Re: NJ feral group

[Renee M. Simon]

Thank you so much! I would love to take in Emma. I took in a feral last summer and he was a piece of cake. He was cllose to death, so he took well to being in the house. Emma trusts me but is SO afraid. She would never come near me. But she sees me in the window, and she eats,grooms and suns herself. She has adopted me. I think my heart is bleeding because I care for this one so much and she seems so untouchable.   I have 4 cats and 2 dogs. Would she endanger my cats if she was positive? She looks so healthy, but who knows. I have read that testing twice is good to do and that ELISA can give false positives. Any thoughts?   How can I get Emma used to me? I have done all that I know: No direct eye contact, blink, head turned, kneel or crouch,lay down,speak slowly and softly. move slowly. I had a great suggestion to open my crawl space. I will do that tomorrow and see if she will live in there where I can get her to trust me. I do not want to trap her, terrify her,spay her and force her indoors without her trusting me. That is not my way. I believe in respecting what they are showing you.   Sorry so long. I would love any ideas for helping me get Emma indoors eventually. As well as any ideas about how to help the many others who need a voice. Thanks again. Renee ----- Original Message ----- From: Hideyo Yamamoto To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 7:44 PM Subject: RE: NJ feral group Hi, Renee, if you ever decide to adopt Emma in let me know – I can show you how to tame Emma – about 90% of the cats I have are feral, or at least used to be  feral cats – and I have adopted all  in my house over the course of years – it’s amazing how feral cat can adopted into our lives and adjust well.  They all love being inside and don’t show any interests of going outside (and I have a few dozens of them)  – and if you are going to have her spay in near future, you can have her test at the same time, so that you can decide whether you can take her in or not (though through my experience, it’s hard for me to release back positives because of their conditions.  But I feel like she has a good chance that she is negative for some reason.   Please don’t get discouraged – I know how you feel, besides the ones I have in my house, I also go around feed about 50 feral in different colonies and I get overwhelmed and depressed very often, wishing that I could do more for them but I am just taking one day at a time, and do the best I can for them.. and you are doing the same.   Love,   Hideyo       From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Renee M. Simon Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 5:27 PM To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Subject: Re: NJ feral group   Oh Nina, Thank you, thank you, thank you! YOU HAVE BEEN MY ANGEL TODAY. i was feeling so frustrated and your words really soothed my soul. I completely believe that the angels send certain kitties my way. Last summer a feral close to death arrived on my doorstep. After vetting and testing, we took him in. He is sleeping next to me now. I found him collapsed on the grave of my beloved Miss Kitty.   I really loved your ideas about shelter. I think I will open my crawl space tomorrow. I can't believe I didn't think of that! And this is farm land, so free pallets are always around! Maybe my hubby could get some heavy totes from work and we can use them. See, all I had to do was ask and wonderful help arrived. I cannot thank you enough! you have just eased my mind tremendously. At least I have a good start and something constructive to do tommorrow for Emma and Abby, as well as the others who live in the marsh.   Three days ago, someone who was feeding one all summer decided to take him to the vet in hopes of adopting him. He tested positive, but was asymptomatic. I do not know if they kept him or pts. My boy Jasper was tested twice and was negative, so we were lucky. I currently have 4 cats and 2 dogs. I have over 3000sq ft so they all have their own places. My hope was to bring Emma into the house, but she seems to feral to me and I am not sure she would make the transition.She is about 2 yrs old I think. I don't know if she is positive or not and I don't have a room to keep her isolated safely. I am waiting for divine inspiration on that one! I am also going to write to my local newspapers and see if they can help,maybe an article? I will also post an ad to see if anyone can donate supplies. It is a start. I have lived here for 7 yrs. I am not sure why I felt compelled to do something now and not earlier. All I can do is my best. Emma really stole my heart. I really feel a connection to her. I pray for her every night and during the day I try to learn how to help and what else I need to learn. Low cost spay here is running about $75 a cat, which is hard for me to manage for more than a few. And certainly not for 30- 40.   Thanks so much for being my angel today. I went from tears to really feeling like it is not hopeless. I appreciate the kindness you have shown me. Have a wonderful night! Renee ----- Original Message ----- From: Nina To: felvtalk@felineleukemia.org Sent: Friday, December 02, 2005 6:58 PM Subject: Re: NJ feral group   Renee, I've sent you a couple of emails off-list.  Are you getting them? Nina Renee M. Simon wrote: Thank you so much for your kindness. The going was tough the last 2 days and my tears have been many. We are a small beach community and today the winds have been 60mph with lots of flooding. I haven't seen any of the cats today and I wish they were warm and dry. It makes me sad to think that I cannot find help for them anywhere. Your kindness has helped a great deal. All my Best, Renee