Life of the Lintee Bean

Since I’ve been talking about Studley a lot recently, and the struggles (and now successes) with medicating him, I thought I’d write a bit about more about his history.

Studley was a feral cat in my friend’s neighborhood.  A feral cat differs from a stray cat.  A stray cat may or may not be socialized, but typically when someone refers to a “stray” they are referring to a socialized cat that is homeless and living outside.  A feral cat is not socialized to humans, it’s “wild”. 

Anyway, Studley lived in my friend’s neighborhood and would frequently enter the courtyard of her building and “service” the female cats.  Sex between cats is a very LOUD occurrence – lots of screaming involved (and not the good kind).  So, neighbors quickly became annoyed and figured they’d trap Studley and take him to an area shelter.  The shelters in that particular city are not “no-kill” – there are two of them, and one euthanizes if cats are unclaimed (and unadopted) after about a week, the other after three days.  So, my friend knew an unsocialized feral cat didn’t stand much of a chance there, and since the neighbors were on the “look-out” for him, neutering him and releasing him – though it would likely have solved the noise problem, didn’t seem a viable option to her.  So, she decided to trap him and get him to me, and I’d find a “no-kill” shelter to take him.  (I have to confess, this was in 2002 and I didn’t realize how remote my chances were of finding a “no-kill” shelter in my area that would take a feral cat.)

My friend worked with Studley -feeding him regularly, at the same times each day, so he began coming reliably for food.  Cats, even feral cats, will often socialize quickly to caretakers – and Studley gradually got closer and closer to my friend, until she could even touch him.  When the time came, she was able to grab him and stuff him in a carrier.  In retrospect, this is NOT the method I’d recommend!  I’d advise getting a humane trap (renting one from an area shelter or elsewhere).  You could get VERY injured trying to grab a feral cat.  Cat bites are extremely dangerous!  Cats’ mouths are loaded with bacteria that can cause severe infections.  (Trust me, I know.)

So, Studley came to me and (not surprisingly) I couldn’t find a “no-kill” shelter to take him, but I found one willing to put him on a waiting list.  When he first came to us, he lived in the bathroom.  It’s also extremely important to isolate any newcomer cats from any existing cats!  Not only so introductions can take place properly, lessening the chances of behavior/aggression issues – but also until the newcomer has been vetted and proven Feline Leukemia (FeLV) negative and free of parasites!

Studley lived behind the toilet for a long time, mostly in a shoebox.

Studley cowering behind the toilet

I had NO IDEA how to socialize a feral cat.  So, I probably did it the worst possible way.  I’d go in the room, see how scared he was and feel AWFUL and tear up and grab him and hug him and tell him it was okay.  When I grabbed him, he would freeze into a stiff furry ball of giant tom cat-ness.  I’m extremely lucky he NEVER tried to bite or scratch me.   Just froze.  After about a hundred times of being hugged, though, maybe he decided it wouldn’t kill him.

I was able to get him to an area rescue organization’s clinic where they neutered him.  I also got him treated for fleas (which he had) and roundworms (which he had) and tapeworms (which he also had).

Studley eventually got brave enough to venture out of the the bathroom and he lived behind the desk in the den, or along the walls between the bathroom and the den.  Eventually he moved beyond there and then lived under my bed for a long time.  My mom would always say I was “mean” to make him come inside when he used to live outdoors, and now he lived under a bed. 

Studley living under the bed

So, how did I socialize Studley?  Well, I meal-fed, which I think is key to not only getting cats out of their hiding places, but socializing them toward their caretakers.  I had other socialized cats, so Studley could see me interracting positively with other cats.  I talked kindly to him, I played with him, and I (and my friends) gave him treats.  I think he grew to associate humans with positive experiences.  I still remember the first time I sat down on the sofa while he was there and he didn’t immediately run away.  I remember even more vividly the first time he did leave the sofa after a bit, then came back and lay back down on it – WHILE I WAS SITTING THERE.  That brought huge tears to my eyes.

Six years later, Studley now trusts most people.  He’s still a bit shy, but he’s been more and more willing to get within arm’s length of guests in hopes of a pet or two.  I think my friends coming to visit and liking him has made him braver.   Again, exposure to “strangers” is important for a cat to be truly socialized – otherwise they are only socialized to their caretakers.

In retrospect, if I was approached with the situation now that I was then (in 2002), I’d probably say he’s a candidate for TNR (trap-neuter-return) and have him neutered and put him back where he was.  In my opinion, there are just WAY too many homeless cats to work on socializing adult ferals at this time.  I’d love to see the day where the pet overpopulation problem isn’t so bad, and most socialized cats have homes and we can focus more energy on finding unsocialized cats homes… but that day isn’t in the near future, I’m afraid.  However, in Studley’s case, I’m extremely happy it worked out the way it did.  With his medical issues (glaucoma leading to eye surgery, cancer leading to more surgeries, and now, asthma) I doubt he’d have lived much longer as an outdoor cat.  I also love having him with me.  He’s an extremely sensitive, affectionate guy.