The Socialization Toolbox: How to rehabilitate stray and semi-feral cats.

Socializing feral and semi-feral cats is not as difficult as many are led to believe. So many assume that it is an arduous, time consuming process, there are very few who are willing to try. In fact, it is neither. It can be a lengthy process, but lengthy does not equal time consuming. My semi-feral fosters take up no more of my time than my domesticated cats do.

This guide is mainly geared towards fosters and potential fosters. It's focus is on rehabilitating strays and semi-ferals that have already been trapped. I chose this as the specific focus for a very simple reason. There is a wealth of information available on the net on how to successfully trap a stray or semi-feral, but there is very little in-depth information available on rehabilitating with the intent of getting the cat ready for adoption. 

Photographer tells story of doomed shelter dogs

Photographer Tou Chih-kang has been recording the last moments of canines at the Taoyuan Animal Shelter in Taiwan for two years. He has captured the images of some 400 dogs, most of which were pets abandoned by their owners. To him the work is distressing, but he's trying to spread a message of responsibility. Read more about Tou Chih-kang's story.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/photographer-s-crusade-to-save-doomed-shelter-dogs-slideshow/

Hiro's almost odyssey

It's been a while since my last post. Internet troubles have kept me offline for the last few weeks.
Shortly after my last post, I had a good friend from Toronto contact me about possibly adopting Hiro.

I've mentioned that my partners in crime were housing him at great risk to themselves since their lease stipulates that they cannot have cats. It was coming down to crunch time for them - they weren't going to be able to keep him for much longer without being discovered. But we still needed more time while I negotiated with my friend to make sure he knew what a large project he was potentially taking on. So after double checking with the vet to make sure that I wasn't endangering the health of the brood or my fosters, I made space for Hiro here at the home for wayward cats in the temp sanctuary.


We'd had everything all arranged to transport him to my friend in Toronto. They were completely willing to work with him, even knowing that he would not be an easy socialization. But at the last minute, I made the executive decision to release him. I had been observing him carefully now that he was under my direct care, and had come to the sad conclusion that he was just too feral. He's tolerant of those of us that are caring for him, but only barely. I've been feeding him for months.... one of the other couples has been feeding him for over a year, and he still doesn't trust either of us enough to come any closer than it takes to set food down for him. =/ Not to mention that he'd already proven himself to be difficult to trap and quite the escape artist. I was terrified that he would escape from my friend's place and find himself lost, in a city he doesn't know, with not a tooth in his head and a bum leg. And I knew that if he did ever escape, he'd be impossible to recapture. And so, with an admittedly heavy heart, I made the decision to release him again. 

He was so depressed when we had him inside, all the light had drained from his eyes. The joy and hope I saw in his little face when I finally brought him back outside to release him was almost heartbreaking to see. But it was the light returning to his eyes that told me I was making the right decision in releasing him. 

Those of us that have been caring for him (myself, my partners in crime, and the other couple mentioned above) have all agreed to continue to do so. We will make sure he has plenty of food and water, and will be purchasing a couple of cat shelters so that he has a place that is protected from the elements that he can call home. And should he ever require further medical care, we will make sure that he gets it. We're not giving up on him just because he has proven himself to be too feral for rehabilitation. If anything, we will be working harder than ever to make sure that his life is as comfortable as possible. He is our little hero - we can do no less.

Meet the newest foster!

My newest foster, Shadow, was rescued about 2 years ago and until joining the home for wayward cats, was living with an Italian couple. His rescuer writes "They are wonderful cat lovers and have several in their home. But Shadow basically lived in a back room in the rafters for quite a long time. In the last 6 months he has ventured into the living area with the other cats. He has no confidence and is simply scared of people, except for his foster family."

Fantastic news!

Wee Hiro had his vet appointment yesterday, and it went better than I could have hoped for. He ended up seeing my personal vet, the always amazing Dr. Andréa Bravo. She agreed with my assessment that his leg was either malformed at birth, or when he was a kitten. But most importantly, she determined that it does not appear to be causing him any pain, which is fantastic news as it means it is not necessary to amputate!

He does have an incredibly wicked case of Rhino, complete with lung congestion. But he was given a shot of antibiotics (Convenia) which will last for 3 weeks and should clear it right up. It also turns out the poor bugger has not a single tooth in his head. He was neutered and had what was probably his first bath ever - which was great since he was more than a little ripe. Several of the vet techs came out to the front to see what was causing the smell when we first brought him in, and there were more than a few jokes cracked about his wonderful aroma.

He is currently recovering with my partners in crime. It was a close call, but they managed to successfully sneak him in without notice. He is doing amazing and is responding better than hoped to the love and care they are giving him. I am now hopeful that he can be rehabilitated.

But now the rush is on to find him a longer term foster and hopefully, a forever home. Sadly, this will prove difficult as it is high kitten season, meaning all of the local rescues are swamped. But we've come this far.... we can't give up now!

Trapping success!

Turns out the trapping tips I received were definitely the ticket. In the last 24 hours, I've managed to trap 10 of the neighbourhood cats. And as luck would have it, Hiro was number 10!

Hiro update

Well, I have some good news. Not great news, but it's promising at the very least. He showed up in my yard this morning (almost 5am) and although he didn't quite make it far enough into the trap to set it off, he did go in pretty far. Seems the trapping tips I was given are working. (I also managed to trap 5 different cats throughout the night, so I know the technique is sound :P)

Even though I didn't manage to trap him, this is still a very positive development as it means that he is not linking yesterday's ordeal with my yard (which is where it all began), so we still have a very good chance of trapping him here. And the fact that he was willing to investigate the trap is also positive, since it means I've now got a better handle on what to tempt him with. (Turns out the magic ingredient is catnip.)

So, while it may not be the best news, it's still certainly promising news. And that's better than nothing.