Caring for feral cats is tricky – take Larry for example. He’s an impressive, 17-pound male cat – now 9 years old -- who is very shy around people. He would never let anyone lift him -- much less confine him in a cat carrier for a vet visit -- that’s hard enough to do even with a socialized cat.Larry, and his sister Cleo, were part of the show-and-tell feral cat colony we had in the barn at our cat farm. We received them in 2002 when they were still very young. Before they moved in, they were vaccinated and had thorough check ups. Both passed with flying colors so we didn’t press further routine examinations on them -- knowing how stressful they would be. Since 2005 they’ve lived as indoor-only cats in our closed retirement shelter, seem happy and healthy, and are still young enough for us not to worry about geriatric illnesses.
But Larry has put on a few pounds over the years, and grooming his back has become increasingly difficult – because he can’t reach it any more. He won’t let us comb him either – so he gradually got very matted and we knew it made him uncomfortable. It was time to take him in – not only for an exam – but to have the staff anesthetize him and fix his matted fur.
The only snag was figuring out how to get him to an appointment when we couldn’t pick him up. Our resourceful vet did not require us to live trap him, so we decided to try a less stressful strategy. On a Saturday afternoon, we placed a nice bed inside a large pet carrier and – with the door locked open – put it on the cat room floor near where he naps.
Immediately the carrier became a hot property – with two or three other cats trying it out first. This was not lost on Larry – and when the other cats moved on, he moved in. Everything seemed to be going to plan. Larry liked the carrier/bed so much he spent most of his weekend in it – leaving only long enough to eat or use the litter box. We knew if the novelty lasted only one more morning, we’d have Larry delivered to the vet without any hassle.
Monday morning came and Larry continued to revel in the luxury of his new bed. I kept looking at the clock wondering when I should shut the door on him. If I did it too soon, he may get frantic, but if I waited too long, he may leave the bed and miss his 11:30 appointment. It’s only a 15-minute drive to the clinic so I decided to wait until at least 10:30 to close the door.
At 10:30 Larry was napping and confining him was easier than I ever imagined. I simply tiptoed over and with a flick of the wrist locked him inside and then quickly covered the carrier with a towel to calm him. Larry awoke – and uttered several woeful wails. In a flash, the other “former barn cats” – Joyce, Emmy and Cleo – appeared out of nowhere and positioned themselves around the carrier – trying to find a way to free Larry. It broke my heart to see them. Joyce, in particular, is Larry’s soul mate. She pressed her head against the carrier’s front grate trying to comfort Larry as best she could through the bars.
Emmy and Cleo were upset but after realizing there was nothing they could do, left the room – probably fearful they may be confined too. Larry continued to moan and Joyce continued to comfort him. Knowing how painful seeing Larry confined was for Joyce, I decided to take Larry to the clinic early. We got in the car and he cried the whole way there. I left him at the clinic knowing as hard as it was on him, he needed the professional care.
The actual appointment went well. Larry’s matted fur was combed through where possible and shaved off only when neessary. He passed his physical exam and had good lab work. We did find out, however, that he has gum disease that should be treated by a specialist – meaning another vet appointment! He’s savvier now so it won’t be easy. The challenge of a vet appointment for a feral cat is not so much catching them, but catching them on cue -- a specific day at a specific time. If we had it to do over again, Larry would have left one vet clinic for the next and had the dental work done before he came back home. We’re working on his next appointment – but it will take some planning.
Did Larry hold a grudge against us for tricking him into a carrier and taking him to the vet? Maybe. When Larry came home I took him to the cat room and opened the door to his carrier thinking he’d like to stay in it while he recuperated. Instead he shot like a bullet out of the room and boycotted it for a good two days – preferring instead to sit on the hard tile floor of our potting room-- just looking at cupboards – and stirring more than a little guilt in me. What I hadn’t anticipated was that Joyce and Emmy would join him -- providing Larry with loving solidarity and me with even more guilt.
As the memory of the scary day passed, so did the grudge. Larry, Emmy and Joyce have gradually returned to their normal routine – sleeping and playing in the cat room and letting me pet them. The vet appointment was hard on all of us –- yet overall we know it was very worthwhile – especially if we can get Larry’s teeth taken care of before they cause him any unnecessary problems.
In our feral cat spay/neuter program, new caregivers often express relucance to live-trap their feral cats for fear the cats will be upset with them and move on. And – we know anecdotally – that feral cats sometimes do disappear for a few days after they’ve been sterilized and returned to their outdoor homes. Yet, like Larry, they may just need a day or two to regroup after a stressful event. Once they settle down again – all is forgiven. So – as Larry demonstrated -- cats may hold a grudge – but if they do, it isn't for very long.
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