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You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
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"Many have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it.
You remain responsible, forever, for what you have tamed."
—Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
Introducing Butch...a feral cat who's come a long way!
How to adopt a family to call your own!
Welcome! Hi There! Thank you for stopping by my lens!My name is Butch. A feral who has come a long way! Persistance does pay off!
Here's how I changed my lifestyle within 2 short years. First of all, you have to make some serious choices. Continue living on the streets or find yourself a permanent place to dwell. It's not easy and not without problems. But, I think it's well worth the effort.
Read on and I'll tell you how I went from being homeless to adopted in 20 easy steps!
- 1. Find yourself a neighborhood you like and observe!
- 2. If there are other cats around, follow them.
- 3. Follow them inside.
- 4. Grab a bite to eat and a fresh drink of water. If time allows, grab a nap.
- 5. If people arrive, leave quickly!.
- 6. When bad weather arrives, sneak in the house and position yourself in a corner away from people! Night time is best!
- 7. Let everyone know you are not to be reckoned with!
- 8. Act shy & fearful. Approach humans slowly. Not all humans are humane.
- 9. Take whatever food is being offered! Especially treats!
- 10. Communicate as much as possible! Let your needs be known.
- 11. Train people to respond to you! If they don't respond in a reasonable amount of time, attempt nibbling at the top of their feet until you get what you want!
- 12. Observe other cats within the house closely! Where are they going? Where do they sleep? Where to they eat?
- 13. Explore other rooms within household. Great hiding places and comfy beds are still to be discovered.
- 14. Locate food source...escort human to insure you get to choose the menu!
- 15. Allow human interaction on your terms but only once you've established they are not going to harm you! Humans enjoy a rub on the hand or you rubbing against them!
- 16. If you run out the back door because you're frightened, and the human comes after you and opens the door to invite you back in...by all means do so!
- 17. Accept kindness. You deserve it!
- 18. Allow them to pet and brush you. Of course, only when you are in the mood.
- 19. Acquaint yourself with only one person in the house at a time. Overload is not good.
- 20. Never stray to far away. There's no place like home!
Snapshots of our feral cat!
Not a photographer, just an animal lover
Capturing the small achievements in Butch's life with us. Something new almost every day!
curated content from Flickr
Top 5 Things You Should Know About Butch...
Some things we've learned about ferals cats!
- They are scared to death of you! (You might be scared to death of them, too!)
Keep your expectations low! If all you hope to do is provide food & shelter...that's good enough!
It takes a lot of time and patience until they feel secure. Always be sure they have a corner they can call their own. Some place out of the mainstream is good!
Never reach out to pet them until "they" tell you it's OK. With Butch, he initiated contact by rubbing against us first!
Observe them! They are very keen. Always observing and assessing! Let them do things their way and in their own time. Take what you get from them and enjoy them!
The love and appreciation you'll receive is worth it!
Progress Notes
New Things I'm Doing When The Camera Isn't Around!
- 3-01-08: Been a while since my people have updated "my lens"..Here's an update. I'm no longer afraid to sleep in the bedroom. I have my own "bed" which used to be decorated with "people" stuff. Used to be their nightstand, but, hey they weren't using it for anything really important. :) The waterbed where my people sleep is now OK for me, too! Even when they are in it!. In addition, I come out to the office and stand on top of the computer table just to be close. A year ago, I was doing well when I came into the office. That was new territory back then. Not any more. I am very much a part of the group and continue to learn and do new things all the time. I've learned to play with catnip toys, too! I've found out I don't have to be as aggressive as I used to be. Life is much easier that way! Did I tell you that some of my "street" buddies are also now coming in the house for a quick meal? Hope the "people" don't mind :)
- 3-20-07: Ventured into the room where the people sleep. Checked out the nightstand. Snooped around. OK...not sure about this!
- 3-26-07: Today, I stood at the front door and waited to go outside! Beats going all the way around to back of the house to use the pet door!
- 3-28-07:Surprised the people this morning. Went into their bedroom again! Got petted. Enjoyed myself. Followed my people around until they fed me!
Quotes & Poems We Enjoy
Thoughts of a Feral"Dedicated to all the kind and caring people who give the lonely ferals a little care, a little love, and a little hope.
I sit beneath the bushes as she fills my dish each day,
I only venture out to eat when she has gone away,
I know it will upset her when I turn away and hide,
As every day she tries her best to get me by her side.
I wish I could let her know that I don't want to run,
And hope that she will understand it is nothing that She's done.
I'd like to have her stroke me and pat my weary head,
But fear will overcome and I'll run and hide instead.
For all the kindly people who feed the strays each day,
I pray the Lord will care for them as they have cared for me today."
-Annette Easdon
Found at Knoxville Feral Cat Friends (link below)
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NOT TO HURT
"Not to hurt our humble brethren (the animals)
Is our first duty to them, but to stop there is not enough.
