(update on the cat from this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/formerlyferal/s/YgHPJpdeI3)

Last night Viola came up into the actual bed with us for the first time! She made biscuits and napped at my partner's feet. (That's the first few pictures)

Tonight around her naptime just now she squeaked at me intently. Once we got settled in, she came up, made biscuits on my lap this time! Then plopped down at my partner's feet again 🥰🥰🥰

For several weeks now she had been doing a regular naptime with me in the upstairs room on a little guest mattress I'd put up there for her. She loved to always be in contact with my feet (that's that million other pictures). But she was afraid of the bedroom and barely ever even poked her head in there. So we're over the moon that she's coming to the actual bed now! ❤️

OTHER BIG NEWS: She is FeLV/FIV negative! So we don't have to worry about her interacting with our 15 year old gray tux boy ❤️ What SUCKED was how we came to get that information...

On my 48th birthday we were supposed to meet some friends who were in town and go to a waterfall and the day after I was going to do an all day hike with them. I have a circadian rhythm disorder so I had to stay up all night to be able to be awake in the morning. Viola kept me company, but eventually I noticed she was squatting to pee in the yard a lot but nothing seemed to be coming out. We decided to stay home and keep an eye on it.

For a while we weren't sure but eventually I found a dab of pee she just let out and it was bright red with blood. We tried to get her to the vet but she became absolutely panicked and terrified and I just couldn't get her in a carrier to save my life. Eventually the vet said she couldn't wait any longer (she was waiting around after closing time), so we were going to have to drive 2½ hours to the nearest emergency vet.

Finally managing to trap this poor baby in a milk crate and slide a dinner tray between it and the metal screening of the catio balcony while she leapt against the screen frantically, wailing and wailing, was one of the most upsetting experiences of my life and I was in tears having to terrify this sweet baby I had spent hundreds of hours trying to teach how to feel safe. But I had no choice.

We dropped her off and drove another hour to my partner's father's place rather than go all the way home. We woke up early anxiously awaiting any word from the vet.

Turned out she did not have a blockage but did have a UTI. They also saw in the ultrasound that she was really backed up with rock hard poop. They gave her laxatives and got her to poop out a brick full of hairballs. They told us it was good we brought her in because I'd it had gone any longer she would've needed surgery! 😱 We had them test for diseases and such while she was there.

I've been having to give her 6 different meds to treat these issues; I had an complete emotional breakdown by day 3 because I just couldn't get her to take some of the meds consistently, and she had gotten a little shaken up by the whole experience and gone back to spending all day sleeping elsewhere and only showing up here at night. So I couldn't even give her the antibiotics twice a day. I was so worried she was going to die.

But after a few days she came back to staying here full-time, and after trying a million different things I finally figured out what foods to put what meds in so she would actually take them. Thankfully she has now finished her whole course of antibiotics and is doing reasonably well with the stuff for her bowels.

She is clearly feeling better, and I can't help but think maybe this big breakthrough with the bed (and other major upgrades in her comfort level being around the house) are a result of her noticing that she's feeling much better and understanding that whatever that crazy episode we put her through was, it must've been part of helping her with that. Maybe that sounds silly, but she is a very very smart cat and really picks up on things really quickly ❤️

A group of cats is called a clowder, clutter or chatter but I really wanna combine the terms and call my kitty collection (4 FFs, 2 rescues, 1 refugee) a chowder. So mote it be!

Chowder News:

1.      Cairo’s and Po’s diarrhea has mostly cleared up. Yay for turds!!

2.      Minnie’s internal lump isn't growing but isn’t shrinking either.

3.      Po is FeLV/FIV negative, so intros were a go and went as follows:

Clio did not participate in one-on-one drills—they’re aware of each other, just didn’t have a formal meet and greet. As for the others, there was side-eying (Luci), growling (Elphie), hissing (Minnie), yowling / fleeing (Calliope), stalking / mutual combat (Cairo), and a bit of swearing (yours truly) but we made it through!

