Over the last month or so, I've been aware of a little "Jellicle" (black & white) cat suddenly disappearing from our garden when the dogs come out to play. Our cats - 3 persians, 2 exotics & 1 old tabby just lie flat when they appear normally. Now over the last week, this little cat has been down beside the cats' pad (a large summerhouse, complete withe the 2 armchairs from the 3-piece suite they shredded plus the kitchen table whose legs they carved with their claws), but he has disappeared underneath the summerhouse if I get too close.

So, I decided that we had a visitor, and made sure that an extra scoop of food went down, but started moving the tray up the garden, nearer and nearer the back door, thinking that eventually, I could entice Mr Jellicle in. I'm certain that this is a stray, as our nearest neighbour is quarter a mile away, and if it was their cat, their daughter would be down looking for it.

This morning, for some reason, we were a bit late taking the dogs out, and I was sure I was hallucinating (knew it couldn't be the drink at 6.30.a.m :D) - there were 3 of them, sitting outside on the patio, near the food tray. Our cats were in the kitchen waiting to go out, the dogs hadn't been let out - and there were THREE Jellicles sitting outside !They all scattered as soon as the dogs came out, so instead of me going out on walks as well, I let Ade & Al take the dogs whilst I put the cat food down. I fed our cats inside, but put a tray with chicken & dried food just outside the summerhouse, stayed inside the summerhouse & waited - and it wasn't 3 cats - it was FIVE!!! There are 4 Jellicles (after the TS Ellliot Cats poems) - 3 short haired, 1 long haired.....and one fluffy black one! They all look to be half grown (about 6 months, I'd say) and quite nervous - too nervous to be picked up.

What I think we have here is a family grouping - and I KNOW who Daddy is - the guilty party is Buster, my 10 year black persian semi-retired stud cat!!! He has sired 2 litters to my little blue girls this year - just 2 kittens each - but he's obviously been a busy boy on his own behalf.

Now apart from the health ramifications of this - ie feline STD - I've got to try & trap this little family, & decide what to do with them!!! They all look very pretty - but they've been hiding all summer - goodness knows where Mum is - I'm going to have to find her as well (remember, we live in the middle of a golf course ). At the worst, I'm going to have to catch them, get them neutered & let them continue to live in the garden/summerhouse/garage/outhouse or wherever they've been for the last 6 months, in a semi-feral way - at best, I'm going to get them tamed & find homes for them! I think it will be the former rather than the latter tho - unless I can overcome their inherant fear of the dogs!

BTW - guess who's also going to have a little operation .... at 10 years old, I didn't really think I needed to bother that much - but obviously, I'm wrong! The fluffy black one has the round persian face & the Jellicles have big amber eyes!

Just when I thought I'd got my cat numbers down........ - back to the mega large sacks of catfood again!

Margot

Maybe he's decided he didn't want to be retired :D

But beware if they are about 6 months old and mom is still around there is no saying she isn't carrying or just had family No2! You may have to do more trapping than you think.

But as a suggestion I would try and trap them away from the house so the others don't asociate the house/you with the traps. That way you can keep them as regular visitors and keep an eye on them at the saem time healthwise.

Karen

Yes ... that thought's gone through my head too - but I've never seen the Mum!! It's quite probable that we do have a feral cat living around here - there are rabbits a-plenty - but in over 20 years, the only time we've had "unplanned" kittens, before we had the Persians, was when a ginger tabby escaped from the kennels a mile away one Christmas - and he really was in your face!!! - on reflection, I think I'd better ask them if they've had any female escapees this year......

If they are 6 months old then I expect most of the girls are also in kitten....either to their dad or their brothers! :(
Saw our feral farm cat population go from 6 to over 20 in one season!!!! Took ages to trap them all/neuter them!

Ah Sam,

I didn't want to mention that as I thought Margot was stressed enough already :D

Karen

Yes - I'm going to have a fun weekend - borrowing "traps" from local CPL, then we shall see what we shall see - first catch your cats...... :(

And guess who's going to be first for the snip on Monday.........(as I type this Buster the Rasta Persian is sitting by my feet (hope he doesn't access CD whilst I'm at work :(!!)

Margot

Better still don't let him access the CAT FLAP :D

Karen

Cat flap? Cat flap?? He shoulder barges the back door & lets the b***dy dogs out!!

Nik (our no 3 son, obviously feels an affinity for Buster - reckons that he prefers dreadlocks to a being a perfectly-groomed persian AND he runs the Catnip distribution round this area

Even at 10, he is still a glossy black, followed everywhere by his shadow, his (son (1 yr old [$ neutered ])) who has been renamed Mini-me!!

I've got the trap, have left it near the summerhouse, with food beside it today - tomorrow, I'll try food inside (with the other cats shut inside the house :D)

Any success over the weekend??

Noo - they just sat on it!!

Mind you, now it's getting slightly colder, they are getting slightly bolder, and are coming nearer and nearer the backdoor!

I don't really like the idea of "starving" everyone to get them into the trap...........

I'm not so sure about ages now - might be slightly younger.... - the younger they are, the better the chance of taming them. At least they are all visible now - they all look well nourished (a diet of fresh rabbit & Iams???) look to have glossy coats. Four black & whites, one very fluffy, one all black!

Buster has gone to the vet's today - Al most reluctant to take him - is afraid that in another life Buster might do the same for him......

