprisingly resiliant

[ProfessorM]

I've been trying to kick our 3 cats outside for good for years. Dam wife keeps letting them back in.

[massbassman]

I know the feeling, we have 2... told the wife I'm gonna make a couple of hats out of them when they go... hope to hell there's no truth about the SOB's having nine lives!!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[WESTPORTMAFIA]

Just put food out. The cat WILL SURVIVE. If you build a shelter and feed it expect a dozen plus in the next few years if it's a female. Not a bad thing if you like cats that won't make you sneeze and catch mice.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

[Dick Durand]

We have a 19 1/2 year old cat, roughly 93 years old in human years. While she's still healthy, I don't imagine she's long for this world. On the other hand, there has been a cat roaming our neighborhood for the last three years or so and managing to survive. At one point I suspect (due to its friendliness) that she was someone's pet, perhaps belonging to a college student living in the area that abandoned it.

[Fly Rod]

No problems with cats around Cape Ann, they make a nice breakfast snack for the coyotes...there has been an explosion of rabbits here since the coyotes have been around....now a days we see a lot of lost cat signs on telephone poles lately....one lady that moved into the neigborhood recently lost her cat that she would let roam.

[Raven]

our cat "was" a WILD Maine coon

he would arch his back and Hiss at us even growling if we ventured too close OUT IN THE BARN.

Over time as we fed him whole chicken or turkey carcasses to feast on he became more and more civilized and less fearful then eventually moved in and has become the greatest cat we have ever had hands down.

it pays to not STAND and to squat when the feeding ritual begins (less threatening posture)
always being careful to move very slowly and repeat the same salutations with never a change so they learn to be trusting of you.

this cat sleeps on our bed now each night and can catch mice like no tomorrow. Mice are not as harmful as is their droppings and or fleas they may carry which can Carry bubonic plague (at least out west)
so it pays to eliminate them ANY way you can ESPECIALLY when your sleeping when they (THE MICE) think the coast is clear.

it took about a year and half to domesticate and train the cat .

You can buy a plastic enclosed electric heating pad at the big box stores and set it up to warm a bed in a protective sheltered area for the winter. If that sounds dangerous then buy an enclosed in plastic round bale of fiberglass insulation for him to sleep on.