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Trying to tame a semi-feral



 
 
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  #11  
Old November 7th 04, 07:23 AM
Arjun Ray
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On Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:04:52 -0800, Shana Cooke wrote:

I'm trying to find out information on how to teach a semi-feral cat to
like being picked up (or at least tolerate it).


Patience, and technique. The cat may never come to like it, but the point
is to make the experience tolerable and non-threatening.

1. Know how to pick up a cat. (Amazing how many people get this wrong,
typically picking the cat up by its midriff, like a towel.) With the cat
facing away, you want one hand from behind a foreleg cradling the chest,
and the other under the haunches or butt. The idea is to use the front
hand to lever the cat backwards onto the back hand. The heaviest part of
the anatomy (the pelvis) is firmly supported, and there is no discomfort.

2. Accustom the cat to your hands. The cat should associate your hands
with petting, and this should apply to all parts of the body. So, try
scritching the chest from behind a foreleg from time to time. This is
preparation for the front hand of the two-handed pickup.

3. Develop the chest petting into occasional upward pressure (preparing
for the levering backwards). Try for just enough to lift the forelegs
momentarily off the floor. Since this is part of a petting session, the
cat should get accustomed to it as "part of the game".

4. Eventually try the two handed pickup, again for only a moment. They
will panic, just keep your cool, and keep on interacting with them.

5. When, later, the panic reaction subsides, the idea should be short
lifts where the cat is put down somewhere pleasant, e.g. in front of a
food bowl, into its favorite napping spot, etc. The point is to make the
experience something the cat should not fear, because something "nice"
always happens.

6. Be prepared for this to take a year or more before you can carry the
cat across the room.







  #12  
Old November 7th 04, 07:31 AM
Arjun Ray
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On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 06:23:55 +0000, I wrote:

1. Know how to pick up a cat. (Amazing how many people get this wrong,
typically picking the cat up by its midriff, like a towel.) With the cat
facing away, you want one hand from behind a foreleg cradling the chest,
and the other under the haunches or butt. The idea is to use the front
hand to lever the cat backwards onto the back hand. The heaviest part of
the anatomy (the pelvis) is firmly supported, and there is no discomfort.


1.5. And know how to let the cat down again too! Basic rule is forelegs
first, because this is their natural stance when descending from a height:
cats land on their front feet first. So, from the half-sitting position
in the two-handed pickup, lower your front hand and "pour" the cat over
it. But don't drop the cat: bend down, and hold on until the front legs
touch the floor.
  #13  
Old November 7th 04, 07:31 AM
Arjun Ray
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On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 06:23:55 +0000, I wrote:

1. Know how to pick up a cat. (Amazing how many people get this wrong,
typically picking the cat up by its midriff, like a towel.) With the cat
facing away, you want one hand from behind a foreleg cradling the chest,
and the other under the haunches or butt. The idea is to use the front
hand to lever the cat backwards onto the back hand. The heaviest part of
the anatomy (the pelvis) is firmly supported, and there is no discomfort.


1.5. And know how to let the cat down again too! Basic rule is forelegs
first, because this is their natural stance when descending from a height:
cats land on their front feet first. So, from the half-sitting position
in the two-handed pickup, lower your front hand and "pour" the cat over
it. But don't drop the cat: bend down, and hold on until the front legs
touch the floor.
  #14  
Old November 7th 04, 07:43 AM
Arjun Ray
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On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 02:21:20 +0000, Jean Hobbs wrote:

I did once hear that it takes three generations for the ferral to
finally become socialised.dont know if thats true or not.


Not true, and if it were, where are the second and third generations going
to come from anyway?

Actually, it varies with the cat. When I trapped each of them, two of my
cats were feral juveniles (one, Phoenix, at about 14 weeks of age; the
other, Marie, at about 20 weeks of age) and the third, Lucas, was a hard -
i.e. never socialized - stray, estimated to be 2-3 years old at the time.

All three are completely socialized to me, but the reactions to strangers
vary. Phoenix finds the farthest place to hide. The other two will be
wary, but can be made friends with without too much trouble. Marie, in
particular, is easy to approach, and you would never think that she was
born an n-th generation feral. But she has an eartip to prove it.

