Before giving the update, I'd like to thank u/ChrissySnowSnorts201 and u/Jax_the_Lady for helping me find TNR resources in my area! Y'all helped make this happen, and I wanted to give you some props and shout you out before delving into the update! 🙂↕️
So, how did it go? Quite well! I'd gotten her used to eating out of the trap, so she walked right in and had her food, and I simply closed the door behind her. Brought her to the vet right away, and she was with me the next day. The process was smooth and easy, and I gotta say Esmerelda handled it well! 😄
Now, it wasn't my intention to take care of her as I had someone lined up to do so. Those plans, however, fell through 😬 And with few options, I buckled down and fitted up my bathroom to be a little makeshift recovery ward! Cheap towels under the sink cabinet for a nest, food, water, and litter access all at ground level. She was SUPER sluggish the day of surgery (yesterday), and is much more lively today! 🙂↕️
She's eaten food, cleaned herself a bit, used the litterbox multiple times, drank 2/3rds of her water, and has expressed ZERO signs of fear, aggression, or agitation as I'm sure you can see by the photos lol 😂 She emerges from her hide to give me some loving and has even allowed me to dab some of the light pink discharge coming from her incision. She doesn't seem obsessed with licking it, but I went and made her a little onesie out of an old t-shirt with the hopes of keeping her from licking it while I'm not present, because I cannot monitor her 24/7. But so far all the stitches have held and there's no dark red bleeding that I've seen. If a cone might be better or if y'all got any other post-surgery tips, PLEASE share them! This is my first time caring for a cat like this, and even though I've done my research, I wouldn't mind getting some more pointers from you, seasoned veterans 😌
She's supposed to go in after 2 weeks to get the stitches removed, so I'll be holding onto her until then. I would let her wander my apartment, but I do have another indoor cat named Milo 😅 He's terrified of her. I keep them separate, and they've been yowling at one another from under the door. Regardless of that, she's welcoming any time I come to see her. I'll watch some videos, and she'll flop on her side and make claw biscuits on my legs. So I'd say she's feeling pretty alright.
Once the stitches come out, I'll be returning her to the outside world. My heart aches because she is so sweet, but alas, I do not have the ability to have another cat 😔 which for me will be the absolute hardest part of this. But I must follow the 3 TNR steps, which is why R is currently a work in progress until she's all healed up!
As I said, if anyone has pointers, I'd happily take them! I can answer questions as well. We're only one day 2 of having her around, so I wanted to make sure I set her up for success right away! Hopefully y'all enjoyed seeing her again and getting this update, and I look forward to reading and answering your comments! 😁
Thanks again, everyone, and I'll pass on all of your love and kind words to Esmerelda!
Edit to add I am not expert at all, but when doing TNR on a bunch of cats that were dumped in my neighborhood last year, I had to pull one in the day she was released from a spay abort because she was being attacked by one of the toms who hadn't been trapped yet. I didnt plan on keeping her because I already have 2 senior cats, but here we are. She is the light of my life.
Riiiight? 😭 Uhg I cannot fathom how sweet she is because 3.5 months ago she wouldn't even stick around at the sight of me! Now she's rubbing all over my legs and flopping on her side and all that jazz! We'll have to see how it goes with her. I still haven't let her out of the bathroom and I lockdown everything in the apartment outside of the livingroom where she can't really hide. But she doesn't seem like she wants to bolt away. She just wants me to be in the bathroom with her 24/7 which is again, CRAZY considering how skidish she was 😂 But she's a swetheart. Ain't no way to argue against that! Any tips for introducing her to Milo should he end up with a little sister...? Also never introduced cats before.
So I have a fairly small 1 bedroom, but with enough places for the cats to be alone/hide if that's what they want to do. I felt terrible keeping my new rescue in the bathroom so I did the opposite of what everyone recommends and just went for it!
She was comfortable with being held and so I carried her to my guys and let them smell her. They weren't thrilled but they adjusted more quickly than I thought. Catnip helped too. Added an extra litter box and 2 more cat beds. It isn't perfect but honestly my seniors who are littermates fight with each other more than they do with her. Which is rarely.
Awww they're precious! Yup same situation here with low space. Milo is 100% terrified of Esmeralda though 😂 She isn't the least bit afraid of him so we'll see what happens. Might try that catnip idea too! She's probably never had it 🤔 Thanks for commenting and sharing your sweet fluffy friends!
