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For the past week, we finally took it to the next step: Mr Witchy and I tried moving their food bowl into my kitchen for breakfast- and supper-time feedings from the kitchen doorstep. The goal was to see if we could entice thee totally feral cats to come indoors on their own choice to feed. (because if we had to trap, after we trapped he first cat, the others would be so much warier - it might become impossible)
The first night, we tried putting a food bowl just inside the kitchen door, on the door mat, and propped the door open. We kept the lights off to keep the kitchen darkened. We semi-hid on eiher side of the butler's kitchen doorway so we could see the kitchen door but be fr enough away so that we might not seem so much a theat.
The three 8-month-old kittens - Tiger Mac, Nike, and Midnight - came. They came into the kitchen carefully. They ate. They left. No problem. What a surprise!
The next morning, we did the same, but it was daylight and brightly lit. The kittens came in, less worriedly, ate more leisurely, looked about the kitchen, and left more slowly.
That 2nd night, suppertime, we turned the lights on. No problem. This time, we sat on kitchen chairs AND moved the food bowl closer into the kitchen (further from the door). Still no problem. Tiger Mac even tried to go behind my refrigerator... no fear, that one! And Nike jumped onto my stove and walked across it! She then realized that she was just barely out of my arm's reach and jumped down and trotted out the door. Then she came back in and ate some more. Cobby arrived. (their dad) He refused to come too close to the open kitchen door, and he paced worriedly out there in my driveway... but he didn't call them out of my house nor did he tick his head in to come get them. And we KNOW that he can and does call them! He does it daily from my driveway...
Next breakfast, Cobby came first, and called his babies. He LET them come into my house. He watched and let them come inside. He called them to let them come inside to eat! He himself ate outside, though. So did Bro Cat... an adult male cat that must be his littermate brother, looks just like him!
I REALLY WISH that Cobby would QUIT bringing his damn relatives to my house!!! First he came here. Then he brought Blackie. Then he and Blackie had babies. Blackie's and Cobbie's kittens are Nike, Midnight, and Tiger Mac. NOW he brings Bro Cat, too!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! I refuse to even give Bro Cat a name, dammit! He's just Bro Cat. No name. Just Bro Cat. I won't name him, too. Nope. Won't.
So... each meal, we kept moving the food bowl deeper into my kitchen. And we finally got the payoff tonight!
Suppertime tonight was amazing! We put down 2 bowls, tonight: 1 bowl with dry cat food right at the door again, on the inside doormat and another with sardines and dry food in the middle of the kitchen floor. Mr Witchy and I sat down in my kitchen to wait. First came Midnight - hungry; she missed breakfast this morning. then came Tiger and Nike... and THEN..... THEN who should poke her white-mustachioed nose ino my kitchen door, but Blackie?! Moms! She crept carefully and shyly into my kitchen, pausing to stare up at me, to see if I was going to do anything scary to her. She must have been HUNGRY because she gobbled like a starved animal!! THEN.... THEN... They all four lifted their heads and 8 little triangular cat ears swiveled toards the kitchen door... IT WAS COBBY!! Dad! Cobby was poking his nose and fat cheeks into my kitchen door! OMG!! Cobby gobbled like he, too, was quite hungry! He put his front end inside my door, but he never let his back end cross my doorway! dwl His back legs never left my door step outside. Their kittens explored my kitchen. Tiger jumped to the top of my 'fridge; Nike jumped onto my garbage can and fell into the swivel top. dwl Midnight tried to get behind the 'fridge, and then she jumped into my stainless steel sink. Tiger and Nike played on top of my stove while Midnight knocked over my used glass & cans bin. CRASH They all ran out into the driveway in fear. Nothing bad happened. We didn't yell or hurt 'em. They came back inside. Boy, did they make a MESS of my kitchen!!! I'd forgotten how bad a mess feral cats make of the inside of your house!!!!! Oh, yeah. So Cobby finally bopped his son on the nose, growled at his baby-mama, and went outside. Blackie followed. Soon the 3 kittens left. Mr Witchy and I cleaned up the kitchen for half an hour. And THEN - BANG BANG RATTLE went my back door..... we opened it. It was Bro Cat, looking starving hungry. We were gonna put food outside for him, but he must have watched the other cats and we didn't know it, because he walked right in between my ankles! So we fed him inside and then let him back out again for the night.
I dunno what else to do next. I need about $1000 to pay the vet bill to take 5 or 6 ferals in for exams, de-worming, de-flea-ing, lab testing including for feline leukmia (lethal and highly contagious - it can kill off my indoor cat colony), etc. And that doesn't take neutering 'em all into account... all those spay and neuter surgeries! OMG!
