Hi, my name is Tami, and I'm new to this forum.  I take care of 33 cats, 12 house kitties, 4 unfriendly ferals in a 10' by 20' enclosure, 1 sick in my garage, and the rest are community cats in 6 locations.  I do all of this primarily by myself, and I'm getting a bit burnt out.  Anyway, my question is about the ones that live in the enclosure.  They have shelters, chairs, logs, shelves, and a roof that covers half of it, and it doesn't feel like enough.  I put up a bird feeder nearby for some entertainment, and they have toys, but I don't think they play with them much, and they are afraid of me, so I don't see them much, just when I check on them in their shelters.  I've only had them for a little over a year now, and I'm afraid they are getting bored and depressed.  Does anyone have any suggestions on how to enrich their lives a bit more?  I feel bad for them.  Thank you for reading.

Hi, Tamara

Now that the feral cats have been in their home base for a year, are you in an area where you can open the door and let them come and go as needed for food and shelter?

If not, you could get a few of those gadgets that make pets work for their food/treats. Instead of catching prey, they'd have to figure out how to get their food out of the toys.

Best wishes, Donna

Hi, 

I need advice for a woman I gave 3 feral male kitties to, abt 5 months ago. 

She thinks the kitties are depressed and that they dont like her. Ive tried to tell her it takes time & patience as the 3 males are ages 10, 8 & 6. All they knew was life in a parking lot of a apartment complex, where I TNR'd 40. 

She has a nice outdoor catio attatched to a sunroom. She says they hide in the cubbies in the catio all day. 

Could they be depressed after only 5 months? 

She thinks they should go back to the apt complex where they knew. But, that is not an option. Besides being very unsafe. 

Id like to help her with some ideas first, before she gives up.

I have 13 rescued kitties, myself, and a awesome outdoor catio! 

I TNR'd 90 feral cats in my town. There are not many options in AZ for feral cats. 

Sincerely, 

Deborah Frost 

Believe_n_see@ yahoo.com 

Hi, Tami,

Feral cats don't play very much. It's kind of foreign behavior to them, in fact, and usually only played, as kittens, in games that taught them hunting skills. They are pretty well conditioned to hunt, and when not hunting, sleep.

Every feral I've socialized has had to learn to play -- and they had to choose to learn. Are you trying to socialize them for adoption?

If not, and you're caring for them for their safety, then I totally agree with Donna's post -- if there is a way to allow them to come and go safely, that will cut down their boredom. If you want to socialize them for adoption, then that's a whole other thing.

Best,

Caren

We have a catio at our facility one feral resident due to his head tilt then usually just adoptable cats. Our feral hides ALL DAY rarely comes out. He got put in an indoor cage and it was obvious how much happier he is outside. While he doesn't seem like he is enjoying it to us to him it is paradise. He is safe gets unlimited food and water has hiding spots and has toys he doesnt use. 

He had some polyps in his ear down to his throat we did not know until he had some bleeding in the ear and actually let us see him/touch him! His surgery was a little more than a month ago and the head tilt is somewhat better now, but I think he will always have a little bit of a tilt. With him also being sooooooooo spoiled he would probably starve to death in the wild haha!!