Post by nina on Aug 1, 2018 21:03:00 GMT -5
For many months now my small grey female barn kitty would eat two cans of cat food and a pile dry food but stayed rather lean. I thought it was because she is an active outdoor cat. Well, new eyes on the situation got me thinking there had to be something wrong. My son came to visit and was astonished how small my cat was and how much she was eating. Worming, vet check all came out clean. So finally I did what I preach to do and that is observation. My routine is to feed the cat first so she doesn't get underfoot while feeding the cows, horses, chickens, and pigeons. This time I looked back as was coming back from the chicken coop with a basket of eggs and there was another grey cat eating the food. After that I started throwing buckets at the intruder and he'd just dash to the other side of the barn and creep back as I did my chores. Finally after a few days I gave up and let the cat eat making two piles. (My cat has gained weight) My cat also made friends with the wild cat. Now, finally, my questions. I checked lost and found ads and didn't see this cat can I assume he isn't someone's pet? He is an un-neutered male, very lean but big. His coat is shiny and his eyes and nose are clean, but I'd like to get shots for him and neutered. After a couple of months of being nice to Mr. Whiskers he still is very wild and I can only touch his head for a couple of seconds after many gentle tries while he is eating. Is this a completely wild cat never handled by people? If I trap him in a Havaheart trap and take him to the vet will I ruin any of the hard earned trust? At first he chased my cat off her food, now they politely eat from the same pile. So he can learn manners, which makes me want to give him a chance. Any advice how to proceed?