BIG step forward on the feral kitten front

[Siwsan]

I was in the garden, checking for tomato worms. When I started back to the house I noticed Skittish and Mittens were at the food bowls. Of course, Mittens immediately started to run away so I made some soft 'kissing' noises. Mittens stopped, turned, looked at me, and then sauntered back to the food bowl!!!! This gave me a BIG shot of happiness. Oh, and no tomato worms which means, so far, today is a pretty good day.

[SheltieLover]

1. Awwwwww

That is great news on both fronts!

[niyad]

2. awwwwww. Great news on both fronts. Happy day!

[NJCher]

3. how sweet is that?

and love the photo.

My brother is also caring for a feral cat. She is a tough customer, but I'll suggest the kissing sounds.

I was just thinking about putting in marigolds next to each tomato plant I have. That's supposed to help with tomato worms. I haven't had that problem yet, but as they say an ounce of prevention...

[ratchiweenie]

4. now if you could just get them to destroy

tomato worms your life would be divine.

[lark]

5. You, the kitten whisperer!

Good job!

[Marthe48]

6. We got a cat from the shelter

She was very difficult, but one day I tried baby talk and she really responded to it.

Glad things are moving along.

[Ocelot II]

7. Aww, squeee! Maybe you'll be able to catch and tame him!

As for the tomato worms, all you need is a couple of chickens. They love tomato worms. The caterpillars turn into very large five-spotted hawk moths, which are cool, but they're hell on tomatoes.

[Siwsan]

8. I've only had tomato worms a couple of times - fortunately

But I still do a check, every morning and usually in the afternoon, too.

The plant nursery/farmer's market I frequent kept a couple in a terrarium, a few years back. I'd LOVE to watch one go through its life cycle.

[Random Boomer]

9. There's a feral in our house right now

I started feeding a trio of three feral kittens about 6 years ago. The two females wandered off in search of their own territory when they were about a year old, but the male stayed in this area and depends on us for food. Despite knowing me for his entire life, he still hisses at me if I get too close.

Last week he came up on our back porch for a meal and we saw that he'd lost an eye, and the wound was in really bad condition. We managed to trap him and get him to the vet for surgery. They patched him up, gave him lots of shots (antibiotics, pain relievers, de-worming, rabies) and released him to our care. The plan is to keep him in indoors for a few weeks until his sutures can be removed.

To our relief, he's eating the food we set out, and he figured out the litter pan. He's picked a spot on the floor, curled up on a rug under a table, which probably feels like he's in a safe den space. He's a very small cat -- only 4.5lbs -- and his back legs are somewhat deformed, so he walks awkwardly and can't climb as well as other cats. He doesn't groom very well, so his coat is matted. And now, of course, he has only one eye.

He has no idea how much he's loved, even if he is an ungrateful little shit.

[blm]

10. Oh, I can totally visualize this scene.

😻

[I_UndergroundPanther]

13. Maybe he will realize

You are helping him.
Maybe he might stop being an ungrateful little shit if you keep him indoors so he can taste the good life.

[Random Boomer]

14. That's our hope

Although I'm trying not to have any expectations about his reaction to captivity.

He's been in the house a few times before of his own volition, usually in spring when we would leave the back door propped open. After eating on the back porch, he would cautiously stroll through the kitchen, looking around. Then he left, curiosity assuaged, and showed no interest in coming back in.

[Fla Dem]

11. I hope at some point you'll be able to catch them and take them to a rescue service.

They are adorable and thanks for taking care of them.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

12. Sweet sweet kitties.

I hope they aren't feral for long.

[Random Boomer]

15. There's a short window of opportunity

If you can catch feral kittens young enough, they can be tamed, but if you miss it, any attempt at taming becomes much much harder. These kittens look like they're near the end of that time, if not beyond.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

16. Aww that sucks

Considering that little ones issues.