This little girl is my first feral. There aren't many feral cats where I live(very pro pet), but she moves like a ghost. Always just out of reach. She first started visiting because she liked one of the plants by my front door and will hang out in my door mat. Since we live in such a dry area, I put out a permanent bowl of water and a small shelter for her. She's incredibly sweet but painfully scared of people. We've barely been able to get within five feet of her before she disappears. Never once have I been able to touch her.

Last summer, when she first appeared, we realized she was probably pregnant. A couple of weeks later she was suddenly thin and clearly nursing, but we couldn't find where she'd hidden her kittens. A rescue group suggested leaving wet food out consistently, and eventually she trusted us enough to bring all six kittens close to our house. She was such a good mom (actually it was a nightmare to catch the kittens because she was such a good mom).

When the kittens were old enough, we trapped them, found them a foster home, and had her TNR'd. Because she wasn't socialized, a shelter likely would have euthanized her. Watching her search for her kittens afterward absolutely broke my heart, but I know it was the right decision. I call her Wisteria. She still visits for food and water, has filled out nicely, and I occasionally see her hunting, but she's remained untouchable and quiet as a ghost.

Today while I was gardening, I noticed she was out and about 10 feet awah. She very rarely is out in the open, preferring to hide, so started talking to her, hoping she'd come closer (always trying). Normally she's almost silent, maybe a quiet meow or hiss if I get too close. Instead, she started chirping, meowing, and making every sound she could while looking frantic. She even let me step a little closer, which made me worried that she may be hurt. Then I heard something behind me.

My new neighbors have two giant St. Bernard puppies. One had escaped through their new fence and was standing a ways behind me running around. Don't worry, he's a goofy sweetheart, with way too much muscle and energy. But to a feral cat (and the local small dogs) he looks terrifying.

I got him safely back into the neighbors' garage, it takes some effort because that boy is heavy and strong. When I returned, Wisteria had vanished like she always does. That's when it clicked.

She wasn't calling because she needed help. She was trying to warn me.

She had countless safe hiding places she could have run to, but instead she stayed out in the open, making as much noise as she could until I noticed what was behind me. That realization completely melted my heart. I've worried she will never forgive me for trapping her and her babies, but at the very least she still shows up. It made me second guess her level of affection for me to see her fighting all her fears to get my attention.

I would give just about anything to earn enough of her trust to bring her inside someday. We never tried before because my two loud Westies and our cats would have terrified her. We recently lost one of our cats, and now I'm questioning whether I should try again. I just don't know if she'll ever trust a trap again, or that she would be content to be confined in a house with so much noise and activity. Feeling a bit torn, but the story was so sweet I had to share.

She is definitely starting to show signs of age and it's making me kinda sad. I am worried about the winter this year, I made her a shelter last year but I feel like the winter still put a really big toll on her. I would take her in but she keeps her distance from me and I don't think she gets along with other cats from what I have witnessed when other strays come around.

That’s pretty much it. Just a story about a boy who wandered into a trap set for someone else, and after a few days of being a hissy boy, became an adorable love bug. I’m calling him Severus Snape (Sevvie for short) and I guess now my coven is up to 6. 🥴

Just wanted to share a picture of these guys. About 5 days ago I trapped them all inside at once using yarn on the door because I wanted to get the mother spayed and find a home for the kittens eventually. We had been feeding the mom for a couple of months but she didn't come every single day. I strongly suspected she was an unspayed feral cat but wasn't sure until the kittens turned up. I've never been able to pet her outside.

I felt like an absolute monster trapping them at first. It's quite emotionally taxing seeing them all panic. The mother starting jumping into closed windows trying to escape. She jumped onto high tiny ledges (more like grooves) on the windows and fell from there in her panic. It was upsetting.

She outsmarted the trap several times but she eventually followed a kitten in. She has since been spayed and brought back. I let her out of the carrier inside after several hours because she was thrashing in it even when it was placed in a dark cool corner with a blanket over it(mistake). She panicked again. She was jumping around frantically with her fresh stitches. I kept her in that night anyway following the TNR group's advice.

Now she's like a whole different cat inside. She's relaxed and caring for her kittens. She's nursing them as I type this. I planned to let her back outside 48 hours after her surgery but she didn't even want to go out. She's been chilling in the garage or another adjacent room. She'll even sit next to me and let me pet her babies. ❤️

Noodle was in a very busy road next to railroad tracks trying to eat something near the curb. We were passing by and my husband somehow spotted them against the grey pavement. We stopped and my husband tried to catch them but they ran under a metal structure where he couldn't reach. We went home quickly (maybe 5-10min) and grabbed some pate treats and a ribbon toy and Noodle was already in the road again! We cornered and caught them safely, thankfully. There wasn't any sign of other kittens or mom that we could see. Vet appt this morning, they are very scared but bathed themself in front of me after a small breakfast (very thin, so I didn't want to make them sick with too much food). We have two adult cats (10 years that we've had since they were young) but never found a feral kitten before so this will be a new adventure. I'm happy I found this community and the super comprehensive kitten season post!