--
http://www.nyct.net/~aray/cats/
http://www.picturetrail.com/aray/
  #15  
Old November 7th 04, 07:43 AM
Arjun Ray
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On Sun, 07 Nov 2004 02:21:20 +0000, Jean Hobbs wrote:

I did once hear that it takes three generations for the ferral to
finally become socialised.dont know if thats true or not.


Not true, and if it were, where are the second and third generations going
to come from anyway?

Actually, it varies with the cat. When I trapped each of them, two of my
cats were feral juveniles (one, Phoenix, at about 14 weeks of age; the
other, Marie, at about 20 weeks of age) and the third, Lucas, was a hard -
i.e. never socialized - stray, estimated to be 2-3 years old at the time.

All three are completely socialized to me, but the reactions to strangers
vary. Phoenix finds the farthest place to hide. The other two will be
wary, but can be made friends with without too much trouble. Marie, in
particular, is easy to approach, and you would never think that she was
born an n-th generation feral. But she has an eartip to prove it.

--
http://www.nyct.net/~aray/cats/
http://www.picturetrail.com/aray/
  #16  
Old November 7th 04, 10:00 PM
Daniel
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Cheryl wrote:
Yes, I
once had to catch her for a vet visit when she exhibitted signs of
UTI and didn't have the luxury of time to desensitise her to the
carrier in the bathroom, and had to actually chase her down to get
her to the vet. Sometimes it has to be done.


I had to sedate one of my beasts just the other day to get him into a
carrier and to the vet. Following a visit to the vet last winter,
during which a bee bee he acquired during his previous life was cut out,
we had no luck getting him back for his follow-ups. The only result of
3 failed attempts over the course of 3 weeks was that he wouldn't let
any of us get closer than 15 feet for the next 3 months. He was rescued
at about 2 years, and is a lovable guy. But don't try to pick him up
unless you absolutely have to. After that experience the vet gave us
the pill, one of which we always have on hand, in case. We have another
feral who was rescued at about 2.5. It took over a year before the
Stockholm Syndrome kicked in and she began to stand for us to pet her.
We can pick her up now but not hold her. Fortunately she hasn't had to
go to the vet since her initial post-rescue doctoring. Our other
rescues were all taken as kittens, 2-5 months old, and were thoroughly
handleable within a month or two.
  #17  
Old November 7th 04, 10:00 PM
Daniel
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Cheryl wrote:
Yes, I
once had to catch her for a vet visit when she exhibitted signs of
UTI and didn't have the luxury of time to desensitise her to the
carrier in the bathroom, and had to actually chase her down to get
her to the vet. Sometimes it has to be done.


I had to sedate one of my beasts just the other day to get him into a
carrier and to the vet. Following a visit to the vet last winter,
during which a bee bee he acquired during his previous life was cut out,
we had no luck getting him back for his follow-ups. The only result of
3 failed attempts over the course of 3 weeks was that he wouldn't let
any of us get closer than 15 feet for the next 3 months. He was rescued
at about 2 years, and is a lovable guy. But don't try to pick him up
unless you absolutely have to. After that experience the vet gave us
the pill, one of which we always have on hand, in case. We have another
feral who was rescued at about 2.5. It took over a year before the
Stockholm Syndrome kicked in and she began to stand for us to pet her.
We can pick her up now but not hold her. Fortunately she hasn't had to
go to the vet since her initial post-rescue doctoring. Our other
rescues were all taken as kittens, 2-5 months old, and were thoroughly
handleable within a month or two.
  #18  
Old November 10th 04, 06:17 AM
bluemaxx
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Shana, 7 months isn't a very long time at all. A semi-feral I rescued
in 2001 still doesn't like being picked up or held in my arms. He has
gotten a little more gracious about it in the last year... as long as I
don't hold him for more than 20-30 seconds.

That only came about because I took him outside in my fenced-in back
yard for 'walks'. After 5-10 minutes ourside, I would gently pick him
up and carry him in. At first he struggled in my arms, but after 2-3
times, he got the hint that we had to go back inside and while he never
relaxed, he tolerated my holding him until we got to the door.

He also fights going into the carrier. I bought one where the top
unsnaps and comes off. I take the carrier top off, place him on a towel
inside the carrier bottom, then quickly pop the top on and snap it up.
Be sure that your cats head is facing the back of the carrier so you can
get the door put back on and latched.