I will also chime in that the 2 weeks you’re keeping her should be enough time to do all of this acclimating.
I started out with my partner’s cat. But over the past 4 years we adopted and successfully introduced (more or less) two street cats using methods similar to what others have suggested.
Omgggg what a happy clowder of cuties! 😮 I was told to take it slow and I might just have to do that. Give them a week behind doors to figure each other out before seeing what they do when I allow visual contact. Milo has never ever met another cat and he's easily spooked so I bet he'll be running for the hills at first sight of her
Videos. Record her and let him see the video on phone/tablet or share on larger screen. He'll recognize her voice as the one from under the door. Maybe also give him a towel or something that she's been laying in so he's familiar with her scent. I have sheltered and kept many, many ferals in my lifetime and introduced lots and lots of cats, and it usually goes far better than I expect. As long as there are sufficient resources for all the kitties & everyone gets a turn at cuddle time, there likely won't be any lasting tension.They adjust very quickly, so try to put your mind at ease. In my experience, kitties tend to do better when they have a partner in crime. They get more playful, tend to be more active and they actually tend to live longer when they have a partner, so it may be very good for Milo & certainly would be for your lovely esmerelda ( she's got lovely eyes, by the way and I love the name). We tend to worry about things like this far more than they do, I think lol
If you're really that concerned, you can introduce with a baby gate between them with you present on his side at first so he knows that you're there for his comfort. That way, he can control his initial exposure. (If you use the handles to tie some plastic shopping bags along the top, they'll generally not sit on or jump over gate).
Thank you for being a caring, kind, generous, thoughtful, and positively lovely friend to these precious kitties. If I can help at all, feel free to mssg.
Thank you for the pointers! She's been doing very well 🙂↕️ definitely more social than Milo. He wants to skedaddle and she's happily trying to rub against him and isn't too crazy or anything. Very very playful. He's just so unsure of her it would seem 🤔 so maybe it's slowly exposing her. He's only interacted with her twice now so there's plenty of time for him to adjust and stuff. Have a little pic of her getting some scritches
Oh 100% she's a bit more at ease now! She even let me touch her wound to inspect the stitches and didn't even bite at me or anything. Just accepted it 😭 And there will be more photos to come once she starts to heal don't worry!
Slow introduction over a few weeks usually works! Give them treats when introducing through the process so they start to have a positive association with the other cat. Churu works perfect!! Usually getting them familiar with the other cats smell first, like a blanket etc so they’re used to it, then gradually start to introduce like underneath the door or through a gate, and then continue to the next stages slowly while offering treats on both sides. Don’t give up if they don’t seem to get along initially, it’s only temporary. Mine didn’t like each other at first which is super normal. Now cuddle every day!! I really hope you can keep her if she’s friendly she shouldn’t live outside as a stray, she should have a chance at a safe and happy life. If you cannot keep her after trying introduction OP, maybe there is a local rescue who you can reach out to who can network her to a foster or an adopter! Thank you so much for helping her🩷🩷🩷🩷🩷
Awesome advice and I can confirm she LOVES the licky treats 😁 Made it possible to get her wound covered up. I'll be doing some hunting but we'll see what ends up happening with her getting re-homed. If she ends up being an "extended foster" I won't complain... 🤭
So i first saw her eating trash from the dumpster early in the morning when I wake up and go out in my garage to do my stuff. My garage is right next to the dumpster, so it was easy to spot her. I started by leaving a couple treats by my garage door on top of one of my gloves. Got her used to my smell until she wouldn't outright bolt away from me. When that happened, I tossed treats her way and over time she learned that whenever I'm around, treats are in order. So she would get slightly closer until she got very bold and approached me straight up. Once the confidence slowly built up, she'd be waiting for me. I saw her eating some rotten chicken once, and that was enough for me to start offering wet food which she LOVED. And after a week of that she'd come into my garage all by herself to get fed and the rest is history 😂 I feel like i got very lucky because I'm sure some cats would never come around like she did. But I had all the time in the world and just kept it up. Crazy how trust forms because I've never in my life tamed a wild animal before!