We have a higher mission:
To be of service to them whenever they require it."
St. Francis of Assisi
****************************************************
IF I CAN STOP ONE HEART FROM BREAKING
by Emily Dickenson 1830-1886 (USA)
If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin,
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.
****************************************************
Love the earth and sun and animals,
Despise riches, give alms to everyone that asks,
Stand up for the stupid and crazy,
Devote your income and labor to others...
And your very flesh shall be a great poem.
~Walt Whitman
****************************************************
The Legend of the Cat
An old legend tells of how a cat came with other wild animals to pay homage to the baby Jesus. Overcome by the glory of the Lord, a trembling sound came from the cats throat. One by one the other creatures fled back to the wild, but the cat could not bring itself to leave. Since then the cat has been a household companion, never forgetting its wild nature, but content in the comforts of a warm house.
Reader Feedback
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- Puzzled19 Puzzled19 Feb 19, 2009 @ 1:47 pm
- Hi Janine: First of all, I know how worried you are about your kitten and Momma! Secondly, how wonderful they've had such a great care taker!
The first two things that came to my mind about your Momma cat and getting her indoors was this. If you are able to get her inside, do you have an extra room which she could call her own? If so, could you then install a pet door to the outside so she'd know she still had outside access. From what I understand, ferals always like having the knowledge they can still get outside! We are also considering an outdoor cat enclosure for our cats...we certainly don't have Coyotes where we live, but we sure do worry about our guys when they roam. Sometimes gone for days and days at a time. Here's a link that I just found last week to give you some ideas for enclosures: http://catnet.stanford.edu/articles/enclosures.html. I hope you'll keep in touch & everything works out for you! Ruth
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- janine janine Feb 19, 2009 @ 12:24 pm
- 3 years ago I began to tame a feral cat. She quickly produced 2 babies. I fed them and slowly interacted with the 3 of them until I was able to take them individually to be spayed and neutered. I was able at this point to put them into the cat carrier. I live in the hills where there are tons of Coyotes. I have them living in a pretty secure place - however it is outdoors. About 8 months ago one of them disappeared. Momma seemed devastated. it has been 2 days now since her other baby has been gone. He generally stays close to home as does she. I am heartbroken particularly since she seems to be searching for him.
If he does not return I am hoping to get her to become an indoor cat. I have a bulldog who she is terrified of, but I am determined to get them to be friends. Any tips on how I may begin to accomplish this difficult task? I realize I would first need to get Momma inside separate from the dog.
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Great services, Great Causes, Great Health!
- Abacus Computer Services
- Abacus Computer Services: Small, home-based computer repair service. We build websites, provide hosting packages, upgrade to a new or refurbished computer, trouble-shoot, sales, service and more! We come to you! Reasonable rates!
- Hugs for Homeless Animals
- Hugs for Homeless Animals is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to homeless and displaced animals worldwide. Love to knit, crochet,or sew? Check out their "Snuggles" program!
- The Animal Rescue Site
- Clicking the purple button at their website provides food and care for an abused, abandoned, or neglected animal in a shelter or sanctuary, paid for by the site sponsors. Make it your homepage and click everyday!
- Outdoor Cat Enclosures
- Here is some information I've just come across this past week that may help other cat owners! We are contemplating an enclosure for our cats when the weather warms up! Hope this helps keep everyone of your kitties safe! :) A great reference page of various cat enclosures to build yourself or purchase is here: Stanford Cat Network
- Young-Williams Animal Center
- KNOXVILLE, TN
The Young - Williams Animal Center is a nonprofit organization that turns no animal away. We are dedicated to the sheltering and placement of animals, general animal welfare, and public education of animal overpopulation issues.
FIND THE NEXT LOVE OF YOUR LIFE AT THE ANIMAL SHELTER!
DON'T BUY WHILE SHELTER ANIMALS DIE! - Knoxville Feral Cat Friends
- KNOXVILLE, TN
Our dedicated all-volunteer staff strives to humanely trap, neuter, and return (TNR) feral cats to control the feral cat population as a highly effective alternative to euthanasia. - Petfinders: Adopt A Homeless Animal in Knoxville
- Adopt a homeless animal! Check out the beautiful animals on these pages that need you now!
- Pawprints & Purrs, Inc.
- Cat Wrangling 101: Caring for feral cats
"Education: The Key To Awareness" - Grandpa Keith's
- Please take a few moments to visit this gentleman's website. His devotion & caring of feral cats is amazing. If you want to help, he has an e-bay store that helps fund the work he does for these babies. Thanks to Grandpa Keith & his BIG HEART, feral cats live a much happier & healthier life! SALUTE! Wish there were more people on this earth like you!
ASPCA
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byby Puzzled19
Greetings From TN!
We didn't need another cat...but he needed us!
Our door is always open! Just ask "Butch"!
&nbs...
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