Rough going with the rescues

[spinbaby]

We’re still getting cats out of what we think of as the Grey Gardens House—a gigantic historic mansion where two elderly people hoarded stuff and cats until one died and the other needed care for dementia. The first five cats we got out weren’t bad—all were fixed and reasonably socialized older cats.

The last three were all tomcats. Yes, these people had intact tomcats in the house. All three are now housed in my basement and reek to high heaven. One was fixed Tuesday, another will be fixed this coming Tuesday, the third just arrived this morning and hasn’t been scheduled yet.

These stinky tomcats, because their owners weren’t competent in their declining years, were dealt with by being shut into rooms by themselves. The one we just had neutered was estimated to be nine years old. He’s not feral, but is fearfully huddled in the corner of his cage because he hasn’t been out of his room and has had barely any human contact for his entire life. The one we got this morning is still having a panic attack.

We have at least three more cats to go. Honestly, getting these cats fixed up, let alone adopted, feels like mission impossible right now.

[niyad]

1. Bast's blessings to you for rescuing those sad, abused babies. May they heal

under your care, and find loving, forever homes.

[blm]

2. Awwww, the world is lucky to have people like you.

[onecaliberal]

3. Thank you. Bless you for doing this.

🫶🏻

[spooky3]

4. Poor babies. Thank you so much for taking on this huge challenge. nt

[brer cat]

5. You are amazing to take this on. I hope you are able to find good homes

for them all.

[Sky Jewels]

6. Thank you for helping these poor kitties.

❤️❤️❤️

[chowder66]

7. You may have already tried this or may be gearing up to

but I found with any feral and skittish cats I've had.... if I sleep on the floor with them over a night or two they tend to warm up pretty quickly.
I don't know if this would happen every time but it's happened with 4 cats over the years.

I could never fully get one feral to not try to eat my hand (it was her mission in life to chomp down on it - and never did get to live that dream) but she became the biggest snuggle bug as long as I always pet her from behind her head. If she saw my hand come at her it was attack time.

If you can't try that, maybe you can pass it on to someone who's willing to foster or adopt.

Good Luck!! Sounds like you have your hands full.

[spinbaby]

10. These are not really feral

After the initial panic, they calm down and are manageable. The one I got yesterday got loose while I was getting him into his cage. Total panic—he was flinging himself in every direction and managed to break a lamp in the process. I just put food, litter, and a cardboard box in the bathroom and left him overnight. This morning he had eaten, pooped, was sitting in the box, and was accepting pets. He now lives in the bathroom. Lots of treats, lots of pets, and hopefully these will be adoptable cats. If they aren’t, I’ll probably be living with 15 cats.

[chowder66]

11. Oh boy do you ever have your hands full!

They are lucky to have you!

[GardenGnome]

8. The right diet can help

The cat I have now wasn't properly socialized and was extremely shy. Other than time and patience, there's food out there that can help to keep them calm. Royal Canin puts out a multi-function cat food, both dried and moist, that is good for calming cats and also good for their urinary tracts. It should be carried by most vets. There's also a product available at pet stores put out by Head to Tail called Calming. It also is a non-medicinal way to help calm them down.

[58Sunliner]

9. Wow. Poor babies. How awful to be shut away like that.

It just takes time. Kudos to you for caring for these guys.

[japple]

12. I watched the Grey Gardens movie many years ago. Big Edie & Little Edie both seemed to be

dealing with mental illness even back then. I remember that bit where they were talking about having been given $$$ from "Mr Onassis" to fix up their house, etc.

Bless you for trying to help these poor unfortunate boys. Sounds like they need a lot of socialization and good nutrition. Keep us posted