# New feral - Bink



## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

This cat, who I've named Bink, came from our local rescue group Animalkind last September. As a feral, she spent two months in the big walk-in cage in my barn before being released. As hoped, she did hang around; I saw her every feeding time. At some point, however, she moved out of my barn and into the neighbor's hay barn across the road, where she remained all winter. I started feeding her over there and she gradually started taming down, to the point where I could get within 10 feet of her. 
I was finally able to trap her last Sunday and brought her up to my house. She has potential to be an indoor/outdoor house cat. I really could not let her go on living in my neighbor's barn - he has a large, active farming operation and enormous equipment coming and going - not a safe place for a little cat. 
Bink looks a little baleful in the photo, but she does like her soft bed and regular tasty meals.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

She has the sweetest little face.


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## Jenny bf (Jul 13, 2013)

Oh she is a sweetheart


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## TabbCatt (Mar 26, 2014)

What a cute kitty! 
I think if I were a cat, I'd be in love with that bed, too.


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## tryingcake (Mar 8, 2015)

Hopefully she understand how lucky she is soon. She looks very sweet.


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## Jetlaya67 (Sep 26, 2012)

She is beautiful.


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## Janz (Mar 26, 2012)

She's adorable. I'm glad she is safe and warm. It's been a rough winter in the NE this year.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Greenport,
Bink is a Cutie! So glad you are going to work with her, now she has a great chance of finding a Forever Home!
Sharon


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Yes, thanks everyone, she is coming along. I touched her on the flank today and she hissed a bit, then allowed it. 
My eight other cats visit her cage by jumping up on the stand next to it and looking in. A laid-back bunch, they seem unfazed. 
Sharon, Bink has a home with me if she will accept it.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Greenport,
That's AWESOME! :thumbup::thumbup:


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

This makes me so happy  Warm and cozy, no more being cold. She is safe and she knows it. I hope she will stick around too. I have a feeling she might just take to this lifestyle. What a great thing you do for these cats.


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## spirite (Jul 31, 2012)

Aww, she doesn't look baleful, just a little scared maybe. She is very sweet-looking, and it's wonderful that you've been able to bring her around. 

It really is a wonderful thing that you do for these kitties. A feral's life is tough enough - upstate NY winters just make it that much tougher.


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Bink went through some bitter temperatures. She did have a nest deep in the bales of hay, so that helped. I fed her huge plates of food every day and gave her water, which literally froze as I poured it out some mornings. 
Her ears seem OK, no signs of frostbite. I wish I had trapped her sooner, but it was only within the last couple of weeks that she showed signs of accepting my presence and I realized her potential to come inside.


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

How's Bink doing??


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Bink has made a lot of progress. Marcia once said there were two kinds of ferals - the kind that spit and lash out and the kind that are just terrified. Bink was the latter. 
She comes out of her cage now and prowls the house. The other cats are curious and not threatening, some have been quite friendly. 
Yesterday she was in the closet and I was able to stroke her. She tensed up, but she is getting used to touch. She hisses once, then allows it. 
I keep telling her "OK. admit it, you're my kittah now."


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## 10cats2dogs (Jun 16, 2013)

Greenport,
She'll be coming around in no time I bet! She's in very capable hands now!
Thanks for the update!
Sharon


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

Update on Bink the feral

Well - Bink has had an interesting year since I last posted in this thread on 3/19.
Back in April I finally allowed her to go out with my other cats via the cat window. She hung around for a while, then went right back to my neighbor's barn. Where she remained all summer and into the fall. I saw her every day and brought her a plate of food. She looked for me, came when I called, but never allowed me to get closer than 6 feet or so.

The neighbor's barn turned out to be a pretty nice place after all. Bink had her own hay mow, which gave her a lot of security. She loved hunting in the hedge rows and down by the pond. My neighbor - I've known him all my life and went to school with him - looked out for her. 

But I didn't want her there over the winter, so decided to give domestication another try. I trapped Bink Nov. 8 and brought her up to the house. She settled right in, my 7 other cats never blinked an eye, and now she's back to letting me pet her. 
I'm looking forward to spending a lot of time with Bink this winter on those quiet snowy days. It's a good feeling that she's safe and warm.
I hope she stays this time.


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