Susan's Cat Sanctuary of the Southern Tier

24/11/2024

So tonight I decided to move Will from his crates at the sanctuary to my spare bedroom at my home..this poor boy has been crated since February & I felt it was time to give him alot more space while we wait for him to be neutered..of course it will take some time for him to get use to Ally my dog but I'm sure he will adjust in no time 💙

23/11/2024

I absolutely can not express how grateful I am for the donations I received yesterday & today 💖 💓 I am literally in happy tears with the amount of support my kitties have received...We would like to thank everyone😽😽😽😽

23/11/2024

Ellie is ready for her forever family. She is spay, utd on vaccinations, fiv/felv negative, flea & tick treated & microchipped. Ellie is approximately 6 months old, if interested in welcoming this beautiful smokey grey girl into your family please pm your email for our adoption application & a meet & greet ❤️ 😻

21/11/2024

Misha's bloodwork came back better but still showing infection has not completely cleared & iron still low..so she is on 2 more weeks of antibiotics & lixotinic & run her bloodwork again 🤞🤞🙏🙏 She is such a perfect patient laying in her carrier as we waited for her test results 😻❤

20/11/2024

Tater & Tot have so settled in & are total sweethearts. Unfortunately they need to remain crated until they are fully vetted but at least they are indoors & safe & getting all the TLC they want 💙💙

20/11/2024

Poor Will just can't catch a break 😢 Took him for his big neuter day today, I noticed a little blood in his nose, my vet examined him & heard some raspiness in his lungs so we decided to postpone his surgery for fear of the chance he wouldn't make it through anesthesia. Will has come to far to even take this chance, so he received a convenia & steroid injection & will repeat another convenia injection in 7 days & hopefully neuter in 3 weeks 🤞🤞🙏🙏 I'm calling him my million dollar boy 🤣 but he is worth it 💙💙

19/11/2024

My girl Mish is finally closing in on 4 lbs yayyy!!!! She has been stalled at 3.3 lbs for forever, she has her follow up appointment this Thursday & will rerun her bloodwork. Praying it shows her intestinal infection has cleared up 🙏🙏

19/11/2024

Q: Can a feral be socialized and be brought indoors? 🐾🏡🐱
A: Maybe. It depends on the cat.

DEFINITION OF "FERAL": a cat that is unsocialized with humans. 🙀 This cat has had little/no interaction with humans, is afraid of people, and prefers to live outdoors. The term APPLIES to the cat's DISPOSITION/TEMPERAMENT, and NOT TO WHERE IT LIVES (indoors vs. outdoors). Not all outdoor cats are feral.

This type of post tends to spark plenty of conversations regarding whether a feral cat can be turned/tamed/socialized to be an indoor pet. The answer is YES, it MAY be possible -- but it depends entirely on the cat and its prior experience with humans, if any.

Socializing a feral cat takes a boatload of patience and time. 🕰️ It's best to start with a fully vetted cat as spaying/neutering removes the hormones that cause cats to wander and otherwise respond to reproductive urges. Slowly, you must earn that cat's trust. Depending on the cat, this can take weeks, months, or years! 📅 The degree to which the cat might become friendly varies. You might end up with a lap cat, or you might end up with a cat that's happy to live indoors but you're never able to touch. The results are never guaranteed.

Sadly, most feral cats are simply TNRed versus going to rescue. There is always a shortage of foster homes, and those are usually reserved for kittens and friendlies (who get adopted faster). 🏠 Bringing a feral indoors for the purpose of socializing him would require the foster to keep the animal isolated in a cage in a small room, away from other animals and stimuli. It would also require the foster to spend hours of daily one-on-one interaction with the cat for weeks or months. 🤲🚫 Most people don't have time for that commitment or can't spare the room. Also, in this situation, the rescue might weigh which is the better option: keeping that foster available to rescue a litter of kittens (with or without mom) versus tying them up for months with one cat with an uncertain outcome. When they weigh which option would make the bigger impact, the feral loses.

We've socialized many ferals that are now in forever homes. 🏡 If we capture a stray and notice that it has potential, we will give it a chance before we put it back out. Sometimes they show us they prefer to live outdoors -- and sometimes they decide the accommodations are pretty good and they want to stay. We listen to their cues and act accordingly.

📷: This is our Blue, a former feral who became one of our resident house cats in August 2020. It took us a full year to gain his trust. 🤝 We socialized him outdoors during Covid lockdown, at his pace. This cat was formerly feral and lived in our area for at least 3 years before we discovered him. Time and patience on our part -- and trust on his part -- made him a beloved indoor kitty. It can be done! 🙌🐈

▶If you're interested in learning more about socializing a feral cat, check out this very informative article/guide from StrayPetAdvocacy.org. There are great tips in here, and we've shared quite a few with our followers over the years. http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/socializing_a_feral_cat.html

19/11/2024

For those of you wondering how Nina gets around with missing half of her both hind legs..She gets around just fine ❤

18/11/2024

I've had this beautiful girl for over a month now who I decided to call her Nina. Nina is estimated to be 2-3 years old & has lived on the streets her whole life..She is a special girl she is missing half of both hind legs most likely a birth defect from inbreeding 😞 I will finally be setting up an appointment with my vet, she will need to be sedated for a full exam & vaccinations as she has not gained full trust with humans, I will than set up her spay appointment but for now she is perfectly content being inside out of the cold with 24/7 access to food, water & a clean litter box...as you can see she has gained weight & her fur looks so much healthier than the 2nd picture the day before she was brought to me 😻❤

17/11/2024

Ellie will be spay on Tuesday & will be available for adoption, she is estimated to be 5-6 months old & loves her belly rubs. Ellie will be up to date on vaccinations, tested for Fiv/Felv & microchipped..if interested in adopting her please message me for a meet & greet & an adoption application ❤

17/11/2024

14/11/2024

I've had these two boys for a full day now & they are both total sweethearts & so greatful they are no longer living outside💙💙

13/11/2024

These two brothers are now in my sanctuary, they are scared & will give them time to settle but they are safe, warm & will be vetted 💙💙