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Feral cat in 5er

Mtn_Mike1
Explorer
Explorer
I don't have a fiver but my friend has a Jayco 32' and somehow a cat got into the substructure and is between the floor and the lower part of the 5er.
Does anyone have any idea how to get the cat out and where the cat might have entered?
The 5er's bay doors were all closed at the time.

Thanks, Mike
2004 Holiday Rambler Endeavor pushed by a 2013 Mazda Miata
29 REPLIES 29

tbred
Explorer
Explorer
n7bsn wrote:
JIMNLIN wrote:
I've seen kittens born in the wild from a feral and domestic parents that never were tame enough to let anyone touch them even after they reached adulthood. Oh sure they will take food just like a bird/coon or park deer/etc......but they make poor cuddly pets. Were not talking about a poor alley cat having kittens.

IMO some of the folks replying don't understand what a feral animal is. Hell we have a very serious feral hog problem in my area. Most folks know where feral hogs came from and how/why they stay feral. It takes several cycles of breeding with domestic hogs to get rid of the wildness/aggression.

Cats are no different.


As long as we could catch the kittens by four or so weeks, they would completely tame and become lap fungus.
Happened every litter we caught, well over a dozen.



Sitting here typing with my 6 year old FERAL cat. He was born in a feral colony I managed and lived as a feral for 4 years. I finally brought him in during a brutal winter after most of the colony had either passed away or moved on. He is the most loving cat you could have. I have also rehomed over a dozen true ferals(adults) that with patience and animal understanding have become wonderful pets.

n7bsn
Explorer
Explorer
JIMNLIN wrote:
I've seen kittens born in the wild from a feral and domestic parents that never were tame enough to let anyone touch them even after they reached adulthood. Oh sure they will take food just like a bird/coon or park deer/etc......but they make poor cuddly pets. Were not talking about a poor alley cat having kittens.

IMO some of the folks replying don't understand what a feral animal is. Hell we have a very serious feral hog problem in my area. Most folks know where feral hogs came from and how/why they stay feral. It takes several cycles of breeding with domestic hogs to get rid of the wildness/aggression.

Cats are no different.


As long as we could catch the kittens by four or so weeks, they would completely tame and become lap fungus.
Happened every litter we caught, well over a dozen.
2008 F350SD V10 with an 2012 Arctic Fox 29-5E
When someone tells you to buy the same rig they own, listen, they might be right. When they tell you to buy a different rig then they own, really pay attention, they probably know something you don't.

SkiSmuggs
Explorer
Explorer
JIMNLIN wrote:
I've seen kittens born in the wild from a feral and domestic parents that never were tame enough to let anyone touch them even after they reached adulthood. Oh sure they will take food just like a bird/coon or park deer/etc......but they make poor cuddly pets. Were not talking about a poor alley cat having kittens.

IMO some of the folks replying don't understand what a feral animal is. Hell we have a very serious feral hog problem in my area. Most folks know where feral hogs came from and how/why they stay feral. It takes several cycles of breeding with domestic hogs to get rid of the wildness/aggression.

Cats are no different.

We rescued the one feral kitten that would allow human touch. A friend was feeding them. He wasn't cuddly at first, but made a fine pet with time.
2015 F350 XLT PSD 6.7 Crew Cab, Andersen Ultimate hitch
2012 Cougar High Country 299RKS 5th wheel, Mor/Ryde pinbox, 300w of solar

JIMNLIN
Explorer
Explorer
I've seen kittens born in the wild from a feral and domestic parents that never were tame enough to let anyone touch them even after they reached adulthood. Oh sure they will take food just like a bird/coon or park deer/etc......but they make poor cuddly pets. Were not talking about a poor alley cat having kittens.

IMO some of the folks replying don't understand what a feral animal is. Hell we have a very serious feral hog problem in my area. Most folks know where feral hogs came from and how/why they stay feral. It takes several cycles of breeding with domestic hogs to get rid of the wildness/aggression.

Cats are no different.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers

'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 two slides

lots2seeinmyrv
Explorer
Explorer
JIMNLIN wrote:
lots2seeinmyrv wrote:
Turn on a radio and blast some annoying music see if that will get it to leave.

This is what I done for cats and skunks around my trailer shed and barns. A light at nite can also helps.


A skunk just showed up on our back deck yesterday morning. Stinks to high heaven. We put the radio on all night and so far it's gone. Getting the chicken wire installed around the deck today so it doesn't crawl back under there.

The radio works. Friends had a boat dock and the left the radio on to keep the beavers away.

