Delightful Pet Menagerie Newsletter – June Edition 🗞️

Greetings! Welcome to the June edition of Dr. Pet Mom’s Delightful Pet Menagerie (DPM) Newsletter. You might remember that my wonderful boy Oscar passed away last Fall.

To fill the hole in our hearts, we brought a feral cat into our lives. He arrived with a different set of challenges: little socialization, food anxiety, trust issues, and he’s a big boy. This month’s issue is about living with a feral cat and turning his life around. Enjoy!

Finding a Pet

Let’s start with the basics: where to find a pet. I looked for a kitty through my volunteer rescue group, Bay State Animal Cooperative (BSAC). At the time, no kitties (kittens or cats) were available to adopt.

Quick reminder: There are differences between rescues, shelters and humane societies.

• Some rescues call themselves “Shelters” and some “Shelters” have “Rescue” in their title.
• “Rescues” do not kill due to overcrowding.
• “Shelters” are ‘high kill’ shelters forced to euthanized due to overcrowding. They are contracted by the state, county, or city.
• Humane Societies are totally independent. Each state, county, or city has their own set of rules and regulations. They are not part of the Human Society of the United States (HSUS).

Hubby had a bigger hole in his heart and wanted to adopt an orange cat quickly. We found one at a local shelter.

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My concern was about the kitty’s personality and history. The shelter could only tell us the cat was found outside, some kind people gave him food, and eventually brought to the shelter.

But the kitty was in need of a home, and we gave him one…

Unknown Personality

Our newest family member is named Mingus (after jazzer, Charlie Mingus). He’s an orange or ginger kitty with a lovely pink nose and matching paws. He’s a cutie, guesstimate age 2-3 years. As far as I can tell, Mingus is also stuck in his terrible twos phase.

Signs of the terrible twos include:

• Using claws to grab a foot, leg or ankle to get your attention.
• Sudden biting and scratching behavior.
• Attacking a hand or arm, exposed leg or foot.
• Unaware of how to interact with other beings.

The shelter described Mingus as a ‘bit of a biter’, what I call an understatement.

His idea of fun is to lie spread eagle right in front of you, forcing you to step over his extended body.

Or he lies spread eagle behind doors or in the middle of the kitchen. I guess it’s his way of wanting attention or just wanting to be in the mix.

Mingus is not a bully but he wants what he wants. He was neutered after his capture and might have been a tom cat. All these factors make him independent, strong willed, and territorial.

Time and Much Patience

Mingus is my first feral animal. I noticed the difference between a rescue cat (where Oscar came from) and a shelter cat (Mingus).

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Socialization is the biggest difference. Oscar from a rescue, felt comfortable in a home, settled in nicely and enjoyed petting and grooming. Mingus is still adjusting, rarely purrs, and enjoys occasional pets (on his terms of course). I’m slowly grooming him daily to remove matted or loose fur.

Again, Mingus may be feral but I want him to feel loved and like me. One feline behavior specialist said, “Building trust with a feral cat takes time and consistency. Avoid making sudden movements or loud noises, and let the cat approach you on their own terms.”

Part of the time and patience plan includes:

• Creating a quiet and sheltered space with food, water, and a cozy bed. Done. Mingus has multiple cat trees, carriers and beds for his quiet spaces.
• Provide toys, treats, and gentle petting to help create positive associations with humans. Done. Mingus has bell balls, cardboard tubes, pipe cleaners, feather and fishing pole toys, bouncy coils and more in his toy box.

His play area looks like this:

• Interactive play with toys can help feral cats build confidence and release energy. Working on it. Mingus is slowly building a bond with me, and play time is on his terms (aka, only if he feels like it).

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Closing Thoughts…

After many months, Mingus is finally showing his true personality. I’ve used hemp oil to calm his anxiety around food, combined with gentle petting. Result: Less biting and tail thumping during meal time.

He is stubborn and still focused on doing things his way, but Mingus is merging into a more confident, less fearful and affection cat.

Oscar spoiled me. And while I initially wanted an older kitty with solid socialization skills, I’m happy to experience life with a feral cat. Mingus deserves a good home too!

Celebrate National Feral Cat Day on October 16!

“What we learn only through our ears, we forget; what we learn through our eyes, we remember; but what we learn through our hearts, we can’t help but know.”
–Mark Nepo