" the younger they are the better the chance of taming them" - and of course who better to look after them than their Dad's family. :) Who needs Eastenders this feline version is much better. Will Buster's heir accept his secret son, Ray Tabs and will the attraction between Charlene the feral persian and Busterboy ignite a feud?

And just WHO is carrying the gun now?

Don't forget, Gladys the Granny tabby ! (the result of a liaison between Pippin the Beautiful Persian princess & Fred the Furrock Factory Cat :D )

Margot

It's all just becoming CATastrophic :D :D

Couldn't resist it, Karen

Well Buster is back, a trifle dopey, but otherwise fine. Of course, now it's b*** well dark when I get home - so all I can see outside is lots of eyes - but queueing up to come in/or go out are the usuals - Mini-me, Lily, Dilly, Carrie Fudge, Taggy, Fliss & Gladys (Fliss, Gladys & Mini-me already neutered) I've put food IN the trap, just outside the summer house, whilst the Fairway felines are safely ensconsed in the utility room/sitting on the clean washing! The dogs have all been walked & I'll check the trap before I let the Orsett hounds out for their last beating of the boundaries! Maybe tomorrow we might have some luck ... the vet is poised, all ready!

I don't mind in the least having them around...... it's just that I don't want them multiplying any more!

Hi Margot any results on the trap?

Nope! I think it's going to have to be a deliberate "starving" out - so no food outside at all (there is generally a tray of Iams on the patio for "snacks") for a day or so, then a nice hot chicken, I think - so probably Thursday!

At least they aren't the least bit perturbed by the trap - they sit on top of the bl***y thing - as do the others!!

Any other suggestions will be gratefully received!

any joy on the trapped cats or have they actually figured out what you are trying to do :D
Cordelia

I think that they know what it is!!!! They ignore the food inside (same as that on the patio), so today, I'm bein absolutely mean - there is water in the trap, food in the trap - and absolutely none outside the house. Our mogs are shut (in the utility room :( ) - otherwise what's the betting that I'd catch Buster or Mini-me!!:D :D

They were sitting on the patio this morning, bold as brass - just out of arm's reach - and were very disparaging about the lack of service in this establishment :D :D :D Hopefully, this evening, we might find them inside the trap!

Margot

good luck hopefully with them realising that there is food in the trap then they will go, unless someone else around you is feeding them.

Cordelia

Result!!! well - a bit of a result - one little black & white (fluffy) girl :D :D

Thankfully, I don't think she is preggers - I would actually say that she is between 16 & 16 weeks - so a bit younger than I thought. Looks quite healthy, so tonight, she has had some chicken & been wormed, and I've got her in one of the dog crates in the utility room. I've put a large box in there that she can hide in, plus food/water & litter tray - plus Daddy, half brother & various "cousins" in there too.

Although she is nervy, she's not quite as wild as I feared - I know I was wearing gloves, but have only got 1 scratch!

One down - four to go!

Margot

Well done :D

Down to the vets tomorrow then to be spayed? That way you get her used to you when she's recovering. Get her used to you and you have a chance to encourage the others "fingers crossed"

Have you seen "Mum" yet?

Karen

glad to hear u are making progress, just make sure the others are really hungry then the will go in the cage to. How about covering it with branches to disguise it a bit from the cats, that way they should be incoureged by smell only and not sight.

Cordelia

Yes - I want her spayed asap - just in case I'm wrong about age & she is just a "little big pregnant"
:( ! Goodness knows what my vet bill will finish out at!!

I'm actually wondering if Mum isn't one of the other black & whites - I've spoken to the green keeper staff on the golf course & they said that there was a young black & white cat hanging around their sheds earlier in the summer - they'd been feeding it, then it disappeared. As the green keepers' sheds are fairly near us, it could be the same one - maybe somebody dumped a kitten near there. One does seem to be slightly bigger than the others - but I've got to get the rest first. The greenkeepers have said that they won't feed them if they see them, to give us a better chance. I think that someone from the CPL might be round to try & help at the weekend - but they got all sniffy over the fact that I had a stud cat:(. I've told them I'm not going to be asking them to neuter/rehome - all I want is advice on how to get them!!

Miss Fluffy Jellicle is hiding in the box, but my other cats are in the room -outside the crate obviously - but they are quite interested in her - Granny Gladys is sitting on the top & Tabsy Fudge is looking in - trying to hook the food bowl!

I saw the remaining wild ones on the patio again this evening - feel very mean saying "food only in the hotel in the wood" - but hopefully we can get the others!

I'll keep you all posted!

Margot

Well - caught no-one last night/today - they are all sitting there on the patio, giving me the "evil eye" - I think that they are trying to get the food to materialise outside on the patio!!

I've been home today and deliberately kept some food down in the kitchen doorway with the door open in the hope that, with the dogs down in the run, they might not feel so intimidated and might even come in.... one of them is thinking about it, but hasn't actually dared to do so.

Little girl wnt down to see Uncle Vet today - and has had her op. He reckons that they are about 20 weeks - early for spaying, but has had it. He said that she seems nice & healthy, so hopefully, the others will be the same. I've put her back in the crate, in her box on some vetbed with the litter tray & food. She can see what's going on, but has a refuge - she'll get a bit of a fuss tonight (if she'll let us) - the dogs will have a little longer in their runs before they come in!

hi margot, glad the little girl is ok after her op :) and good luck in catching the others :)

Your best "bait" is the little girl, when she's used to you she wil;l hopefully bring in the "to be converted"

Karen