Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

One week ago, I took in a feral cat, a young adult female aged around one, which I found lying seriously injured on the road near where I live, having been run over. Thanks to the excellent help and advice of vet Marios Tornou and his staff, I have managed to nurse her back from death’s door and she is now recovering at spectacular speed. She was obviously run over from the rear and is still unable to stand on her hind legs, although she is starting to move them and is trying very hard to get up onto them. She will probably be back to normal health within one to two weeks.

Out of impulse, I asked the female member of staff at the vet’s who first looked at her what her name was and said that is what I would call the cat. So, her name has become Eftychia, or Effie for short. The cat has not yet got used to the name, though.

This leaves the problem of her subsequent fate. Being a feral adult, the idea that she could be tamed and turned into a pet sounds pie in the sky, so the only option would seemingly be to return her to where I found her. I called a cat charity in the UK to check what the correct procedure would be, and they told me it was their official policy, if a feral cat aged more than 12 weeks is brought in for treatment, to return them where they were found after they get better, because a feral cannot be tamed after that age. However, to confound all probability, this little girl (she is fairly lightly built) appears to be becoming tame and docile. I have put her to the test with two human total strangers and in both cases she has let them approach (without even hissing) and touch her. I am starting to think that she is capable of making the transition to pet and wonder if anyone would care to offer her a home. I am trying to sell up and leave Cyprus just now which makes it problematic for me to keep her for a long time, and I think it would be better not to get her too used to living in my flat because moving her elsewhere will then get harder and harder. You can contact me on 25811108 and you are welcome to come and have a look first.

Thank you for your interest.

[Kikapu]

One week ago, I took in a feral cat, a young adult female aged around one, which I found lying seriously injured on the road near where I live, having been run over. Thanks to the excellent help and advice of vet Marios Tornou and his staff, I have managed to nurse her back from death’s door and she is now recovering at spectacular speed. She was obviously run over from the rear and is still unable to stand on her hind legs, although she is starting to move them and is trying very hard to get up onto them. She will probably be back to normal health within one to two weeks.

Out of impulse, I asked the female member of staff at the vet’s who first looked at her what her name was and said that is what I would call the cat. So, her name has become Eftychia, or Effie for short. The cat has not yet got used to the name, though.

This leaves the problem of her subsequent fate. Being a feral adult, the idea that she could be tamed and turned into a pet sounds pie in the sky, so the only option would seemingly be to return her to where I found her. I called a cat charity in the UK to check what the correct procedure would be, and they told me it was their official policy, if a feral cat aged more than 12 weeks is brought in for treatment, to return them where they were found after they get better, because a feral cannot be tamed after that age. However, to confound all probability, this little girl (she is fairly lightly built) appears to be becoming tame and docile. I have put her to the test with two human total strangers and in both cases she has let them approach (without even hissing) and touch her. I am starting to think that she is capable of making the transition to pet and wonder if anyone would care to offer her a home. I am trying to sell up and leave Cyprus just now which makes it problematic for me to keep her for a long time, and I think it would be better not to get her too used to living in my flat because moving her elsewhere will then get harder and harder. You can contact me on 25811108 and you are welcome to come and have a look first.

Thank you for your interest.

Well done, Tim.

[miltiades]

Very touching story Tim.
So good of you to take care of this little cat.
Im looking after many ferrel cats, in two years i have only managed to fully domesticate 2 kittens, one is now over a year old the other abour 2 months.
They get well fed, they have plenty fish aband s cat food. All the cats come into my apartment the doors are always open.
You say the cat is a ferrel one, well why not bring her here to me, She will have loads of company and plenty to eat. As Im on ground level with lots of space she will soon get used to her new surrounds.

[Tim Drayton]

Very touching story Tim.
So good of you to take care of this little cat.
Im looking after many ferrel cats, in two years i have only managed to fully domesticate 2 kittens, one is now over a year old the other abour 2 months.
They get well fed, they have plenty fish aband s cat food. All the cats come into my apartment the doors are always open.
You say the cat is a ferrel one, well why not bring her here to me, She will have loads of company and plenty to eat. As Im on ground level with lots of space she will soon get used to her new surrounds.

Pop round and have a look, then. Of course, first preference goes to somebody who wants to give her the full pet treatment. We'll have to see if that's really going to be feasible. I want to see if I can get her to use a litter box once her legs are better, which will be a precondition for staying here.

[Paphitis]

One week ago, I took in a feral cat, a young adult female aged around one, which I found lying seriously injured on the road near where I live, having been run over. Thanks to the excellent help and advice of vet Marios Tornou and his staff, I have managed to nurse her back from death’s door and she is now recovering at spectacular speed. She was obviously run over from the rear and is still unable to stand on her hind legs, although she is starting to move them and is trying very hard to get up onto them. She will probably be back to normal health within one to two weeks.