During group work, only two instances of bloodshed (Po’s and mine), mostly accidental. Blame / shame on me—there were some Jurassic Park-worthy claws that I should’ve trimmed first. Rookie mistake.

After an utterly exhausting six weeks of supervised feedings, visits, play, interactions, room rotations, behavioral time outs, etc., I can report that Poseidon is about 80% integrated. There are still a few “get outta my face/butt” moments and “you lookin’ at me?” spats and some unwanted advances. I still have to sequester Po occasionally, which he’s somewhat okay with.

Top 10 Observations:

1.      The FFs are all sweet but also a wild handful, especially the boys.

2.      They’re aggressive when hungry so I have to feed 4 times a day instead of 2.

3.      Expending all kittyboy energy so they don’t “attack” the others is nearly impossible.

4.      Count first, then identify. (“Two, four, five. OK, who’s missing?”).

5.      Bringing in Po upset a tenuous balance that we’re still working to restore.

6.      None of the OG residents like any of the FFs or each other. Sigh.

7.      The 3 OG FFs like each other but only tolerate Po and the OG residents.

8.      Po is indifferent to most but has a bit o’ beef with Calliope and Cairo.

9.      Poor Clio is terrified of everyone.

1. Seven cats is a LOT.

Good day, everyone!

Aside from feeding the community cats in our area, I always make sure to bring cat food wherever I go. Whenever I come across a homeless cat, I never miss the chance to offer them something to eat.

Some cats are shy, some are scared, and others are surprisingly friendly. Some will even come closer, hoping for a few gentle pets and a little affection.

It breaks my heart to see homeless animals struggling to find scraps of food in garbage bins just to survive. No animal deserves to go hungry.

Feeding a hungry homeless cat may not change the world, but for that one cat, it can mean the world.

I hope more people will open their hearts to homeless animals. You don't have to be a rescuer to make a difference. Sometimes, something as simple as offering a little food, clean water, or a moment of kindness can mean so much to an animal struggling to survive.

A little act of kindness costs us very little, but it can mean everything to an animal in need.

Please join our Reddit community, r/StrayCatHeroes

Our community is open to all cat heroes—whether you are a rescuer, a feeder, someone who supports animal welfare efforts, or simply a person who loves and cares about cats.

Feel free to share your rescue stories, post photos of your beloved cats, or simply show us how adorable they are. We look forward to meeting you and your feline friends!

You may also follow my rescue journey on Instagram: instagram.com/catsofmagdalena

My former feral bonded quickly with my other kitty. She's very talkative and uses a sweet meow with my other kitty. They're both indoor only.

Before me, I don't know if she ever talked to a human before.

The first time she meowed directly at me with eye contact, her voice was so croaky, like she was trying it out for the first time. Sometimes she is overly loud or over pronouncing, like she's learning a new language. It's very cute, and I keep encouraging her to talk.

Hi all, I've recently (3+ weeks) brought in a semi-feral (Emby) and have her acclimating to indoor life in a spare bedroom. We had a lot of progress with her over the weekend when I realized she really really wanted to be around other cats. My sweet boy Boyd in particular, who has a super calm, non-threatening demeanor. He's been begging to come into her room so I supervised a visit and she came out of hiding to meet him! Since then I've let him visit several times and she wants to rub on him and bump noses.

I was so excited at her progress at first that I was encouraging their interactions, but then it dawned on me that I may be putting Boyd in danger. To be clear she tested negative for FeLV/FIV on an IDEXX SNAP test on October 2. But I've heard there can be false negatives. What's got me really worrying is that she had a scuffle with a sick looking stray about a week before she was tested. I did not see the interaction but she was very loud during it and sounded like she was being attacked. I never saw any signs of injury on her from that interaction but I'm worried that she could have been exposed and tested negative because it was too soon.

My thinking is I have 3 options, and none sound great:

(1) Retest the new kitty in a few weeks. Getting her to a vet is going to be all but impossible so I don't like that option.