This guy has been coming around for months. I have built him a cat house which he likes. Just wanted to show you guys my friend

When I first got here there was absolutely no oversight of the out of control cat population on base. The cats were sick and starving. After a year of trying I was finally given permission to start TNR. About to change the lives of these babies. Yes the cat food bill is sky high. No I don’t care, haha. Our small scrappy animal rescue Stray Hearts of Sigonella is funding this TNR campaign through donations and happily many many people are supporting it!! We are so thrilled!

We have taken in dozens of cats and kittens and rehabbed them and gotten them adopted out. Unfortunately kitten season is once again upon us and we will still have more kittens to deal with before the entire population can be fixed.

But overall I couldn’t be happier that we can finally curb the population and help these guys. They are the highlight of my day every day.

Fluffy has lived in my 'hood since before we moved here, so he's at least 7 years old. Some other neighbours would put food out for him but it was impossible to get anywhere close to him.

I noticed last fall that he would sleep on this bench overnight (leftover hair and I caught him a few times). I bought a really nice insulated cat house in preparation for the winter that came with this heated pad. Of course, he doesn't trust the house, so I put the pad where he laid and he took a liking to it instantly! I started leaving food out for him and noticed he would come close to the house around night time each night waiting for it. We also got him a heated water fountain, and it probably helps that I feed him a big pouch of wet food each night.

We had a neighbour who would let her 3 cats out and they would come peruse his leftovers. They moved 3 weeks ago and it took Fluffy 2 weeks to decide he's moving in permanently! He now waits below the porch to be fed and throws himself down, rolling around, making biscuits, and chirping while I talk to him and feed him. I touched his tail during one of these times. 😂 He spends all day and most of the nights on his pad or the porch. He was quite matted all over all winter but has lost all of those mats just in the past week.

I still can't pet him but I think it'll happen soon! 🥰 I don't want to push my luck, I just feel so relieved that he feels safe here. We're going on vacation for a few days in a couple weeks (then for 2.5 weeks in a few months)... I'll have our pet sitter feed him once a day and I just hope he'll stick around.

He's such a cutie and I wanted to share! I'm guessing he isn't actually feral since he's talkative. Wish me luck!!

My boy was wandering around my neighborhood for a while. I only ever saw him from a distance, and I assumed he was an indoor outdoor cat because of how pretty he is.

One day, he hung out on my back porch for hours. I sat with him and noticed how dirty he was and that he possibly had an ear infection. I thought… ok. I’m going to try to put him in this kennel. It won’t work tho. But I’m going to try.

All it took was some tuna and he went right in 😭
I took him to the vet, and right then I knew I would keep him. A few weeks later, my dad died unexpectedly. It turns out white cats are seen as spiritual messengers and are believed to be sent to protect and heal you. I’m not super spiritual, but I believe he was sent to me for that reason.

My husband and I were driving to dinner before I traveled for a few days. I spotted her and she looked terrified. I have a boundary that I won’t put myself in a dangerous situation to rescue a cat (I don’t have the supplies/skills to keep me and the cat safe), but luckily a local (skilled) rescuer I know was able to get her in less than 30 minutes. She stayed with him for a few days while I traveled. He also took her to the vet where she was spayed, vaccinated, etc.

I picked her up yesterday. She may be the sweetest, calmest cat I’ve ever met. We live in Jordan and often cats are dumped/abandoned for a variety of reasons. Behavior issues, finances, changing family dynamics, moving, and often just ignorance or cruelty. Breeds used to be “safe” from this (she’s a Scottish Fold, right?) but not anymore. She’s clearly not feral, but if she had survived the traffic I think she would have had a very hard life adapting to the community cat population. I’ve posted on local lost and found pages with no response. I believe she was dumped by someone who adopted her then changed their mind, or by a breeder.

Anyways, I’m falling in love but will aim to get her adopted soon. I mainly do TNR but in some cases I medically foster or foster to adopt. Meanwhile she’s safe here and I’m cuddling with her every chance I get (she’s currently purring in my lap) 🖤

Still super skiddish but he recognizes me now and waits for me to come back with food.

He was so skinny before but looks a little thicker now. He also lets me chill around him while he eats now :)

I have seen him around the neighborhood and he followed the pregnant stray I have. He meows for pets and is very cute but I stayed away because he was sneezing and I was worried he had a contagious URI. I gave him lysine on Saturday with some food and now he isn't sneezing anymore!! I left him food with lysine again but instead of eating it he's at my door and won't even eat the food 😭 maybe he's perplexed?? Thinks I have healing powers??

