# Henchka



## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

One of the other ferals around the house is definitely not a friendly cat. But I did get an excellent picture of him. Right now I have a trap baited with some yummy smelly wet cat food to try and entice him in. If he goes in tonight, he will be neutered tomorrow morning.










Hopefully he takes the bait! It'll be better for him when he is neutered.

He has put on weight nicely since I started feeding him and the other kitties a month ago. And his coat has more sheen to it! Even though he isn't going to be tame enough to be a pet, he can still be a healthy boy.


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## PureMuttz (Jul 3, 2009)

What a handsome little man! Hopefully he does take the bait so he can continue on being a healthy cat, without producing more little kittens.

He even has a beauty mark on his face, like my boy Jethro does.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's great, Stacy! You're very kind to take care of the ferals!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

He is beautiful. :luv I have a soft-spot for the tabby/whites with a "race" on their face...the little jagged white stripe up the face that starts to one side.

I should caution you...*every* feral I TNR'd I was able to tame/socialize AND ... they became my housecats. I was never able to leave well-enough alone and *just* put out food, I had to befriend them, too. 
Yay! What an advocate you are for these kitties!


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

Thanks all! I think he is quite the handsome man too! He did take the bait, and he is covered up in the basement until morning when I'll take him in. I thought he'd outsmart the trap, since I watched him trying his best to get the food through the bars with his nimble little paws. I was sure he'd set it off accidently, but eventually, the lure of smelly sardines was too much and he went in. 

I saw a new cat tonight. The trap and food/water/shelter area is in view of a window. If I turn off the lights in that room, I see the cats, but they aren't bothered by me. He/she was a black shorthair with a very cute, round face. I put out some wet food for the kitty and retreated to watch. Oh boy was that cat nervous, but beautiful, and in need of a good meal. So hopefully I can also bring that kitty in for TNR.

Edit: Interesting and funny thing just happened! A housemate came home, and was looking out the kitty window. The new black kitty was in the process of stealing the sheet covering the trap! Dragging it through a gap in the fence. Since I didn't want to loose the sheet, I went outside and retrieved it, and pinned it down with a few heavy bricks. Henchka yowling at the other cat is what drew of my housemate's attention to the sheet theft! I wonder if that black cat is a female, and was looking for nesting material?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Wow! Could be...that would be my guess...
Great job with the TNR! I wish more people would get involved to help the ferals around them, too.


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

Guess what?! He was kept for adoption too! The humane society is on a roll! From what I've heard, they have excellent socialization program. They accept volunteers of parent/children teams to work with cats so they are more adoptable. 

The trap is set again with some yummy tuna this time, if I can catch the black kitty tonight, he/she will be going in tomorrow morning to be spayed/neutered.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Awesome, awesome, AWESOME news! I am over-the-moon with happiness for the kitty-lives you've been able to change! 
...a favor...
_Could you get me some information about their socialization program? It sounds wonderful! I am always looking to learn skills that will help me with my own foster cats and better my foster and socialization skills._


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

I'll be sure to ask next time I am there. I am hoping to open up some time in my schedule to volunteer there. They aren't taking anyone in cat socialization, but there are other things I could do. 

I'll be keeping an eye on the website to see when he goes up for adoption too! I'll be paying both him and Sophie a visit when I can!


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Thank you, I do appreciate it.



Stacykins said:


> I'll be paying both him and Sophie a visit when I can!


That is so sweet! :luv


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

More good news!


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

The black kitty just went into the trap! I just went to bed and hear the SNAP! of a trap through my open window. Sure enough, the black cat was in there, and very displeased. So off to the humane society tomorrow morning  I wonder if kitty # 3 will also find a forever home through the humane society?


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, I hope so! Fingers, toes-es, whiskers and noses crossed here!


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Stacy, if you're still up, and there's not a cover on the trap, I would put a large towel or piece of cloth over the trap to keep the cat calm. It's a shame he didn't go in during the day, so that you could take him to the vet or Humane Society right away. Ferals tend to panic when in a carrier or cage. In fact, it's most desirable to hide and watch so that very little times passes. However, a cover will help.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I think she's "covered" all the bases :wink: though these comments were about the cat previously trapped, I'm sure she is using the same process.


Stacykins said:


> ...he is covered up in the basement until morning when I'll take him in.
> ...black kitty was in the process of stealing the sheet covering the trap!