(2) Keep my resident cats separated indefinitely and test Boyd in a few weeks to make sure he's safe. I don't love that option because this girl is clearly craving cat interaction and I feel sorry for her being isolated.

(3) Vaccinate my 3 resident cats against FeLV (not standard at my vet's office) and hope for the best. I know the vaccine isn't 100% effective so I feel like that option will not quell my anxiety.

Does anyone have advice? I would die if I let my cats get sick from my negligence so I'm kind of freaking out.

“Separate” meaning closing the door and spending time with them individually - NOT rehoming one.

I have a bonded pair of former feral 2 year old girls. I’ve had them for about 2 months. One is progressing much faster, she approaches us for pets a few times a day.

The other will let us pet her only while she’s eating, and clearly tolerates it, but doesn’t enjoy it like her sister (so I’ve backed off a bit, while still making sure she’s getting socialized to touch/pets every couple of days).

Recently, the shyer cat has started to hit her sister anytime she approaches us for pets. I don’t know if she’s jealous that we are getting her sisters attention, or if she just wants to redirect the behaviour? Any tips on how to handle the recent aggression?

It's been 3 weeks today since we carried out our plan to trap, vet, and bring our semiferal girl Emby inside (previous posts here and here).

Since then, she's gone from refusing to come out of hiding until the house is quiet at night, refusing wet food (her previous normal diet), and going days without pooping, to eating wet food again in small amounts, pooping every 1–2 days, and making a couple of forays out of her hiding spot during daylight hours. I wish I had more recent pictures to share, but I haven't seen her in person since the day we trapped her.

I feel like overall she is making good progress and I'm encouraged. But to tell you the truth I underestimated the emotional impact of losing my relationship with her overnight. I think back to the morning we trapped her, how that was the last time I saw her excitedly greet me, let me pet her, and talk to me (she had become very vocal). She'd been my buddy for months. I'd feed her twice a day and sit with her. Over the last month before bringing her in, I was sitting in the dark and keeping watch for her in the early mornings while she ate breakfast, because a new stray had started coming around and had attacked her in our backyard on two occasions.

I loved being her protector, and I felt like she knew I was her safe place. Losing that connection with her hurts. On the upside, while we've been having a beautiful fall where I live, the nights are chilly, and I sleep better knowing she's safe and warm. I hope she realizes how safe and protected she is here soon.

This sounds crazy. Yes. I know. But this outdoor cat that I have become friends with is seemingly terrified of chicken. She only eats kibble (and kills and eats baby bunnies).

I put rotisserie chicken on top of the kibble in her normal bowl last night and she looked at it, sniffed from a distance then ran and hid behind my grill meowing. I told her its ok and shook her bowl and she took off and hopped my fence to leave. She didnt come back until this morning.

I think this is insane. My cats ripped my fingers off eating it last night. My front yard formerly feral LOVED it. This girl thinks I am evil?? She wont even eat churu 😭. I can pet and pick her up and shes even getting comfortable around my dogs... but other food besides kibble... no way.

It was July 27, I was feeding one of the areas of our community cats when I saw a weak cat with crusty face and a wound on his bottom.

He was confused and was looking for a safe place to rest. He kept on running. I waited for him to find a spot and rest before I was able to catch him.

I was able to bring him to a veterinary clinic. He was checked and had bloodtest. They also cleaned his wound on his balls (the vet even found some maggots). On the same day, he got confined at the vet clinic. It was almost 2 weeks but he is not improving well so I decided to transfer him to an animal hospital that was more pricey but will provide better service for the treatment that Rambo needs.

It took another 2 weeks. He improved well but still needs treatment. Due to lack of funds, I needed Rambo to get discharged and just continue his medications at home. He was already eating well and doesn't need IV fluid and oxygen anymore that's why the vet allowed me to bring him home. I just needed to give him his daily meds.