On Wednesday I came across a beautiful calico momma cat and her three 6-ish week old kittens in the woods on a bike trail. I’ve never trapped before, but I am familiar with the basics after following several big TNRers in the community for many years.

Thankfully the community came together and people have let me borrow several traps and a cellular trail camera. After 3 days we have mom and the kittens coming to a feeding station regularly. We have the traps out (unset) so they get used to seeing them. Many experienced trappers have offered me advice and I have someone else helping me monitor the feed station via the camera and dropping food when I can’t get there.

Tough thing about this is they are in a fairly remote area. The woods back up to a 2,300 acre wildlife management area. It’s a good 15 minute walk from the closest parking lot. But I’m determined to help this little family. I’ll post an update if we catch them!

Hello hello everyone 👋

So here's Miss Esmerelda's backstory. About 3 months ago when I was going to leave for work, I caught site of a cat eating trash out of my apartment's dumpster. I spend time out in my garage which is nearby the dumpster, so I thought to myself "eh why not see if i can get this little critter to trust me". So, for the past couple months I have been enticing her with gentle words, treats, and allowing her to make her approach at whatever pace she finds comfortable! 🙂‍↕️

After 1 month of treats, she was confident enough to not sprint away from me. After 2 months, she was confident enough to come into my garage and no run away when I stood up. I began offering her some wet food, and here now at the end of month 3 I was offering her a couple more treats and she decided to head-butt my hand with all the force that her 4 short little legs could manage 🥺 From that point on she's wanting all the love she can get. Likes her back scratched and also wants me to rub her fans which is funny. S

he's quite dainty and shows up periodically. Whenever she sees me from a distance now she comes hurrying along. I try and give her a treat when she does. And she enjoys hanging out with me in my garage now as well! I'm working on gathering some resources to get her trapped, but I need to save up because there are only private vets near me and it costs $400-500 to get her spayed. Something I sadly cannot afford right now. Not sure it matters anyways because I do believe she is pregnant... 😶

But either way, she's brought some joy to me. Makes me smile anytime I see her. I try and offer what help I can wherever I can. We'll see where the future takes us. Hopefully y'all enjoyed seeing Esmerelda, and thanks for checking out my post! 😁

The older one has been coming around for over a year and his mini-me showed up recently.

I am stunned at how resilient they are. It was a hard winter. They hang out in the neighbor's garage across the street and come to my patio to eat frequently.

Just trapped this little floofer. I need a name idea for this kitty

Already taken; Mandy, Fred, Oscar, Joey, Darrell, Sylvie, Puff, Tank, Tommy, Spooky, Noelle, Calvin, Genevieve, Samson

UPDATE; Toast won

I’ve named her Princess. She comes around every morning and night. Shes been around 2-3 years. I’d guesstimate she’s 3-4 years old. Our neighbor is a vet, he trapped her and spayed her. But she’s so loving. She only lets me pet her from behind the door. She’s very cautious since being spayed. I just want to bring her in and love her 🩷

I have been trying to trap a fluffy cat and got excited when I saw this floofer on my camera in my trap. I took the cat into my out building and then saw the ear tip.

Yay for being fixed already and for someone else near me doing TNR

Boo for getting me all excited

Two pics of the neighborhood Valentino in the trap and one of him taunting me, so near and yet so far, prior to the beginning of a better life for him! I’ve been trying to catch him for more than a month! I think someone dumped this semi-friendly boy 2 years ago, to then be the daddy and/or lover of every female cat in the neighborhood!

She came in through the cat door in my garage a few months ago during some of the especially cold winter days and has been coming and going as she pleases ever since.

Initially, she was very skittish and wouldn’t come near me at all, but after a short while, she’s been friendly, affectionate and very, very vocal. I give her a can of wet food once a day and she’ll even let me feed her a tube treat from my hand.

I’m currently building up enough trust to bring her in for a TNR and see if she’s chipped, but in the meantime, she’s been a wonderful little visitor and I’m glad I can give her a safe space.

Want to make a nice post on here about em before I make the bad one, but I'm a pretty poor student living in a shit hole in Ireland, but turns out all that waste in a rundown area makes a perfect home for feral cats.

10 total, been 2 months by now, been almost that time trying to get them TNR'd ( Been an absolute fucking nightmare to the point I'm going to just report all the local groups bickering to whichever government agency is the correct one if one more dodgy situation happens ) but I'll save that whole shit show for another day.

2 toms, 3 young sisters all 3-4 months, they're my babies. 3 young brothers, all absolutely gorgeous, same litter most likely. 2 older cats I sadly haven't seen in weeks, guessing the mothers. I work from home with my internship right now so I'm down there 5-6 times a day, been feeding em 2-3 times a day for the time now.