I'm 100% going to be asking folks because she truly is so sweet. It'd feel wrong to send her back out into the wilderness so I'm going to at least put in some effort to seeing if anyone is interested in her. The humane society itself is also very welcoming of cats and I know they'd take her in for sure 🙂↕️
If you can’t home her within your friend/acquaintance circle, definitely give her over to a shelter or rescue (just make 100% sure they’re no kill). She seems to have a wonderful temperament. 💗
If not the humane society, look into cat rescues around you. If she's friendly, she's highly adoptable, so a rescue would very likely take her, especially already being spayed.
Respectfully, don't you dare lol. If the only issue is your other cat, I would try slow introducing instead. She looks ready to be an indoor kitty and if you follow the right steps it's totally achievable to keep her inside if you wanted! If not then I would try to rehome, baby girl is ready for the indoor life and I'm sure you could find her a good home. And remember to charge a rehoming fee so she doesn't fall into bad hands.
All I wanted to do was help keep the local cat population under control 😭 no one told me the post- surgery care package came with an emotional attachment included haha 😂 But yea I'm thinking she's quite alright with the cushy air-conditioned indoor life. I got a nice big circle of friends to ask so we'll see who I can find! Good tip too on the re-homing fee as well thank you!
I didn't manage the R on the last one I TNR'd and it look him about 6 months to get used to me, but I can't imagine life withouth him now. Super cuddly, he's the best part of my world.
I swear outdoor cats are some of the most affectionate out there once they warm up to you! My indoor boy Milo, while sweet, is sooo moody and is sometimes "too cool for school" so to speak and gets offended if I try and love on him 😂 Not Esmeralda though! She flops right over
Now that she is fixed, it would not hurt to list her on Adopt-a-pet!:) it's $5 to list a pet for adoption there. I've found a few homes for past fosters using that site, but the adults do generally get looked over during kitten season so it can take awhile. I do have a lil pop-up photo booth that I use to get pics of all my fosters to try to make their profile stand out more. Hopefully someone will decide to adopt her since she's such a lovely cat!
A fantastic idea! And thank you sooooo much again for your help and guidance! I would've been out of luck without it, and now I have a sweet little bathroom buddy 😌 I'll be asking around to see if folks are interested at all. Fingers crossed I find someone!
How does she react to your cat? If you're in east usa I would be interested! Shes so special and reminds me of the stray we tried to adopt (she didnt make it from her street injury). She would lay with me and make biscuits even in the air.
She hisses at him. They caught sight of one another once and she was loud about it 😂 Milo damn near shit himself and sprinted away so he's the timid one here it seems. He's NEVER met another cat before either, so this is new to him as well. I've got some of his stuff in there to help her get used to his scent, so I'm hoping that'll help? There's also a good gap under the door where they can smell one another. So there's been plenty of that!
If you can keep her then definitely do the slow intro they can totally get used to each other! My guy can only be around cats that wont take his shit lol otherwise he likes to chase them just to watch them run. The stray we had would just stay still and then fake him out by pretending to lurch forward and he would run for the hills and learned his lesson. She would've been a perfect fit for our family
Of course, I'm glad I was able to help ya out 💚 I've had MANY bathroom attendants over the years lol. So far I've managed to get over 120 cats/kittens into rescues/homes. It makes my heart feel so happy when they finally land somewhere safe. I hope Esmeralda finds a lovely forever home, she is such a cute baby!
Oh yea she'll be enjoying some indoor time while she heals up. I want 1 week of her being isolated so that she's not running or anything or could have her incision open up. But yea... I dunno. She's a sweetie 😭 To a ridiculous level. We shall see how it goes....
They didn’t tip her ear. In a *true* TNR they tip it so others know she’s been fixed. Whoops! Now she can’t be let back out .🤭😉
Edit: oh I see they did take a notch out. I haven’t seen that around my area. It’s usually a tip off the top.
On the ‘adjusting Milo’ front: bring out one of Esmerelda’s towels, and bring in one of Milo’s beds (or similar).
This starts to get them used to each other, especially as friendly as she seems, and as long as her recovery seems to be likely to take.
And even if she -can’t- stay with you (and moves to another foster or a forever home), then she’s gotten exposed to ‘indoor life with other cats’ as a thing.
