Question FERAL Cat dilemma - opinions Plz

[Poultryprincess]

HISTORY of FERAL CAT
Almost 3 years ago our fat lazy house cat suddenly had a new friend - a Feral cat
He was quite wild & it took many months before he allowed us near him
With help from our dog, cat & good food he finally allowed us to touch him.
He was the 3rd Feral Orange cat, we found the other 2 a home.
We trapped him, got him fixed & all his shots
Being Feral the SPCA does it the same day for only $150
They clip one ear, & tattoo the belly so people know he's feral
The condition is he be returned to his original stomping ground
"Orange Boy" would be here for a few days then dissappear for a few
SPCA figured he was about 2 years old & he was only 8 lbs.

HIS CURRENT LIFE
"O.B." comes & goes as he pleases, but 90% of the time he is with us
He's a good mouser in the coop but we can't pick him up or walk over to Him
He wants to stay outside @ nite unless it's Cold. He uses outside as toliet not litter

Every year I have to Drug & trap him to get his checkup & shots
The Vet found 3 broken rotted teeth, that happens Often to Feral cats
Vet quoted me $1,600 for the 3 as long as there's no complications
Would cost me $400 for Each additional tooth that has to come out
If he doesn't get surgery, he could get alot of pain & sick from an infection

THIS IS MY DILEMMA
Bc Orange Boy is Feral, I qualify for a special price by Humane Society
For the extractions regardless of How many teeth would cost under $1,000
"BUT" the vet felt the BIG possibility that ALL his teeth need to be removed
In that case, he has to be a house cat forever more....NO outside
He's scheduled for his extractions in 4 wks but I'm not sure what to do

I move end of March to a New area he is NOT familiar with
"IF" by accident he gets out, he doesn't know a Plan B to run to
He has to remain an INDOOR cat bc he won't be able to hunt
I HATE the idea of him being in pain if & when he gets an infection, BUT
I HATE the idea of him being Trapped inside ALL the time, when he wants outside
Our current place has acres of corn fields, the new place is right ON a small hwy
(so I wouldn't be letting him out anyway, but with NO teeth can he even defend himself)
I Could get him a Catio so he Thinks he's outside. My fat cat would be there.

It makes me feel much like the debate of Free ranging my chickens
Nothing more pleasant than watching them decide Where they want to go peck
But it's also heart breaking when a fox or hawk swoops down & kills them
Do I let him be FREE or live SAFE??? ACKKKKK I'm so confused! OPINIONS??

[kenya]

It's nice that you want to help him but being feral he will do as he likes. He will get outside but he will soon learn the new place. I'm surprised the vet was able to check his teeth if he's feral, with all the feral cats I've had their teeth were always good. I spent 600.00 last year getting one neutered and having eye surgery done on him as his eyelashes turned in. He hung around for about 2 weeks after that then disappeared. I have never seen him since, disappointing since I really liked him. Be prepared if he's really feral they don't make good house cats and will do their best to get back outside. After spending that money on my feral I wish I had kept him in a cage for a month at least but I don't know if that would have made a difference, I did keep him in a cage for a week.

[kenya]

Just saw the picture he seems to be enjoying his time in the house, my ferals would go in the garage but never the house so you might domesticate him some more and orange cats are one of the more friendly cats. Feline friends here in Stratford say that orange and black cats are the friendliest in their experience and they do the spay neuter release and look after the cat colonies . They have over 13 colonies they look after.

[Shnookie]

I'm surprised that his teeth would be so bad at a young age. If he has rotten teeth he likely has infection now. If he ends up toothless he won't be able to fend for himself outside. $400.00 per tooth extraction seems a bit excessive, in my opinion. If they are rotten or loose it won't take much effort to pull them. What about putting him under and having a complete physical and tooth assessment, then decide how to proceed. If they find that he is in really bad shape, maybe it would be kinder to put him down at that time.

[Kbr42]

Our feral cat, Wilton, followed me home 10 years ago. He lets us pet him outside for the first while. He has learned over time that he is welcome in the house. Last year, I spend 1200 on his teeth. He comes amd goes as he pleases. Most days, during the winter, you can find him in front of our wood stove. We strongly suggest he goes outside, he says Nope!

He is our best cat. I'll be very sad when he goes. In the summer he sleeps in the nesting boxes with the hens. They love him. And he does a great job of taking care of them.

I'll bet over time your guy will figure out his new home and be happy you fixed his teeth. Good luck!

[Killerbunny]

Our feral cat Muppet had broken teeth and I had to have them all removed in the end because he was in pain. By that time he was 12ish? and didn't do well after the op. so be aware he may have issues afterwards. I don't want to be negative but he was quite unwell for several weeks. He ended up being euthanised 3 months later from parotid gland cancer. I don't wish to be negative but make sure he is fit for the op first. Prior to that he barely stirred his butt off the sofa after moving in except for brief excursions in the sun. Orange boy looks lovely and is much younger. He still has claws so should be able to get away up a tree. Could he have a dog pen thing for a while?

