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Cat Forum / General Topics / May 2004cats wandering away
I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here and been around for some time, have started to leave - for a few days I see less and less of them and then one day they leave altogether. They don't return. The cats are both male and females that leave. Does anyone know what's going on? I have an indoor cat who escapes to the outdoors occasionally. He's not a wanderer, but I worry that he too will up and leave some day. CMM >I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The >last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > >CMM It sounds like they are being trapped. Look around and ask questions and you will probably find out. >>I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The >>last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > It sounds like they are being trapped. Look around and ask questions > and you will probably find out. Except right before they disappear they start wandering more and more, showing up less often until they vanish completely. i.e cats I would see throughout the day start showing only once in a while. If they were trapped, I'ld think there would be no such warning signs. CMM >>>I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The >>>last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > >CMM That is how they get trapped -- wandering where they are not wanted. |>> It sounds like they are being trapped. Look around and ask questions |>> and you will probably find out. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] | |That is how they get trapped -- wandering where they are not wanted. I would naturally assume that the nearest farm is 20 or 30 miles away, that's a pretty good distance to travel to get 'trapped' by a malevolent neighbor. It's more likely that they are ranging far and wide for the purpose of getting better food to eat. |> It sounds like they are being trapped. Look around and ask questions |> and you will probably find out. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] |see throughout the day start showing only once in a while. If they were |trapped, I'ld think there would be no such warning signs. What kind of food are you feeding them? >I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The >last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >what's going on? I have an indoor cat who escapes to the outdoors occasionally. >He's not a wanderer, but I worry that he too will up and leave some day. These cats are intact, aren't they, and mostly young? Sounds to me like the perfectly normal dispersal of surplus cats in other cats' territories. Farm cat populations tend to be self regulating - dispersal is one of the methods. The other side of dispersal is that when a population looses its alpha tom, a young male from somewhere else is not unlikely to show up to replace him. I have to note that survival prospects of dispersed cats are not good, but nature does drive them to seek their own territories. Even neuters will sometimes do this if they live in a large population. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body) >>I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The >>last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > > T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body) That sounds like it could be it. The leaving cats are mostly healthy (at least they appear to be), young adults and the remaining cats are more kittens to not quite adults, if that's what you mean. I did not know cats would do that though, but that makes sense. I wish their survival prospects are better than you suggest (sigh), as a couple of the leaving cats seemed to becoming more 'tame' (one in particular I could pet and seemed quite friendly and thought would make a good cat) and I had hopes of finding them homes (too many to take them in myself, alas, even if they would let me handle them). Any suggestions on affordable means to spay/neuter a feral population of, I guess,about twelve, more or less. I would also have to somehow trap them, I presume? I've contacted a couple of no kill shelters but they didn't seem too helpful (i.e. full). Am I right that animal control would simply put them to sleep if I called them? I'ld rather not go that route, but I would like to get the population under control (that doesn't require the cats self dispersing). CMM >That sounds like it could be it. The leaving cats are mostly healthy (at >least they appear to be), [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > >CMM I think Ted's right. Some of the cats are moving on, and likely starting new colonies, if they survive long enough. Trapping cats is fairly easy; your no-kill shelter, or municipal pound, probably has traps you can borrow. Do you have a low-cost spay/neuter clinic nearby? Ours has special grants occasionally for ferals and they'll neuter them at little or no cost depending on your circumstances. Sadly, yes, most animal control facilities euthanize ferals almost immediately. Sherry |I think Ted's right. Some of the cats are moving on, and likely starting |new colonies, if they survive long enough. That is a possibility. |Trapping cats is fairly easy; your no-kill shelter, or municipal pound, |probably has traps you can borrow. It sounds like way too many miles for a cat to travel, doesn't it? If the nearest farm is 10 or 20 miles away, as is often the case in rural expanses like Eastern Oregon, the cat is going to have to face predators long before it finds municipal 'dogcatchers.' >|Trapping cats is fairly easy; your no-kill shelter, or municipal pound, >|probably has traps you can borrow. > >It sounds like way too many miles for a cat to travel, doesn't it? It does; I think you're right. I don't think anyone is trapping the cats. I'm sorry, I wasn't clear in my post. What I meant was, if you want to trap them for neutering, that's usually how I get the traps. Sherry >If the nearest farm is 10 or 20 miles away, as is often the case in >rural expanses like Eastern Oregon, the cat is going to have to face >predators long before it finds municipal 'dogcatchers.' >>>I live on a farm and there are a number of (feral/semi-feral) cats around. The >>>last year or two I've noticed that some of the cats, who've were born here [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] >I had hopes of finding them homes (too many to take them in myself, alas, even if they would let >me handle them). Twelve is not really too many. I'm unhealthy and have both arthritis and back trouble, and I manage eleven of mine and a frequent visitor from across the road (I think the grandchildren must be visiting: he *hates* children - when they are visiting, he lives over here) - he's in the kitchen now. They are all neutered, but I didn't have to pay for more than three or four at a time since I started with four (already neutered) and added them as singles, partial litters, or partial litters with mother, but on the other hand, I have rehomed or lost to dispersion four or five more. >Any suggestions on affordable means to spay/neuter a feral population of, I guess,about twelve, >more or less. I would also have to somehow trap them, I presume? I've contacted a couple of >no kill shelters but they didn't seem too helpful (i.e. full). Am I right that animal control would >simply put them to sleep if I called them? I'ld rather not go that route, but I would like to >get the population under control (that doesn't require the cats self dispersing). There may be a trap/neuter/release program in your area, but it could be a bit hard to find - ask the vets and anyone you see buying large bugs of cat food at the grocery store - especially if they are buying several large bags at once. T.E.D. (tdavis@gearbox.maem.umr.edu - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body)
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