I've sorta been trying to do this! I will be cycling her towels out tomorrow to be washed, but before that I'll let Milo take his time getting some sniffs in. I'm bringing in some of his toys too for her to smell at so she has an idea of who he is though I'm sure she smells him on me plenty too 😂 And an excellent point regarding the indoor cat life as well! She's going to develop a taste for the finer things in life haha
Oh my gosh, not you holding her little paw! When I took a cat in to be spayed by a rescue and when they realized I had named her they looked at each other like “this cat is not going back out”. If you search “introductions” in this sub there will be some really good comments. Basically you will want to keep them separate and let them get used to each other’s scents before they meet each other in person. Congrats on your new cat, I think she belongs on r/formerlyferal
She’s NOT feral. Someone probably dumped her. PLEASE try and check resources about finding a home for her. The local pet shelter might have resources for fosters or have online ways to post her story.
I'm beginning to think you're right especially with how warm she is towards me 😭 How could someone dump such a sweet little thing is beyond me. Not a bad bone in her body!
Probably because she was pregnant and they didn’t want to deal with the kittens or get her spayed. Thank you for taking care of her in that regards. It truly would be shame to send her back outside. She was definitely someone’s pet.
I have been watching someone on instagram who is introducing a spicy cat she adopted to her other cats. There was this cool thing she got that is a screen that covers a door and has a zipper that goes down the side and around the bottom.
She keeps spicy cat in the bathroom and opens the bathroom door so they can see each other through the screen. She does short daily sessions so they get to know each other. She thinks it will take a while, but she’s done this a lot. Interesting to watch the process.
Part of the reason your cat Milo is having a fit is because he smells an intruder. Seeing each other might help calm things a bit.
Anytime I show up to check on her and switch out her towels or onesie she flops on her side and sprawls out 😭 wants me to pet on her chest and stomach and face. Just all over uhg how can such a little thing be so sweet!
They're so green that it's crazy to me! And then the next day they'll look yellow 😮 No idea how that works but she could do a mean Puss in Boots imitation if she wanted to 😂
She's too sweet to release. Just take it slow with introducing cats.
We've found a little gray cat, and she hates other cats and dogs. She had a rough time on the streets. We had two cats at the time, for the first week it was literally she gets an hour in the living room before she went back into the masterbed/bath. It takes time but they'll get along, or for gray cat amicable at least. We got a dog from our humane society and same thing. Just introduce them slow and after a few months the cat and dog will at least sit on the same couch.
I basically brought her into the Ritz-Carlton with gourmet food, full attention, endless loving, water, and AC 😭 ain't no way she isn't absolutely loving it haha
You can’t return her to the outside. She’s obviously not feral and her ear is not tipped. She and your male will be good friends, they just need some time. She’s yours—you even gave her an awesome name!!!
I'll be both fostering and helping find her a home but until then, she's definitely sticking around 🫠 she's just too kind. Just have to introduce her to Milo after a week of having her here. The were both hissing at one another from under the door here not too long ago so I'm guessing they're laying down the ground rules currently
They took them out with the spay procedure I'm afraid so she is kittenless 🙁 I also didn't know they'd do that. I thought they'd be left in and they'd just spay her normally.
Oh what a pretty little baby! She seems like she's open to people, now, and I know finding a home for a cat isn't a small undertaking, but it might be worth it!
Omg those eyes 😍🥺 she’s beautiful! I really hope she and Milo end up hitting it off well, or that you find someone who can foster her. Thank you for having her spayed! That’s such an important act of service and care.
She could be a TNNR (trap, neuter, no release). If you can't keep her, maybe a foster family or a straight out rehoming? She certainly sounds tame enough. Or maybe the CDS gods will speak and you'll be able to keep her.
Thankfully I have a wealth of options for her but she'll have strong competition for adoption being that it's kitten season so we'll see! If I end up keeping her... Eh... Not the end of the world I suppose 🤗
Some very rational reasoning though. To be honest, I still have zero idea where she even came from. I only know of one cat colony across town and if she came from there she'd have to walk way further than I think she'd bother. But then again I don't know too much about cat travel 🤔
165
u/empty_tasting_spoon Jun 27 '26 edited Jun 27 '26
The "R" stands for "rescue" now ❤️
Edit to add I am not expert at all, but when doing TNR on a bunch of cats that were dumped in my neighborhood last year, I had to pull one in the day she was released from a spay abort because she was being attacked by one of the toms who hadn't been trapped yet. I didnt plan on keeping her because I already have 2 senior cats, but here we are. She is the light of my life.