I need to act ASAP, and definitely before the winter sets in. sigh
The first night, we tried putting a food bowl just inside the kitchen door, on the door mat, and propped the door open. We kept the lights off to keep the kitchen darkened. We semi-hid on eiher side of the butler's kitchen doorway so we could see the kitchen door but be fr enough away so that we might not seem so much a theat.
The three 8-month-old kittens - Tiger Mac, Nike, and Midnight - came. They came into the kitchen carefully. They ate. They left. No problem. What a surprise!
The next morning, we did the same, but it was daylight and brightly lit. The kittens came in, less worriedly, ate more leisurely, looked about the kitchen, and left more slowly.
That 2nd night, suppertime, we turned the lights on. No problem. This time, we sat on kitchen chairs AND moved the food bowl closer into the kitchen (further from the door). Still no problem. Tiger Mac even tried to go behind my refrigerator... no fear, that one! And Nike jumped onto my stove and walked across it! She then realized that she was just barely out of my arm's reach and jumped down and trotted out the door. Then she came back in and ate some more. Cobby arrived. (their dad) He refused to come too close to the open kitchen door, and he paced worriedly out there in my driveway... but he didn't call them out of my house nor did he tick his head in to come get them. And we KNOW that he can and does call them! He does it daily from my driveway...
Next breakfast, Cobby came first, and called his babies. He LET them come into my house. He watched and let them come inside. He called them to let them come inside to eat! He himself ate outside, though. So did Bro Cat... an adult male cat that must be his littermate brother, looks just like him!
I REALLY WISH that Cobby would QUIT bringing his damn relatives to my house!!! First he came here. Then he brought Blackie. Then he and Blackie had babies. Blackie's and Cobbie's kittens are Nike, Midnight, and Tiger Mac. NOW he brings Bro Cat, too!! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!! I refuse to even give Bro Cat a name, dammit! He's just Bro Cat. No name. Just Bro Cat. I won't name him, too. Nope. Won't.
So... each meal, we kept moving the food bowl deeper into my kitchen. And we finally got the payoff tonight!
Suppertime tonight was amazing! We put down 2 bowls, tonight: 1 bowl with dry cat food right at the door again, on the inside doormat and another with sardines and dry food in the middle of the kitchen floor. Mr Witchy and I sat down in my kitchen to wait. First came Midnight - hungry; she missed breakfast this morning. then came Tiger and Nike... and THEN..... THEN who should poke her white-mustachioed nose ino my kitchen door, but Blackie?! Moms! She crept carefully and shyly into my kitchen, pausing to stare up at me, to see if I was going to do anything scary to her. She must have been HUNGRY because she gobbled like a starved animal!! THEN.... THEN... They all four lifted their heads and 8 little triangular cat ears swiveled toards the kitchen door... IT WAS COBBY!! Dad! Cobby was poking his nose and fat cheeks into my kitchen door! OMG!! Cobby gobbled like he, too, was quite hungry! He put his front end inside my door, but he never let his back end cross my doorway! dwl His back legs never left my door step outside. Their kittens explored my kitchen. Tiger jumped to the top of my 'fridge; Nike jumped onto my garbage can and fell into the swivel top. dwl Midnight tried to get behind the 'fridge, and then she jumped into my stainless steel sink. Tiger and Nike played on top of my stove while Midnight knocked over my used glass & cans bin. CRASH They all ran out into the driveway in fear. Nothing bad happened. We didn't yell or hurt 'em. They came back inside. Boy, did they make a MESS of my kitchen!!! I'd forgotten how bad a mess feral cats make of the inside of your house!!!!! Oh, yeah. So Cobby finally bopped his son on the nose, growled at his baby-mama, and went outside. Blackie followed. Soon the 3 kittens left. Mr Witchy and I cleaned up the kitchen for half an hour. And THEN - BANG BANG RATTLE went my back door..... we opened it. It was Bro Cat, looking starving hungry. We were gonna put food outside for him, but he must have watched the other cats and we didn't know it, because he walked right in between my ankles! So we fed him inside and then let him back out again for the night.
I dunno what else to do next. I need about $1000 to pay the vet bill to take 5 or 6 ferals in for exams, de-worming, de-flea-ing, lab testing including for feline leukmia (lethal and highly contagious - it can kill off my indoor cat colony), etc. And that doesn't take neutering 'em all into account... all those spay and neuter surgeries! OMG!
I need to act ASAP, and definitely before the winter sets in. sigh
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