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Old September 22nd 04, 09:14 PM
Sharon Talbert
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Mom would be best contained in a small space, even a cage. She is in the
closet now; you might just close the door to that room (the room, not the
closet) and let her get comfortable there before she ventures out into the
rest of the house/apartment.

Be careful with your love-offerings. Her teeth or claws could do you
serious harm. (Bite wounds are the more serious.) Your story reminds me
of our old girl, Kaspurr, who hid behind the toilet and hissed the air
blue for a solid month. I would offer her baby food on a plastic spoon
and the spoon and contents would be sent flying. Kaspurr was a kitten at
the time, by the way; I've had better luck with a few adults I've taken
in. We have only once given up on a feral and released her (into our
backyard, not back to the street where she had been run down). Wild
Ginger, as far as I know, is still living in the neighborhood and comes to
our feeder on a regular basis. Other adult ferals live with us in various
stages of socialization, some coming along better than others. Only one
still takes swings at me if I get too familiar. (In fact, I have a goodly
bruise on the heel of my hand, thanks to his quick claws.)

Good luck to you. Your little cat may take a long time to settle down.
That's part of the joy in the socialization of a feral cat, watching them
bloom. Be patient, be careful, and most of all be patient. I have a
blurb in the Campus Cats website that might help you, "Taming the Tiger."
Thank you for taking the cat in.

Sharon Talbert
Friends of Campus Cats
www.campuscats.org