Good luck... I think you're doing spendidly with your semi-feral. Time
will win out and I hope she ends up snuggling with you.


"Shana Cooke" wrote in message
om...
: Hello,
:
: I'm trying to find out information on how to teach a semi-feral cat to
: like being picked up (or at least tolerate it).
:
: I adopted a semi-feral from the humane society about seven months ago
: (she is now 13 mo old), and in this time she has stopped hiding, and
: usually comes up to me at night for pets - sitting beside me on the
: sofa, purring her heart out. Occasionally she will step over me to get
: to a better seat, or sit on me if I am lying down covered by a
: blanket. She never sits on my lap if the blanket is not there, though.
: More importantly, she hates being picked up and will hide for a few
: hours when an attempt is made. She also disliked being petted if she
: is not in one of her designated "safe" spots - aka, the sofa, the
: kitty tree, or the bed. If I try to pet her while she walks around on
: the floor, or when she is on the windowsill, she hides from me for an
: hour.
:
: I am trying to get her to adjust by putting my arms around her when
: she's allowing pets, and sometimes adjusting her so she's closer to my
: lap, but it's slow progress. I'd really like some advice on how to get
: her to be pick-up-able, as I'd like to take her to the vet for an
: annual checkup in a month or two and I'd really like for the pick-up
: not to be a traumatic chasing around the house and swoop into a box
: experience. I also worry about putting her back into the box once we
: are at the vet.
:
: She likes treats, but won't come forward for them, I've tried
: sardines, I've tried turkey and chicken meat, she waits until I give
: up and put it down in a dish before she comes out of the hiding spot.
:
: Thanks,
:
: Shana


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  #19  
Old November 10th 04, 06:17 AM
bluemaxx
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Shana, 7 months isn't a very long time at all. A semi-feral I rescued
in 2001 still doesn't like being picked up or held in my arms. He has
gotten a little more gracious about it in the last year... as long as I
don't hold him for more than 20-30 seconds.

That only came about because I took him outside in my fenced-in back
yard for 'walks'. After 5-10 minutes ourside, I would gently pick him
up and carry him in. At first he struggled in my arms, but after 2-3
times, he got the hint that we had to go back inside and while he never
relaxed, he tolerated my holding him until we got to the door.

He also fights going into the carrier. I bought one where the top
unsnaps and comes off. I take the carrier top off, place him on a towel
inside the carrier bottom, then quickly pop the top on and snap it up.
Be sure that your cats head is facing the back of the carrier so you can
get the door put back on and latched.

Good luck... I think you're doing spendidly with your semi-feral. Time
will win out and I hope she ends up snuggling with you.


"Shana Cooke" wrote in message
om...
: Hello,
:
: I'm trying to find out information on how to teach a semi-feral cat to
: like being picked up (or at least tolerate it).
:
: I adopted a semi-feral from the humane society about seven months ago
: (she is now 13 mo old), and in this time she has stopped hiding, and
: usually comes up to me at night for pets - sitting beside me on the
: sofa, purring her heart out. Occasionally she will step over me to get
: to a better seat, or sit on me if I am lying down covered by a
: blanket. She never sits on my lap if the blanket is not there, though.
: More importantly, she hates being picked up and will hide for a few
: hours when an attempt is made. She also disliked being petted if she
: is not in one of her designated "safe" spots - aka, the sofa, the
: kitty tree, or the bed. If I try to pet her while she walks around on
: the floor, or when she is on the windowsill, she hides from me for an
: hour.
:
: I am trying to get her to adjust by putting my arms around her when
: she's allowing pets, and sometimes adjusting her so she's closer to my
: lap, but it's slow progress. I'd really like some advice on how to get
: her to be pick-up-able, as I'd like to take her to the vet for an
: annual checkup in a month or two and I'd really like for the pick-up
: not to be a traumatic chasing around the house and swoop into a box
: experience. I also worry about putting her back into the box once we
: are at the vet.
:
: She likes treats, but won't come forward for them, I've tried
: sardines, I've tried turkey and chicken meat, she waits until I give
: up and put it down in a dish before she comes out of the hiding spot.
:
: Thanks,
:
: Shana


---
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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.788 / Virus Database: 533 - Release Date: 11/1/2004


 




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