Our family has doubled.....

14 years ago

If there were ever an argument against outside cats....read on.

A few years ago a gray cat showed up on the patio, we called her Gray Kitty. (gray striped cat!) It soon became obvious that she was carrying a litter, then that she was nursing....I pitied her having to hunt and feed a litter so I fed her, but we never saw kittens. Fast forward a year, June 2010 she brought us 4 kittens, 2 blacks, 1 gray stripe and a siamese.

I bought them all a heated water bowl, then an igloo...thn a heater for the igloo. Someone took the little Siamese, the little Gray became Grady and is our indoor/outdoor cat. The two black ones are semi friendly but we cannot get them to catch them. This spring Gray Kitty/Mama had one kitten. I named her Ms Spits but hubby calls her Baby-Baby. Mama abandoned her on the back porch one night, surrounded by raccoons. Baby is now a fulltime indoor cat, spayed a few weeks ago. Mama then had a second litter of a gray stripe, a black and a Himalayan looking... (If you are sensitive stop reading now)

We started having some troubles about a month ago. Finding pieces of dead things, noticing the animals were all acting 'off'. Found a deer carcass in the front yard, dead rabbits or rabbit parts in the back. The igloo had blood splashed on the inside, animal pieces in it...the cats NEVER did that. Then Mama and the kittens were gone, I was heartbroken. After a few days they showed up, less the baby black, sadly I found her tail, I cried for an hour. Now Mama is gone....and we have 7 indoor cats. Two kittens (currently in hiding) plus our Baby-Baby, Grady and our 3 boys. The two adult black cats won't come in or they would be here as well.

The Game Warden feels we may have a Fisher, we know there is a pack of coyotes in the area but he seems to think that it is a fisher coming after the cats. The two kittens we have just brought in the past 2 days are semi feral so we are working to tame them and set them at ease. Most likely they will be adopted out....except hubby loves the Himmie. So time will tell. For right now we are a family of 7 cats with 2 nervous lovebirds! LOL!!

Nothing hurts me more than knowing that creatures I cared for have ended up as dinner. I guess it is part of nature but not part I want to help along. So help....how do earn their confidence? They were locked in a room but when I walked out to answer a phone I must not have closed the door enough, one of mine went in and the door was wide open. Not sure where they are now tho I glance at them in passing. They have not been coming to eat when I feed the others so I put a plate in 'their room' which gets eaten, hopefully by them. HELP!

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Comments (4)

cynthia_gw
14 years ago
Definitely keep them sequestered both to ease the integration process and for the health of your other kitties. I would not allow any visits with your house cats until all of the newcomers have been to the vet! Hand feed the kittens, and wash up thoroughly after each visit.
murraysmom Zone 6a OH
14 years ago
Oh my gosh, Lynn, this is such heartbreaking news. Having met you and your animal clan, I can only imagine your anguish. You are such a good mother/provider for all your critters. And to experience such violence against them is unthinkable.

I don't know anything about fishers. They sound like dangerous animals though. They can take down a deer?

This is so disturbing and I know it just tears at your heart. If there is anything I can do for you, please let me know. For now I will just keep you in my prayers that things go well with your remaining kitties.
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annzgw
14 years ago
I'm glad you were able to help all the kittens and wish you luck in finding them homes. Unfortunately, and I'm sure you know this now, Mama should have been trapped and spayed a long time ago.
I would purchase, or borrow, a humane trap and set it in case she comes back. Leave food in it without the door set to snap so she gets used to going in it. Once you know she's going in it and eating, then set the door to close.

I don't think Fishers can kill a deer but they could definitely do what you're seeing.
If Coyotes were making all the small kills you're finding, I don't think you'd be finding so many remains. I once watched a huge coyote eat a ground squirrel, about 100 ft. from my back door. He started at the head and in short time ate the whole squirrel....tail and all.
lynn_d
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks, Murraysmom. I finally got the Himmie tho! It nearly killed me to find the tail, it ripped my heart out. The patio is so empty and quiet, Murraysmom, you wouldn't recognize it. Bo-1 (one of the black cats) came in for a couple of hours last night but would not stay.

Annz, we have tried to trap Mama for 2 years, we just could not get her, I captured many other critters and cats but never her. The game warden saw he fisher take it down, it was a large fisher and a smaller doe, the fisher grabbed it by the throat. We did have a fawn carcass in the front yard but as I said, there are coyotes in the general vicinity.

I'm sure Mama is dead, she's been gone for over a week. The only time she has ever been gone this long is when she was delivering and I know that isn't possible. Cynthia, everyone old enough has been neutered and vaccinated, other than Mama. The kittens were not and they are now in so I can't go back, they have an appt on Tuesday night.

I have 2 very nervous lovebirds!! (they are rescues as well)