Feral Cat Owners

Bullseye1

I've had a feral Tom cat living in my garden for about five years now. He gets fed twice a day and has a house to sleep in. For the first three years he was content to live in the back garden and maybe wander into the side and front gardens. But in the last couple of years he wanders off for a couple of days at a time maybe once every couple of months and comes back looking like he has been in the wars. He is obviously off chasing the females and getting into fights. Would getting him neutered reduce this as he really is a big softy and let's the neighbours female cat bully him at eating time. I literally have to stand at the back door to ensure he gets enough to eat.

Any advice from people who have owned feral cats would much appreciated.

EGAR

Once he has been neutered and the hormones have left his system he will most likely stop getting into fights over females, stop wandering off etc. Mine are all ex-ferals, all neutered/spayed and they never wander.

doctor evil

Neutering him will help, make sure you test for FIV. Does he go into your house? He sounds more like a stray than a feral.

The Sweeper

Yeah - semantics - he's not feral.

If he was feral you wouldn't see him. Properly feral cats are wild and have little or no voluntary contact with humans. I see them as cats born wild to a wild mother.

Otherwise he's a stray.

I have to say though, just because you didn't buy a kitten that doesn't mean you don't own a cat. If he's lived in your yard for five years, you feed him twice a day and he has a house to sleep in, he's pretty much your cat.

Can you stroke him or does he run away if you try to touch him?

Bullseye1

He was born in my garden but has never been handled. He is extremely cautious and will not let you get close to him apart from feeding time. This is the only time we get to treat him for worm/fleas. He is definitely feral. He has never been in the house. He has his own house we bought for him when he was a kitten and that has been placed in heavily planted shrubbery.

planetX

Please for the sake of your neighbours vets bills, trap him and get him neutered. An unneutered tom makes every nearby cats and owners life a misery. My cats are constantly under attack by one, and it's cost me close to 500 in vets bills to treat the bites - and ours wears a collar, so he's someone's pet and they still haven't bothered to neuter him. I'm close to doing it myself:mad:
Not to mention all the unwanted kittens he will father.

sambuka41

Yeah OP its best for everyone if you trap and neuter him. Its quick for the boys. I would say though that its no guarantee that he wont keep fighting. I took on two stray boys, found a home for one, but my little fella has cost me a fortune in vet bills from fighting, and he's been neutered since he was about 7 or 8 months. I've asked the vet and he thinks its just his personality. He's 4 now and I'd imagine its something that he'll always do. :rolleyes:

planetX

It's a different level of fighting though. The problem with an intact Tom is that he will do his best to drive all other cats out of his territory - which will include nearby houses, and he will never give up. My neutered female cat is attacked as much as the neutered male, and the Tomcat is relentless as he wants them gone from MY garden. I can't stress enough how upsetting it is for a cat-owner... I'm woken up most nights to run outside and save one of my cats, or to chase him out the cat-flap.

serenacat

planetX wrote: »

It's a different level of fighting though. The problem with an intact Tom is that he will do his best to drive all other cats out of his territory - which will include nearby houses, and he will never give up. My neutered female cat is attacked as much as the neutered male, and the Tomcat is relentless as he wants them gone from MY garden. I can't stress enough how upsetting it is for a cat-owner... I'm woken up most nights to run outside and save one of my cats, or to chase him out the cat-flap.

I'm experiencing the same thing very annoying. Cats are so loud when meowing at eachother!

MsFifers

I have neutered stray male cats - I definitely saw a difference in their overall health, once done. I think they calm down a lot after the snip, and more of their energy goes into their health, rather than wandering & fighting.

It also gets rid of that awful tom-cat smell from their pee!

One male stray, who has moved in with me, still fights other cats though. The vet said they often just are in the habit of it, if they aren't neutered young, and see all other cats as enemies! As I already have 2 cats, I have now a complicated routine of keeping one in, and letting the others out, and vice-versa, so that they keep out of each others way!

You should definitely get your stray done - and maybe start thinking of him as your pet, as at this stage he is dependent on your care.

audreyp

My male cat was neutered at 6 months but he still is very aggressive. When we brought new kittens into the house last week he started spraying the place! Not good at all. But he has calmed down a bit this week. I think neutering helps the cats behaviour but it doesn't totally change it. My vet attributes the aggressive nature of my cat to the fact he was bullied by a stray cat when he was younger. It makes him very defensive. When we go to the vet it takes two vets to hold him down to check him out. He is fine with me but definitely not a people person.

I did everything I was supposed to, neuter him. Let him sleep inside (even on my bed) cuddle him lots etc and he is still very aggressive. So I really don't think there is a magic solution to a cat's behavioral issues. That been said I love my grumpy cat :-D

sambuka41

audreyp wrote: »

That been said I love my grumpy cat :-D

Ha grumpy cats,ya gotta love them!! My guy goes from lovey to killer in 0.2 seconds!!

My vet is out of options and just keeps saying its his personality. He was neutered young, he had no real issues with other cats (he lived in the back of my renting accommodation from a kitten) but then his brother got a home and he was the ONLY cat in the house and he is determined that it will stay that way. he is very territorial and chases all cats away from our property (and theirs).

Although he is on house arrest at the moment and hopefully stay that way.

audreyp

I'm pretty sure its my cats personality! Or maybe its my fault for spoiling him rotten :-)

I couldn't keep mine in the house if he didn't want to! Anytime I have to lock the cat flap if I'm trying to get him to the vet or something he freaks out!!