After the 30 day treatment at home, from 1.8 kgs, he now weighs 3.8 kgs. He has good appetite. The wound has completely healed and no more discharges from eyes and nose.

I was able to bring him to the vet on Oct. 21 for a follow up check up. As per vet, he just needs additional 7 days of medication and he is good to go!

I didn't know if Rambo will survive when I saw him. But I didn't hesitate to bring him to the vet. He deserves a chance to live a longer and healthier life. Every cat does.

We plan to include Rambo to our next TNR after his treatment and get him adopted. My cousin will be the one to adopt this handsome guy!

I will post another update for Rambo after getting neutered and adopted.

I hope more people will not turn a blind guy to animals in need like Rambo. Every cat deserves a chance to live healthier, happier, find a home and be loved.

You are welcome to join our Reddit community, r/StrayCatHeroes

Our community is open to all cat heroes—whether you are a rescuer, a feeder, someone who supports animal welfare efforts, or simply a person who loves and cares about cats.

Feel free to share your rescue stories, post photos of your beloved cats, or simply show us how adorable they are. We look forward to meeting you and your feline friends!

You may also follow my rescue journey on Instagram: instagram.com/catsofmagdalena

Hi everyone, I need some advice. So I've been feeding a feral cat for the past 4 months, and very recently, she's warmed up to me immensely. To the point where she'll get upset if I don't pet her and literally purr while making biscuits in my lap... It makes me think she is lost/abandoned, as I've seen her walking around in the rain in the middle of the night. I'm taking the steps I can to alert my neighborhood that I've found her etc., but would want to take her in if nobody claims her. She's even been brave enough to enter the home for a little to explore, before bolting out a couple seconds later.

Onto the issue: I leave for a month long business trip overseas in early December. I'm worried that if I take her in now, one month will not be enough time to acclimate her before I have to leave. I could get someone to come feed her, but I would feel bad leaving her all alone in an unfamiliar place so soon after putting her there, especially if she was previously abandoned. Let alone make sure she's doing alright and dealing with any accidents etc. caused by stress. On the other hand, it is getting colder, and although I don't live in a climate where it snows, it still isn't exactly comfortable to be out. I bought her a little heated outdoor cat house (she hasn't used it yet) so I'm wondering if I have someone feed her outside as I've been doing for the month that I'm gone and take her in January instead of potentially rushing things? Any and all advice is appreciated.

Miss Dina (seven years old) was rescued from a cat colony when her care taker passed away. She was afraid of the TV and air conditioning when she first moved in but has made herself quite a home snuggling under blankets. She absolutely loves to play with toys but her favorite is whacking a ping pong ball around the house in the dead of night. She’s so sweet.

Hello I need some advice on adding another cat to my pack.

I currently have two cattle dogs, and one female cat. She has always been a lonesome cat, keeping to herself, just showing up whenever she wanted to get some cuddles. But I have been feeding a stray cat, and this stray cat has been sitting by the window and I've caught my own cat pawing at it, and wanting to interact with it. I feel like this gave me the push to look into adopting another cat, so my sweet Canela can have some companionship but I am very uncertain on the age/gender of the new cat that I should get.

Canela is currently 4 years old, and spayed. She's very reserved, but does not seem territorial, and has never had a problem with her dog sisters.

I want to try and get the stray cat but it seems like a lost cause since I've been feeding it for 4 months and it still just leaves, it seems it's just used to being outside, and doesnt really trust humans and I wouldn't even know how to catch it.

Should I adopt a new cat? Any suggestions on age/gender?

Hi everyone!

I'm looking for some advice or personal experiences from people who have dealt with feral, undersocialized, or extremely fearful cats.

I adopted my cat Lyra from a shelter about a year ago, when she was around 8 months old. From what I was told, she had only lived in one home before mine, where she was unfortunately mistreated.

She's made a lot of progress since then. She's comfortable walking around the house, sleeps wherever she wants, plays with her toys, and even plays with me.

