# Extremely docile feral



## lyle (Oct 28, 2010)

A kind of follow up thread to an earlier one that I posted about Joker (one of the feral garage cats). For the past three weeks I've had Joker in a cage and have been giving Him eye drops in both eyes, three times a day. In all that time he's not once tried to run, bite, scratch or anything. He's been to the vet several times and is the darling of the vet techs as he puts up with anything.

I understand that he's scared, and prone to cower, but this is borderline creepy. Joker was TNRd at two months and was separated from his family at that early age and on his own. I've suspected that he was just "not right" in some developmental sense.

Any comments from someone with a similar situation? I'm thinking about bringing him in the house as he just doesn't seem to have what it takes to be a "hardcore" street cat. He doesn't seem to understand cat boundrys and won't defend himself and gets the worst of it too often.


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## Saly (Jun 3, 2012)

*joker,*

I think I would definetly try and bring him in, doesn't sound like he would survive to good outside!
Sally


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Yes, most definitely bring him in - he wants to be a house cat, not a street cat. 
Of the 20-something ferals I've sheltered and fed in my cat barn, 5 came home to live with me. They graduated. Sounds like Joker is ready for the transition.


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## Whaler (Feb 13, 2011)

i gotta agree with Saly and Greenport ferals, Joker sounds like he will adjust really easily to being the King of your home.

just the fact that you can give him eye drops tells me that not only does he trust you but he loves you. add to that the fact that you feel he is a little "off" and all the more reason to transition him.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

By the way, Lyle, if he has eye issues, are you giving him any lysine? I have found it does wonders for conjunctivitis and general eye health. The taste is well disguised by wet food and I give it to my cats as a regular thing if eye issues crop up.


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## Arianwen (Jun 3, 2012)

Please bring him in. He doesn't sound cut out for "roughing it".

Just as an add on, I think you are right that he may have developmental issues. Oz is older than Jem but much younger developmentally. 

Please forgive another example that is dog based! Years ago, I had a Great Dane cross Springer Spaniel who was brain damaged during birth and who never developed beyond the puppy stage.


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## lyle (Oct 28, 2010)

Greenport ferals said:


> By the way, Lyle, if he has eye issues, are you giving him any lysine? I have found it does wonders for conjunctivitis and general eye health. The taste is well disguised by wet food and I give it to my cats as a regular thing if eye issues crop up.



It's still uncertain at this point whether or not his eye infection is/was bacterial/viral. The eye drops are assuming bacterial and I've been giving lysine for the past week or so too. The garage cats are exposed to so much that i don't know about that it's difficult to determine causes, just effects. He also had a scratched cornea which may or may not have contributed to, or caused, the problem.

On the positive side, his eyes have cleared up nicely which coincided with the lysine. I've seen lysine do some pretty remarkable things virus-wise with things like cold sores which are hard to treat in many cases. Something about helping the body form the protein coat around the virus I believe.


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## lyle (Oct 28, 2010)

Arianwen said:


> Please bring him in. He doesn't sound cut out for "roughing it".
> 
> Just as an add on, I think you are right that he may have developmental issues. Oz is older than Jem but much younger developmentally.
> 
> Please forgive another example that is dog based! Years ago, I had a Great Dane cross Springer Spaniel who was brain damaged during birth and who never developed beyond the puppy stage.


Joker is one of three siblings who are most of the garage cats. The other two are "normal". They were TNRd at three months and remained with their mother for the normal developmental period. Poor little Joker was thrown out into the world much too early. He just doesn't seem to know how to behave. He appears to be a kitten in most respects even though he's 2 1/2 years old now. I suspect the lack of a proper roll model and very poor nutrition as the reason. In any case, he's required more vet care than all the other cats in our care ( in-door and out) combined.

I think that all our lives would be easier if he were inside, in a more controlled environment.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Joker, you've hit the big time.
Any photos?


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## Myulchee (May 11, 2012)

I agree with others that he should be brought in. If you can put in eye drops, he seems like he could be a good candidate.

About development or being 'not right', it seems other ferals could potentially have this issue as well. Thrown out early with little socialization, plus lack of nutrition for proper brain development. 

The feral on my balcony, Myul-chee, also seems a bit 'not right' in some ways. Wether it's nature or nurture, she has trauma issues, Which is one reason I decided to take her in, as we knew it was just a matter of time before something bad happened to her.


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## lyle (Oct 28, 2010)

Myulchee said:


> ............as we knew it was just a matter of time before something bad happened to her.


Caring for the least of the least, eh! Big heart there.

I've always felt responsible for Joker as I'm the one who trapped him causing him to loose his "family". I don't trap the kittens as young now, it's not good for them. Ferals especially need to learn a lot of survival skills from their mothers.


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## Whaler (Feb 13, 2011)

can we have an update on Joker lyle?


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## Myulchee (May 11, 2012)

lyle said:


> Caring for the least of the least, eh! Big heart there.


I don't know about that, but I've got a soft spot for animals that have some problems, since in nature they'd probably be toast, so it makes sense to choose them first to care for them.

Even when buying pet fish, sometimes I'll buy one that nobody would want and would probably end up getting thrown out.

Ex: "Hey that one's got one eye! Let's save him and name him Winky!" 

Same with cats...


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## lyle (Oct 28, 2010)

Joker is completely healed. After a little more than a month inside, we had decided to offer him a position as a house cat. Unfortunately, he tested positive for FeLv and we just couldn't expose the two existing house cats.
So we brought him back to the garage ( the only home he's ever known) and let him free. His two sisters were glad to see him again and he seems perfectly happy. Me, not so much.
I'm just going to have to keep a closer eye on him health-wise.
This episode brings up, once again, the issue of FeLv and the testing. I'm just about certain that all of the garage cats are FeLv+ from their mother. However, they are 3-4 years old and doing fine as near as I can tell. Of course, as garage cats, they have a relatively sheltered life compared to a true street feral.
Squiggy was tested positive at 4-5 years old and that was about 3 years ago. He's doing better than fine. The whole thing just makes me wonder.
Being fixed and provided for makes all the difference IMHO for a FeLv+ cat, between a short life and a hard death and a long one even for those on the street.


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## Whaler (Feb 13, 2011)

i am sorry to hear that lyle.

even though Joker will not be inside with you at least he will still be with you and he will have the comfort of knowing that you are there for him.


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