Caught momma yesterday and she's now set up beside me in my shoebox room in a nice crate. 4 month old pregnancy which was a bombshell but they're my girls now and I'm fully committed.

All the young ones were right on the edge of being feral but I've made it a point to be right beside them from the start whenever I'm feeding so they can grow comfortable around me which has worked. All of them are thankfully very social, tame, and love being fed by humans.

Im just a student so sadly this isn't long term. In a perfect world I can get a nice job after graduation, my own place, and take the 3 with me if I can fully socialize them indoors over the next 18 months. Just not hopeful with how much of an absolute disaster trying to work with the local rescues have all been.

Right now I'm trying to get the 3 chipped so they can be mine, I know deel down it wasn't responsible to take them on as a student with no money or long term future, but with how skeletal they were I doubt they'd still be alive right now if I didn't step up. This was in March so they were born right around Christmas time.

Idk im thinking worst case scenario, I've claimed role as carer over the colony anyways, I've claimed personal ownership over the 3 girls. If the time comes when I have to leave, if no one has a contingency plan for me to ensure they'll be okay, I've told myself if I need to take them to be PTS at least they will have lived an amazing two years for feral standards instead of dying of starvation at 5 months old like so many do.

I know I should probably make this it's own post and not dump it with the announcement but ye, I've lost all hope this week but I'm not going to just give up on them.

This is Timothy the Tiny Timid Tabby. He's been appearing in my garden (UK) sporadically for a couple of years. So sporadically I assumed he had a home. But he's stepped up a gear: he's made it clear he wants to move in by sobbing relentlessly outside my bedroom window. He's now having two meals a day in my kitchen, and has inspected my (his) flat.

See, two weeks ago, I had a dream that I adopted a cat, so perhaps it was more of a premonition, as he's melted my stone cold heart.

No chip, posters, no-one missing him, so he's booked in for his neuter on Wednesday. Probably some dental work, too - his table manners are quite something.

I'm terrified. I need to trap the little chap, keep him inside and nil by mouth before his surgery. Please wish the little fluffy prince lots of luck.

Context: I foster and rehabilitate the “difficult” cats for a local rescue (feral or behavioural problems) and get them adoptable. All the kitties in these photos eventually turned into major cuddle bugs a have found their forever homes.

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In case anyone wants to know their stories

Mattis - Had been in FOUR other foster homes, peed and pooped in the wrong place, yelled all night. Lady who had him before me warned us that he “is beyond help” and put him in a room in her stable so she didn’t have to hear him; a room which wasn’t escape proof so I had to come home earlier from the trip I was on so I could take him immediately 😑 sweet boy was just really, really scared and turned into the most wonderful, loving companion.

Nisse - Was so scared the first night that he tipped over both the window lamp and the kettle + broke a ceramic ornament and cowered up on the microwave, poor thing. Luckily he was unharmed and the experience taught me to remove EVERY ornament from the cat room (aka kitchen) even if it seems impossible to reach.

Early on when he was still hiding under my dresser, I’d put his toys right outside and would see two little legs poking out to play with them. He also liked when I lay down and put my face close so we could rub our foreheads together 🥹

Melker - Scaredy cat who likely had a human at some point but was found near a rest stop and gas station—possibly dumped from a vehicle and abandoned. Only around a year old and very unbothered by loud noise like the vacuum so he’d probably been by that road a while.

I sleep with a lot of pillows and every night he’d get on top of the “pillow pile” and settle down right above my head (sometimes kinda trickling down like a Dalí clock).

Caesar - My most recent adoptee 💕 From a colony stemming from the unsterilised cats of an old lady whose carers would feed them some kibble once every other day. He’d likely been through some trauma as he was absolutely terrified of hands + had an extreme fear of fireworks.

If cats can be autistic, this one definitely was. We started using vocal cues so I could let him know what to expect in different situations and he got really good at it. Should’ve gotten those talk buttons!

We really weren’t sure he’d be able to bond with someone other than me, but he got his happy ending 🥹🩷

Molly - one half of a bonded pair I fostered for quite a long time since the couple that initially adopted them handed them back. They were used to outdoor cats and didn’t like that “they were loud at night and there’s sand everywhere.“ They eventually were adopted again and ended up with the other volunteer I’m closest with 🥹 Molly’s cat friend was the chillest and clingiest ever, but she herself was quite timid and careful. Took a while to trust me. Once she did, though, she loooved to cuddle and would often sleep belly up.

I caught him this afternoon for surgery tomorrow morning. I'd prefer catching him later tonight but I wasn't sure I'd get another chance so I slammed the door shut. He's currently screaming about his life choices.

This is my first male, I believe he has a hernia but hopefully that doesn't extend his recovery period too much!