She also approaches me on her own sometimes! She'll come close to sniff my hand or hang out near me. If I have treats on my lap or on top of me, she'll even climb onto me to grab them.

But here's the thing: she absolutely does not want to be touched.

The second I try to pet her, she runs away. Sometimes she'll hiss if I get too close. It's almost like she trusts me enough to be around me, but the idea of being touched still terrifies her.

I've been trying to respect her boundaries and give her space, but after a year, I'm wondering if there's anything else I could do to help her feel more comfortable.

I know some cats never become affectionate in a physical way, and I'm completely okay with that. I don't expect her to become a lap cat overnight (or ever, honestly). I just wish she didn't feel so scared whenever I reach toward her.

Has anyone experienced something similar? Were there any exercises, routines, or techniques that helped build that trust?

Should I keep trying to slowly introduce physical contact, or completely let her take the lead?

A month or two back, some of you may remember me posting in an absolute panic because my front door had been left open and Callie bolted outside. I was so terrified. Thankfully, she didn't stray far and I found her in the garage and was able to bring her back inside.

My front door,when unlocked, sometimes doesn't latch all the way. One of my family members had gone outside to do some yard work and was around the back of the house when the front door blew open due to high winds. We aren't sure how long the door was open, but he came back inside in a panic and told me.

I got up and ran around the house... all cats were accounted for except Sammy, Chewy and Callie. Upon checking the garage, we found Sammy just hanging out along with Chewy however, I could not find Callie *anywhere*.

In a panic, I began running around the house, running around outside the house, tearing through the garage... nothing. I went back inside to grab a hoodie and go further out in the neighborhood, and when I turned back to the door I happened to look to the spot she normally sits next to the cat tree and there she was... looking up at me like, "Mother, why are you freaking out?"

The front door was open for an unknown amount of time... and Callie *chose* to stay inside. She chose to stay with us.

Callie is home. She knows she's home... and most important... I think she knows she is safe now.

She has been spending less and less time behind the couch, and comes out to yell for food. She is almost always out and about when I get home from work, and she wanders around throughout the day. I got this comparison the other day, and the change specifically over the last month or so is absolutely mindblowing. Photos are from Mid-End of June and then about 3 days ago.

Thank you guys for all of your support.. and I hope you're not getting sick of the Callie updates.

We adopted Plumpernickel from the Feral Cat Rescue on June 3. Last pic is his rescue pic. We have another nebelung and I couldn't leave plumpie behind. He's filled out, grown a ton of new fur, transformed into a teddy bear and lap cat, and adjusted himself quite nicely into an inside cat in a multi-cat household!

Today marks Mandy's official 1 year indoors! She has come so far. Ive known Mandy for 2.5 years. The first picture is one of the first times I met Mandy, the next is when I trapped her for TNR, the next is her in-between, then trapping her again to bring her indoors permanently, and then her today.

Shes had such a glow up. She slept between my legs all night last night and she is constantly chirping/trilling. Shes such a happy girl. The vet estimated her to be 5-6 years old back in January. This goes to show that with love and patience, outdoor cats can become fully indoor and be very happy.

Does this mean she will one day cuddle with me? 🥺 we’ve been feeding her the last 6 months and the last 2 months she’s been sleeping on our couch and in our bed (usually when we’re not in it). She loves being pet but still won’t approach me to be pet.

Hi all! It's been about a month since this "feral" kitty had a change of heart and decided to be friends. We've gotten closer and closer, and now he more or less lives outside on my porch. I've been trying to set him up for success for whenever he is adopted by handling him quite a bit and slowly aclimating to indoors. At this point, I can freely pet him (he purrs, makes biscuits, and really enjoys it), I can pick him up for a reasonable amount of time before he wants down, he's even hopped into my lap for pets, and occasionally he'll show interest in coming indoors- in these cases I'll sometimes feed him inside, but he does eventually want back outside.