Naio
Explorer II
Explorer II
My mom has been working on a colony of 7 in her neighborhood.

It's taken about a year of daily feeding, but they now all allow her to touch them, and a couple come up to her for petting even when she does not have food. She already got them all spayed/neutered and found homes for the existing kittens.

It looks like at least most of them will become pets. But she has a lot of time to put into them ๐Ÿ™‚
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.

n7bsn
Explorer
Explorer
Naio wrote:
2oldman wrote:
How is a kitten 'born' wild?


Its parents are wild -- either feral or abandoned.

Such kittens, in my experience, take about 30 minutes to tame :).


Food is all it takes

Back before we found a group that would TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) the local colony we would trap the kittens (real easy), then trap the mother(easy, once you have the kittens). We could never tame the mother, but the kittens were plain easy.

The kittens we found good homes for.

Most animal groups do NOT want to come and clean out a feral colony, because what will happen is another colony will form, in the same area, within months.
Since all colonies are made up of related females, it doesn't take long for the colony to start growing... All it takes is one male.

What they suggest is to have the colony TNRed and released back in the same area. That way they form a stable colony, for years to come.
We had our local colony (made up of the daughters and grand-daughters of a tossed "tame" cat) TNRed about 10 years ago.
Nesting boxes and a little food and they have made our yard their base.
The years have taken their toll, and a colony once made up of 9 cats is down to two. Once they are gone we will certainly contact our local "Barn Cats" group and have another two or three out-door girls.
2008 F350SD V10 with an 2012 Arctic Fox 29-5E
When someone tells you to buy the same rig they own, listen, they might be right. When they tell you to buy a different rig then they own, really pay attention, they probably know something you don't.

Naio
Explorer II
Explorer II
2oldman wrote:
How is a kitten 'born' wild?


Its parents are wild -- either feral or abandoned.

Such kittens, in my experience, take about 30 minutes to tame :).
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.

Naio
Explorer II
Explorer II
I have found feral kittens easy to tame. Adults, maybe not.

But I don't know whether the OP knows if the cat in question is feral or an abandoned pet. It's hard to imagine a true feral cat wanting to nest in a place that smells like humans.
3/4 timing in a DIY van conversion. Backroads, mountains, boondocking, sometimes big cities for a change of pace.

2oldman
Explorer II
Explorer II
How is a kitten 'born' wild?
"If I'm wearing long pants, I'm too far north" - 2oldman

JIMNLIN
Explorer
Explorer
Generally feral cats do not make a domestic pet. They don't even make a good barn cat. BN/DT. When I need a barn cat there are always some one in town shelters/individuals that has a cat to give away.
If they grew up wild they are as cuddly as a bobcat.
Same with the kittens if their born wild . Best thing to do with them is put them down as they will not let you pick them up or touch them.

Were talking feral and not just some stray cat some idiot has dumped.

WE deal with this issue almost weekly out here. Local towns won't take them. The state or county will not take them.
Non of the organizations mentioned will come out here and help so its left up to folks that live out here to deal with it.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers

'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 two slides

toedtoes
Explorer III
Explorer III
I agree with calling a rescue group for help. They can help you get it out and might be able to take it and get it a safe place to live. The rescue group can also help if there are kittens.

Don't make loud noises, etc., you'll just freak it out more than it is, and guess what happens when an animal gets really freaked out??? You don't want that residue inside the framing of your RV.

If you can't get help, try a very smelly food (my personal favorite has always been Figaro brand tuna cat food) and set it just outside an opening in the RV. Since it sounds like you're not sure how it got in, you can't really put it where the cat did get in, but if you put it near an opening, the smell will be easier for the cat to sense. And that smell will entice it to come out. And cats aren't stupid - if they want out, they will figure it out even if they got in by accident.
1975 American Clipper RV with Dodge 360 (photo in profile)
1998 American Clipper Fold n Roll Folding Trailer
Both born in Morgan Hill, CA to Irv Perch (Daddy of the Aristocrat trailers)

Cat_Lady
Explorer
Explorer
I don't trust people that are mean to defenseless animals. Told my daughter to pay attention to how a person treats animals and their mama. They'll do the same thing to you.
As you slide down the banister of life, may the splinters never point the wrong way.

coolmom42
Explorer II
Explorer II
n7bsn wrote:
We have a nesting box next to the RV, and have for years and years. The feral cats sleep in it and we have -never- had mice in the rig. Nor do we have moles in the yard.

We've made the cats allies rather then pests.


This is actually a brilliant idea.
Single empty-nester in Middle TN, sometimes with a friend or grandchild on board