Please help me with a feral/ stray cat

[LinhT]

I'm hoping to hear from the cat people who have experience with stray or feral cats. There is a (I think, adult) cat wandering around at night digging in my garbage, tearing open bags, pulling out pieces of spoiled food and leaving a trail. I saw it digging in my neighbor's garbage a few weeks ago then this morning I found garbage remains near my front door and my garbage bin was a mess, with ripped bags. I've seen a black cat with white paws and a white muzzle wandering around in my backyard lately.

I've never owned a kitty and know nothing about them because I am a dog person. Since winter is probably arriving soon in MN, I'm worried about the poor kitty. MN winters are no joke. I can't get close enough to it because it...
1) turns around and wanders back into the forest (no hissing or aggression so far)
2) I'm allergic to cats (I cough and have trouble breathing)

So I bought a bag of Nutrisource cat kibble today and put some out in the backyard. I'm not sure what else to do. Humane society can't really do anything since I don't have the animal in my possession. I doubt animal control would come out and comb through the forest in my backyard to look for one cat.

Should I even be feeding this little guy or girl?? Or would that do more harm than good? Is it even possible to "keep" an outdoor cat in an area where the winters can get -40 degrees F?

Even though I'm not a cat person, I would still be really bummed if I bring it to the Humane Society, only to find out it had to be euthanized due to whatever reason. Any thoughts, suggestions or ideas from the cat folks?

[Izzie]

It's always a gamble leaving food out, for fear of attracting other animals like racoons and such. But there's no harm in it, and if the cat eats it, all the better.

As far as shelter, do you have a shed or garage that might have a place the cat could get into that you could put rags and old blankets in? Again, a gamble with other animals moving in, but still.

In the end- there are hundreds of thousands of strays out there. We can't save all of them. Most strays are smart, maybe this guy will figure something out.

ETA: I have friends on a farm in Iowa that have several feral barn cats. I don't think they do much of anything for them in the winter. They get a large tray/bucket full of table meat scraps, cheap cat food, and calf milk replacer (mixed together)once a day though- year round.
They have lots of hay and old blankets in their barn.

[Izzie]

If you find some old down pillows at good will or something, those work too. Mice love them though. :X
But cats love mice....

[fotofashion]

The worst problem that I see is that if your feral kitty is a "she", she will present you with a litter of little copies of her in the spring if not sooner. If it is a "he" then there might be fights with the local males.
We have a spayed calico who is indoor-outdoor. For several months there have been a pair (obviously brothers) of male cats who visit her. One of them has disappeared but the other who I call "Bubba" still comes to visit. I do not feed him so who knows where he eats. He causes no harm or problems and when I get within his fight-or-flight zone, he runs away.
So, do you want to really take care of the kitty? With your allergies, that will be tough. If you feed it, really, it is yours. OTOH, giving it a place to stay during the winter would be a kindness on your part but having to face the torn garbage bags and the resultant mess is frustrating. If you do decide to let it stay, what will the neighbors whose garbage bags are being torn say?
Trap it with a hav-a-hart trap and take it to the humane society or if there is one nearby, a no-kill shelter. There just may be someone out there looking for that cat to give it its forever home.
Beverly A.

[Gin]

Some of the shelters will let you use a Hav-a -Heart live trap with a deposit you get back when it is returned . That is what we had to do at the other place , the males sprayed on everything and females gifted us with more they moved in as soon as the barn went up we did keep 2 and had them neutered at a clinic .. good mouse control ..

[susiep]

Tracy, I am so glad to hear you are helping the little kitty. So many people just don't care about strays. It will be hard for it to survive the winter. Your best bet is to try to catch it in an humane trap. Be sure to bring it to a "no-kill" shelter. Down here the humane society does not offer feral cats or strays of any kind for adoption. They are always euthanized. In that case your kitty would be better off surviving the winter in a barn. Good luck and keep us posted. God bless you for caring!