Anyways, it's starting to get cold here in Ohio. I've built an insulated house for him but he hasn't used it yet. Regardless, the ultimate goal is to find him a real home before the worst of the winter hits. To that end, I have a surrender appointment in a month to a local shelter, but I also have a co-worker who is interested in a barn-cat. My porch-cat unfortunately has FIV and has lived outside for probably quite a while, so honestly I'd be worried about him being stuck for months in a tiny shelter cage.

So, I'm thinking of rehoming him to my co-workers barn. My main concern of course would be that he instantly might run away and then would be lost in an area he's not familiar with. How is it recommended to move a cat to a new outdoor area? Should the co-worker keep him confined to one room for a week, until he recognizes it as his new home? I'm also considering getting the cat chipped and maybe a GPS collar, in case he does escape.

This is Vladimir. He’s 11 months old and has been inside 3 months now. The first month was pretty rough because he was terrified of everything. He still has moments a lot because he sees the animals he was attacked by. When we found him in the woods, he was malnourished, missing a lot of hair, starving. We brought him in after he’d gone MIA for a day & a half and came back bloody. First night, he did sleep on top of me. He often sleeps on my chest as night. This past week, I’ve had to start elevating my legs and he started climbing on me during that time (1st pic). The 2nd pic is huge. I was under a blanket. For the most part, he steers away from soft things, preferring hardwood or stiffer materials to sleep on. This is the first time he laid in my lap on couch, too. Add in the blanket, and I’m just so hopeful he’ll lay there more. If not, I’m still so happy.

Hello. I literally inherited (from a will) my deceased friends semi feral cat. My friend found her 14 yrs ago outside at 6wks old, brought her inside and the kitten lived in one room (her bedroom) for 12 yrs never keaving the room or socializing with the other cats. She would sleep with my friend every night. If a stranger came to the bedroom she would hid. I tried many times to pet her from under the bed and she growled, hissed and swatted me.After my friend died a year and a half ago she was being taken care of by a very irresponsible woman with 3 young children that I am sure terrorized her.
Last Thurs I had taken possession of her . She is 14 yo and terrified. She hid under the bed for days. She did not eat anything for 6 days not even churros tuna, sardines, baby food all flavors, nothing. She was terrified of the move, the new house, strange surroundings . She snarked, hissed and swatted my arm when I wanted to put food near her. Thank god for the long gloves on Amazon I ordered. The only way I can catch her is to throw a towel on her head. Yesterday I took her to to the ER and they are tube feeding her. She has started eating a little again on her own.
The vet team can only handle her because she is constantly medicated on gabapentin through the feeding tube.
She allowed the vet tech to pet her today which is a huge deal.
Tomorrow I’ll be taking her home. It is OK if she is on gabapentin for life.
Any tips on when we get home how to get her to take meds? The room has Feliway optimum. It also have cat music 24/7. Any other tips?

I was in a very unhealthy relationship for about 3.5-4 years. In the end I let my ex take the cats as she was struggling mentally and heavily implied if anything happened to her it would be because I had separated the cats from her.

Over the following 2.5 years, she stalked me and my new partner, harassed us, made untrue and harmful statements about myself and just caused overall undue stress. To the point I had to take out a no-contact order against her as where I live there have to be multiple instances of unwanted contact to allow for a restraining order.

Last week, after 5 years, and 10.5 years I saw one of my best friends from high school who had moved away and my favourite band of all time after spending thousands to see both. Putting me in a weird sense of nostalgia and loss for where I had been then and where I am now.

This week, almost exactly a year since my ex’s last attempt to contact me, she decided to break that no contact order to let me know the cats had been abandoned to a local shelter.

My incredible partner immediately reached out to the shelter, and we ended up seeing them on Tuesday. The one cat was very young when I last saw them, so didn’t react much when i saw them, and also has some pretty potentially severe medical issues going on.