I wanted to add:
I would keep the cats covered when I transported them, too. Another thing I did to protect my vehicle was to put a layer of plastic lawn bags on the cargo area and then put a layer of fluffy towel, setting the covered trap on that. The towels would soak up any liquid accidents and the plastic would protect the fabric/carpet of the vehicle.
I remember poor Pretty's nose was rubbed so raw from trying so hard to find a way to push herself out.  She healed fine, but it still bothered me. Poor kitties, they just don't understand that we are only trying to help them.


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

Yea, kitties definitely get panicked when they are in the trap. I am sure to cover them up and if it is raining, move them inside. 

I am very sad to report, though, that Moon found his forever home over the rainbow bridge. He tested positive for feline leukemia, and so it is their policy to put them to sleep. Poor boy  he had such a sweet fluffy round face.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, that is so sad...  Well, at least he was given an opportunity to be able to find a better home, an opportunity that many cats never get. ...and he was humanely euthed and didn't have to die alone and ill, out on his own, when his FeLV became ragingly active. I've only had two found kittens test positive, and losing them so quickly (_before they even had a chance to live and enjoy The Good Things_) was very hard.

Run free, Moon. ...and I'm sorry for you, trying to help them and getting such a downer in the process... atback


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

So near to a happy home, yet so far.  But he'll be happy with God, I'm sure.


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

Every morning I am still putting out food and water, in case there is a shy stray that is hungry. I haven't gotten any new takers yet. Perhaps because I bring it in at night to avoid attracting raccoons and possums. The yard is quiet and enclosed with a few fence gaps that kitties can make it through. Hopefully any other neighborhood strays find their way here. I know there is a very flighty black and white tuxedo several blocks away.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I'll wish you good luck. When I trapped Mallie and her litter, another mother moved her three kittens into the shed area that Mallie and her babies left vacant after I trapped them. I caught the three babies and brought them in to tame with Mallie's litter, but I never saw the mother-cat again.
So...you may get lucky and catch a few more...


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

I just got a call from the humane society. Henchka hasn't been adjusting very well. So they are going to go ahead and neuter him and I'll be picking him up tonight. Ah well, I am sure they tried their hardest! I am glad they gave him a chance to be adoptable.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

His experiences there may leave him more wary of people OR they may make him easier for you to socialize?


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

I expect he'll be more wary. He always was. As long as he knows where food, water, and shelter are, it is the best I can do for him unless he has a revelation and can be socialized. 

I hope they tested him for FeLV. In case he and Moon ever had a spat. And I hope no other cats in the area are positive for the disease.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Stacykins said:


> And I hope no other cats in the area are positive for the disease.


I'll keep fingers crossed, here.


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

Just picked him up! Poor drugged kitty, lol! He is inside in a crate right now. He'll stay inside for two or three days so I can watch him post neutering to make sure he is OK. I've offered him a bit of water. Later tonight I'll see if he is up for any wet food. He is quietly curled up in a sleepy kitty ball right now. 

It seems he is nice-ish. The staff said he tolerable of being picked up, but won't tolerate much more contact.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Oh, I think that sounds promissing, then. Me, I'd work on socializing him. I'd say most of my ferals were like that. Well, no, actually they were much more stand-off-ish at first and I had to work hard before they would allow me to get close enough to touch them...but once I could touch them, the process moved forward at a steady progress.


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

He actually responded very well tonight 8O 

I gave him a few bites of wet cat food, not much so he wouldn't get an upset stomach. I set him up in a closet for tonight, put down plastic sheeting, a litterbox, a blanket to sleep on, and a water dish. But I left the closet door open (it is an empty room that I'll be moving into, eventually) and sat down on the floor with my laptop. He came over to me and initiated petting! I doubt it is the drugs, he was being quite friendly. He laid down on the floor next to me and went to sleep for a while leaning against my leg. I had to get ready for tomorrow, so I returned him to the closet for the night. He was sleeping in the litterbox when I peeked in on him a few minutes ago (apparently a sign of insecurity?). I'll let him have free roam of the room in the morning. The room is getting re carpeted in a month, so if he has some accidents, it is no big deal. 

