found a starving Maine Coon

I found a cat outside who was starving. S/He's very fluffy but very matted and he won't let me near him yet. I'm pretty sure he isn't feral because when I talk to him, he looks at me like he understands.
I ask him if he'd like more food and he'll sit and wait for me to go get it.

He doesn't seem to know how to hunt which is why I think he was a pet. He was scoping out our dumpster outside like he's been surviving by foraging. That's when I started setting food out at night since all the
raccoons are likely hibernating with our low temperatures.
It's mostly been 20 degrees for the low.

I set out a heated cat bed for him last night and crumbled cat nip in it but he didn't lay in it. I'm going to try silvervine ( japanese catnip) tonite but since this is on my front porch he might not feel safe to lay there yet.
I want to create a shelter for him , like a box or crate with the heated pad inside but the coyotes still wander here even in the winter and I don't want him to get cornered.
I will figure that out over time , I do have a spot in the back yard where I could build him a platform and give him a heated sheltered area and keep his food there with him. It would be behind a fence so that coyotes could not get him. But that will take time to do and then getting him to cooperate is a factor.

Eventually I will likely borrow a trap from the animal shelter to catch him and take him to the shelter where they will find him a foster and help him adjust. Unfortunately they can't require a cat be only indoors unless it's declawed.

IF anyone wants him/her, I'd gladly drive him to you when I get him to trust me.

 

Oh what a beauty!

HUGS for doing what you're doing!

 

Poor sweet baby!! If you're on Facebook, a lot of communities have local "lost and found" pet groups/pages that you could look into to see if anyone has posted about missing this sweetie. I hope s/he learns quickly that you are very trustworthy!!

 

I hope he finds a forever home soon. Better there than the 40 below it's been here at night.
for the cat and for caring about him.

 

Aww, have you tried calling the police and the animal shelters to see if anyone has called about missing their cat?

 

Our Kobiashi had an ear tattoo, no microchip. Sounds stupid right?
There are 4 different chip systems in North America and not all can be read with older scanners. Some chips are D.O.A.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microchip_implant_(animal)

 

Hi Rhiannon,
You are a good bean!! I hope you can get the kitty to trust you so that a home can be found for him/her. When we found our Alice on the street (being chased by a gang of little boys with bats and sticks), we made a shelter for her out of an old box and lined it with blankets (it was November). She almost never left it (it was in our tiny, fenced-in front city garden). We tried to find if she was lost, but no responses. We didn't take her in, because I thought I was allergic to cats. But when a major storm hit, we brought her inside and she became our kitty (and I wasn't allergic at all). We never knew how old she was, but she was apparently quite young. She had her home, and that meant more to her than anything else. Alice was our first cat. We learned on her! Poor thing ate kibble all her life. She had a squirrel friend who visited her every day in our backyard. At our old camp she made friends with a porcupine who lived under the cabin. She was quite remarkable and very musical (could match pitches and actually sing, but could not master rhythm!). Her favorite composer was Wagner.

Good luck with getting the kitty safely to a new home.

 

A lady in NM just posted the other day in the fd fb group that they just moved and her kitty is lost. I posted the pic and tagged her. She said kitty is in remission in her original post. Her name Bethany Ostler. My fingers are crossed! You're doing a mitzvah no matter the outcome. Bless you!
Mithrandir is her cat's name.

 

God Bless

 

That would be an amazing miracle.

@rhiannon and shadow (GA)
Thank you from a bean who loves her Maine Coon. What a beauty.

I hope s/he warms up to you and you can get it in from the cold. Please post updates.

 

I just ordered a new heated k &l cat house and then a small dog house so I can put the cat house inside it for true rain protection and a place for the food bowl to be right by it. I will put it inside the fence , picture of location in a bit. I had one of these heated houses before but gave it to @MommaOfMuse years ago. She had a clowder. I do plan on posting on local Facebook but I'm not hopeful. This happens a lot here.

 

I wonder if a litter box would make it feel "at home".

 

Rhiannon, the fb lady said a neighbor had multiple sightings of her cat by the house and hopes to have it back soon. Not the kitty in your pic. Bless you for the care you're giving.

 

C'mon sweet kitty, it's ok to trust @rhiannon and shadow (GA). They're one of the good ones.

 

this is where i would put the house.
this is just the side of the house with no windows where I can look out. All the windows are at the roofline on this side, way up high.... but the old wooden gate will give him shelter from predators....
just not raccoons come warmer months....

they just absolutely love cat food....
hopefully, i'll have managed to catch him by then.

if i ever do, i will look for a microchip and hopefully get him to the vet where they might be able to scan ....


patience and baby steps....

 

I am sure you will win the day @rhiannon and shadow (GA) .

We had a semi feral pregnant kitten come to shelter under the house. I'd say it took a good month to gain her trust & then I caught using a trap from the SPCA here. Bless socks . She's still with us which was not the plan at all.

 

I hope she trusts you sooner than later. I can’t imagine someone letting their cat out in the cold.

 

There's lots of diy instructions for making a cat house out of plastic totes, Styrofoam or other insulation, and straw. Just make sure there's two entrances so he can escape of cornered by another animal. You're kind to help him.

I would set up a trap asap. They are really easy to use. I've caught over 15 cats in the last few years and had them fixed and the little ones into homes. Once caught it's easier to tell if he's tame.

Good luck.

 

Don't leave any food out after dark and the raccoons are less likely to bother him.

 

What a beautiful kitty! So sad that people abandon their kitties - cats are NOT DISPOSABLE! It's wonderful of you to try to help him/her; I hope kitty understands this soon so (s)he can take advantage of a warm place to sleep. ❤️

 

I'm so rooting for you and this gorgeous kitty - bless you for helping him/her

 

@rhiannon and shadow (GA) A perfect example of social media actually functioning instead of back-stabbing and navel gazing. Keep us posted Rhiannon.

 

That looks wonderful! She'll be in with you before you know it!

 

he is lucky to have found you. Hope he will start trusting you soon.

 

social media... and Blogs! "Today I clipped my toenails and then I mused." No one cares!

 

Fyi everyone, the other lady and her kitty are reunited. Thank goodness! Now we keep sending positive energy for this beauty to warm to Rhiannon quickly!

 

for Rhiannon! Compassion, group think and common sense save the day and no broken hearts.