The other cat, who I picked out of her litter with my ex at not even 8 weeks old, looked at me with the most human surprised reaction I have ever seen on an animal. I called out her name and she immediately started purring and vocalizing. The shelter worker said to my partner and I “she only likes her head being pet” and I immediately started petting her face and her sides, and I’ve never seen an animal more overjoyed. We stayed for an hour and had to leave, the shelter offered us to take the cats then and there, but we refused. We hadn’t set up anything and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to figure out a safe and healthy living situation with the cats at my apartment.

Fortunately, her face had changed my mind.

Today, I went back to the shelter and brought my babies home.

It is not currently a perfect situation, as we already have a dog and another cat, and a moderate amount of room. But we will make it work.

I got my cat, who all I’ve had left of was a picture in my living room for the last 3 years, back.

Today is a good day.

Never kill yourself.

You might be able to see your favourite band that broke up again, or a best friend again or one day you might have to save your cat from a shelter.

You never know where life will take you.

I’ve posted about this cute little guy we trapped and neutered from a group of kittens that showed up with their mother in June.

He’s finally had a name. It’s Julius aka “Orange” Julius/OJ

He’s the lucky one that gets to join the house. After about a month and half indoors he’s now much better socialized. He’s not hiding in the cabinet very much. He pulled some towels out and created his own curtains that he uses to feel safe. He comes out for pets now constantly.

Some of the pictures here are of him having a social/play session with our next youngest cat Cirrus. I let them interact for about 30 mins last night and they seemed to enjoy playing with each other. I called it quits when Cirrus gave a growl. They’ve been playing paws under the door for weeks so I think they’re going to be friends in the future. The old girl cats we have currently aren’t that interested in him but he might take Cirrus’s attention away from them so they get bothered less.

So my girl is 4 and she is very friendly. It saved her life and it's a mystery. We think she was dumped at a young age because of her autoimmune issues.

Yeah I know.

But she made it and and spent a long time going in and out of foster homes and group care settings. She fit in with all of them but no one would adopt her.

Yeah I know.

I wanted a super friendly cat. My dog that passed was amazing with almost any creature and cuddly so her bio clicked with me.

\-----

As I learn her, I realize that she plays like she survived and does not draw attention to herself. You have to drag the mouse toy directly in paw reach and she catches and kills it faster than you can blink.

I've rewarded her for this and she now has moments of play zoomies, like a baby cat. She trips over herself and bounces all over the place and it's amazing but I don't even see juvenile house cats play like this.

I taught her to use the cat tube, she wouldn't go near it, then she would hide at the mouth. Now again she will freak jump with her whole body on to the top of it and splat it to get the mouse fishing toy. Again my heart.

She doesn't understand toys that lay there, or again she learned not to play with them to avoid conflict. So I have to teach her to use them one by one with my hands. She just watches and learns then mimics me a bit at a time.

Am I doing all I can or can I make it easier for her?

She used to ignore my lap, but we are doing better. Same with carrying, it was only for vets and shutteling. She was still compliant but scare.

Look at this adorable boy! Just look at that sweet little face and those sleepy, squinty eyes!

Ranger is one of the community cats I care for. He absolutely loves being petted. He has this adorable habit of squinting his eyes, making him look like he’s smiling and enjoying every bit of affection.

He may be a community cat, but he deserves all the love, cuddles, and pets in the world. If cuteness could be measured, this boy would be off the charts!

If more people will care to homeless animals, there will be more cats who will squint like Ranger.

You are welcome to join our growing Reddit community, r/StrayCatHeroes

Our community is open to all cat heroes—whether you are a rescuer, a feeder, someone who supports animal welfare efforts, or simply a person who loves and cares about cats.

Feel free to share your rescue stories, post photos of your beloved cats, or simply show us how adorable they are. We look forward to meeting you and your feline friends!

You may also follow my rescue journey on Instagram: instagram.com/catsofmagdalena

I don’t think she has missed the outdoors once since she moved in a month-ish ago 🤣 She doesn’t even mind the collar.