[tcrane]

Everyone's offered up great advice, I'd only add one thing - you may consider calling around to shelters and see if you can find one who has a 'trap and release' program for Feral cats. Once a cat is adult and feral, there is likely no rehabilitation that will be successful, this cat will likely never adapt to being anything remotely like a pet, however, to control the populations, some shelters will do a subsidized or free neuter or spay. Here in SF, they do this, and then 'notch' the cat's ear to show that it's been neutered. This has helped control the population immensely.

Feeding it is probably ok, but it may attract other animals. It's likely the cat also forages on it's own, and know that if you start feeding it, it will come back regularly.

-Tristan

[LinhT]

Thanks for the input, ladies.

Unfortunately, I don't think I can let it live in the garage. I live in the suburbs and my garage barely has enough room for the 2 cars, lawn mower and snow blower. Besides, my dog, Yuuki, would go nuts everytime I take him to the car. I put food out today, in hopes that the kitty will leave my garbage and my next door neighbor's garbage alone, until I can figure out what to do. There was an elderly gentleman accross the street who used to leave food outside for several feral cats for years. He passed away last year and I think this was one of his strays. I googled the Havahart trap thing and it sounds like my best option. I am definitely worried about the kitten issue, Beverly. If I see some kittens roaming around in the cold looking for food, I could never turn the other cheek. However, if I took any cats in, I think I'd die before they do. I'm also worried about the safety of my dog and the wildbirds that visit my feeders each day. I'll have to look for more no kill shelters in my area. The Minneapolis animal control seems more likely to seek out adoption options but I live in St. Paul. I think they end up euthanizing most feral or stray cats. MN Humane Society does euthanize non adoptable pets as well, from what I understand. Home for Life is no kill but it's a far drive and I'd probably croak in the car before I made it there. I don't mind buying a Havahart trap. The only issue is I need to find someone who is willing to transport the cat to the rescue group or shelter, as I can not be near it for more than 15 - 20 min before I feel chest tightness. I'll go to Fleet Farm tomorrow to find the trap and look for more no kill shelters online.

Again, thanks for the ideas and guidance.

[LinhT]

Originally Posted by tcrane

Everyone's offered up great advice, I'd only add one thing - you may consider calling around to shelters and see if you can find one who has a 'trap and release' program for Feral cats. Once a cat is adult and feral, there is likely no rehabilitation that will be successful, this cat will likely never adapt to being anything remotely like a pet, however, to control the populations, some shelters will do a subsidized or free neuter or spay. Here in SF, they do this, and then 'notch' the cat's ear to show that it's been neutered. This has helped control the population immensely.

Feeding it is probably ok, but it may attract other animals. It's likely the cat also forages on it's own, and know that if you start feeding it, it will come back regularly.

-Tristan

Yes, I was concerned about the rehabilitation issue also. I don't mind giving it a home outside, at the end of my backyard, near the forest but I really don't want it preying on the small wildlife in my yard. I really think the Home for Life sanctuary is the best place but I will need to find someone who cares about animals as much as I do and would be willing to transport the cat from St. Paul to Stillwater.

[Izzie]

Originally Posted by tcrane

Everyone's offered up great advice, I'd only add one thing - you may consider calling around to shelters and see if you can find one who has a 'trap and release' program for Feral cats. Once a cat is adult and feral, there is likely no rehabilitation that will be successful, this cat will likely never adapt to being anything remotely like a pet, however, to control the populations, some shelters will do a subsidized or free neuter or spay. Here in SF, they do this, and then 'notch' the cat's ear to show that it's been neutered. This has helped control the population immensely.

Feeding it is probably ok, but it may attract other animals. It's likely the cat also forages on it's own, and know that if you start feeding it, it will come back regularly.

-Tristan

Sounds like a plan to me. Only in rare instances will a truly feral cat warm up enough to be a good housepet. Where I was, they were re-located to farms once they were snipped.