Out of impulse, I asked the female member of staff at the vet’s who first looked at her what her name was and said that is what I would call the cat. So, her name has become Eftychia, or Effie for short. The cat has not yet got used to the name, though.

This leaves the problem of her subsequent fate. Being a feral adult, the idea that she could be tamed and turned into a pet sounds pie in the sky, so the only option would seemingly be to return her to where I found her. I called a cat charity in the UK to check what the correct procedure would be, and they told me it was their official policy, if a feral cat aged more than 12 weeks is brought in for treatment, to return them where they were found after they get better, because a feral cannot be tamed after that age. However, to confound all probability, this little girl (she is fairly lightly built) appears to be becoming tame and docile. I have put her to the test with two human total strangers and in both cases she has let them approach (without even hissing) and touch her. I am starting to think that she is capable of making the transition to pet and wonder if anyone would care to offer her a home. I am trying to sell up and leave Cyprus just now which makes it problematic for me to keep her for a long time, and I think it would be better not to get her too used to living in my flat because moving her elsewhere will then get harder and harder. You can contact me on 25811108 and you are welcome to come and have a look first.

Thank you for your interest.

Good on ya mate. Very well done.

[Tim Drayton]

Wonders never cease. I have left a litter box around to get Eftychia used to the idea, and have occassionally put her in and moved her paws around in it so she might work out that this is a good place for leaving ablutions. Yesterday evening, after she had had her tea, amazingly I saw her trying to get into the litter box by herself, but her hind legs are still not strong enough for her to do this, and I gave her a push up from the rear to get in, astonished at the thought that she might actually be trying to use it. But, no, she just lay down there and I thought I'd let her stay there for a bit as she looked comfortable, with it coming as a bonus if she went to the toilet while she was on there. I took her out a couple of hours later and it had indeed been weed on.
However, the big surprise came this morning because I found a feline number two lying in the litter box, and there are no other cats here so she must have managed to get in and do it there - and with very restricted use of her hind legs.
In short, there is hope that Effie can be trained to be an indoor cat if need be.

[Lordo]

tim i adopted a 10 moth old dog from battersea cross between german shepherd and staffi. she was perfectly trained. she may have run away but she may well be trained already. so admirable to home a cat in that siutation. many would have just walked away.

[Cp279]

We have adopted 4 strays and now they live with us at home. All of them have been vaccinated and neutered. The issue is with the 25 strays in the garden,most of them being kittens, abandoned by (sigh!) their own mothers. The vet affirmed that any female who gives up caring for their kittens is to prone to start a new cycle of copulation.
I am willing to pay for the neutering costs, but the challenge is about catching them. Some feral cats are so vicious that they can send even an adult to Emergency Ward. Some friend has suggested that I use a trick hence set up a cage , putting inside stuff to eat. Still, there will be no guarantee that those entrapped will be the ones that need urgent neutering.
I am offering the Nobel prize in Foolproof Feline Trapping of Ferals.

[Tim Drayton]

We have adopted 4 strays and now they live with us at home. All of them have been vaccinated and neutered. The issue is with the 25 strays in the garden,most of them being kittens, abandoned by (sigh!) their own mothers. The vet affirmed that any female who gives up caring for their kittens is to prone to start a new cycle of copulation.
I am willing to pay for the neutering costs, but the challenge is about catching them. Some feral cats are so vicious that they can send even an adult to Emergency Ward. Some friend has suggested that I use a trick hence set up a cage , putting inside stuff to eat. Still, there will be no guarantee that those entrapped will be the ones that need urgent neutering.
I am offering the Nobel prize in Foolproof Feline Trapping of Ferals.

My experience has been that a feral mother knows which of her kittens are unlikely to live long and don't waste milk on them, especially if they have a large litter. I have taken in abandoned feral kittens before and they usually don't live long despite having the best treatment possible, so feral mums are usually right about this I am afraid to say. How about turning the four into five? Effie looks like she'll easily make the transition to pet - being nursed back from the dead is probably a life-altering experience - and it would be a shame to dump her back onto the street where she might get run down again.

By the way, today I have seen her walk short spurts on her hind legs, albeit not fully raised, so she is now healing at a phenomenal rate. She's going back to the vet on Monday so we'll see what he says, but I am sure she'll be back to normal within a fortnight now.

[Tim Drayton]

I should mention that the Marios Tornou Veterinary Clinic in Agios Athanasios, Limassol is charging me for materials only in this case, i.e. he and his staff are volunteering their labour, so a great thanks goes to them.