Perhaps neutering helped to mellow him, or the drugs are still making him dopey.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I kind of think that type of reaction is a combination of things:
There is the "scariness" of the trap and transport. The strange and scary place he is in with all of the activity, sights, sounds, smells and stuff going on. The surgery itself. Not getting any "rest" because he is on "high-alert" in this strange place. Then he gets to come 'home' with you, a person he recognizes...and may feel safe with, because you *rescued* him from That Scary Place and he was so tired he fell asleep next to you because he knew you could keep him safe.
The sleeping in the litter...I wonder if it is a security thing, but also if it is a comfort thing? The shifting litter could be very comfortable for a kitty. If the litterbox has a cover though, I would expect that to be a security-thing and not so much for comfort.
Regardless, I think it sounds like he'd be a fairly easy kitty to socialize.
h


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

He is doing so well. I am thinking the home environment he is in, in the quiet room, he much less stressful than the humane society. He is quite the affectionate cat in his own quiet way. Today I totally thought I'd be able to take an online nursing quiz in chilling in the room with my laptop. Nope! Hard to work on a laptop when a kitty wants to compete for the lap space. 

He is also using a litterbox like a champ! And now isn't sleeping in it, but on a cat bed by the window instead. I have the window open so he can look out and smell all sorts of interesting smells through the screen.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Wow! I think that is amazing/fabulous progress and I wonder if he isn't truly feral but more of a stray kitty who used to have a family at one point in his life? It sounds like you have made amazing progress with him in such a short time! Any chances of you keeping him, or maybe being able to get him back into the adoption program? Even if you can't, it still sounds like his life will be better anyways...
Great job!


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## Stacykins (Aug 18, 2009)

Do you think with his left ear tipped, he'd be able to go back into an adoption program? He's actually been renamed Darius, too, haha. He is much too regal for the silly name a former housemate gave him. I think that'd be great if I could home socialize him, and see if the humane society would take him back for a second try. 

I think you are right on that, that he was a stray with a family. I guess it took a bit for him to open up. And he sure was a friendly critter this morning before I had to leave to class. Just purring and rubbing up against me. First time I've heard him purr! Seems like he has adopted me. And I don't want him to go outside again. I am making a vet appointment for him to get his FVRCP booster in a few weeks (he got his first at the humane society). I hope the vet can estimate his age, I'd love to know about how old he is. 

A bonus is that he LOVES California Natural's deepwater fish wet food. Even more than the friskies wet crap I'd been feeding him as a stray. I bought a can from a great little petstore a few miles from my house (it ONLY sells the excellent foods like Innova Evo, Merrik, Before Grain, etc!). I am so glad he loves a good kitty food. I am going to go back and get a case. I also got him a door hanging scratching post (which he used with gusto a few times last night, yay). 

I love this boy. And so does a friend who has taken in ferals. I asked her to come over and meet him/evaluate his behavior. She was expecting a spaz. She wasn't expecting him to come up to her and ask for pettings as soon as she walked into the room.


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

I think he *could* go into an adoption program, though placing him may take a bit more time...mostly because of the 'unsightly' nature of the clipped ear AND the fact that it means he was TNR'd as a "feral". If the adoption program could promote him as a very friendly cat and he *is* a friendly cat for everyone after your socialization work, and then 'market' him as a stray/abandoned who was _mistakenly_ TNR'd and someone was intrigued with his story...he could still be adopted, but I think it would require a special type person (_one who is familiar with cats_) to look past what they physically see and see into his heart and not stop at the feral/TNR-clipped ear.
It may be easier to place him privately. See what your friend says, and maybe also the adoption center that helped you with the other kitties...


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Stacykins you sure got it going with your ferals! Great job! 

My little TNR group has adopted out several cats we’ve tipped their ear and then discovered they were really social cats. It doesn’t seem to put many people off because of it. 

Maybe if you kept Darius as a foster you could have him put on Petfinder with a local rescue??? I know my group does that for people. That way he’d have the best of all worlds. Fostered in a home where he feels secure and could blossom and you could screen people who inquired about adopting him. Just a suggestion since I don’t know your housing situation. 

Keep up the good work.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

Heidi n Q said:


> I think he *could* go into an adoption program, though placing him may take a bit more time...mostly because of the 'unsightly' nature of the clipped ear


What do you mean "unsightly" clipped ear! I think mine gives me more character!










- Orlando


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## Heidi n Q (Nov 22, 2006)

Well, Orlando's ear looks like he got sliced in a cat-fight. When a cat is TNR'd and their ear is clipped, they clip the curved tip of it OFF. Some TNR places only clip the end, others clip A LOT. Pretty's ear only has the end clipped.
...and while I do think it adds character, there will be some people, probably many people who want to adopt, that want a safe and "pretty" kitty and not one that looks 'damaged' or was possibly a "wild" cat. Sad but true. That's why I said if they could market him to make him sound as deserving and as appealing as they could, they may find someone willing to look beyond the clipped ear. Or he may find a person who is not intimidated by the 'feral' clipped ear.


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