[WLLady]

hate to say it but he looks so comfy on that sofa that i doubt he's 100% feral. All our feral cats REFUSE to be in the house, and would prefer to be in the hay even at -30! But we also have 2 indoor/outdoor cats. they're both not feral, but oreo is way more feral than domestic. Outside we can get nowhere close to her and if she sees a carrier within a mile in the house we cannot catch her. If she were your cat and had rotten teeth I honestly would do the surgery, provide a softer diet (depending on the number of teeth gone-if it's only 4-5 there's still lots of teeth in there for chewing!) once a day during the day at the door if she really needed to be out (she'd learn the pattern) and not at night (so i wouldn't attract the coons/skunks). Let her in and out as wanted, but definitely IN until healed-and I would demand a long acting antibiotic shot from the vet just in case the escape to the outdoors happens (it will....) if they're truly feral. The surgery (if losing all teeth) would shorten the lifespan because of the stress of not being able to hunt effectively. And i would definitely not declaw so climbing is a way away from predators. As for the moving, as long as he knows his name when you call it-so he can find home if he does dash out, he should be okay. my one indoor/outdoor cat spend a few years moving between homes and never got lost. And even went outside the first day she was at my place and came back just fine They're pretty smart critters. But, i must admit he looks like an indoor/outdoor cat to me so comfy on that sofa (i have 2 ferals in the barn that would never dream of coming in and trying a sofa!)....as opposed to wildly feral LOL. I guess the vet said that the teeth were rotten....i was going to say that my lab had 4 broken teeth that stayed with him till he passed but they didn't go rotten....

[Poultryprincess]

Ur NOT being Negative KillerBunny, I need to hear the possibilities

Our fat cat & the dog lay on the top edge of the couch. OB climbs up to be with them but never climbs up on his own.

Regular vet gave us capsules to be added to his food to drug him. (tired / groggy for 3 - 5 hours)
Humane society said they would have to put him under if he wasn't drugged for the exam.
I saw the 3 teeth, they are broken off @ the gum line...2 were Black
Vet said it likely hurts him to eat, so now I mix canned food & he is up to 11 lbs
He Still hunts & eats mice a few times a week, more in the warmer weather
Humane Society vet said she has heard stories of all the teeth being pulled
A vet will then hand the owners a bill for $4 thousand dollars!!!

I would Never declaw, but don't want him to suffer. (we all know how painful a toothache can be)
OB doesn't actually come when called but does for dinner. Once he's full he won't come LOL
My new place has a small sunroom with windows on the N, S & W side
Thinking a multi tiered cat post could keep him happy & feeling like he's outside
At least until I can build him a Catio

BIG THANX I was nervous everyone would say Don't do it...bc then I would doubt myself
Will keep ya posted...his surgery is for Feb 20 and I get my new house the NEXT day!!!!
February will be a busy moth ~ Thanx Gang, I appreciate ALL the words of wisdom

[Jaye]

Our feral cat, Wilton, followed me home 10 years ago. He lets us pet him outside for the first while. He has learned over time that he is welcome in the house. Last year, I spend 1200 on his teeth. He comes amd goes as he pleases. Most days, during the winter, you can find him in front of our wood stove. We strongly suggest he goes outside, he says Nope!

He is our best cat. I'll be very sad when he goes. In the summer he sleeps in the nesting boxes with the hens. They love him. And he does a great job of taking care of them.

I'll bet over time your guy will figure out his new home and be happy you fixed his teeth. Good luck!

I am sorry- off-topic, but I think it would be nice to put a face to Wilton ... pics, please! And not just Wilton, but all feral cats that were lucky enough to find homes with PTO members.

[Happy]

I have a former feral. His name is LB. Initially it stood for Little Buddy. Then after a trapping and vet visit gone horribly wrong it stood for Lost Boy (long story but just know cats can climb drywall and push ceiling tiles up to escape when cornered!) After finally being discovered living in a closet in a dorm room at Georgian College I got a call to come pick him up and he came home with me and was renamed Lucky Bugger
LB was the kind of feral that took off if he saw you look out the window at him. He still refuses to be picked up but he loves being petted and wants to sleep on the bed. Nobody ever sees him aside from hubby and I. I was told by the vet that "lost" him that ferals make horrible pets. LB is my kind of cat. He doesnt insist on laying on me every second...he enjoys being alone a lot...he's non-demanding. He has lived with me 13 years. He hasn't gone outside in about the last 5 years...his choice. He has no interest in it. OB will adjust. You're a good heart to look after him like you do.