Feral Cats

Cheryl wrote in message
...
"Fuga \)" dumped this in news:A18qc.48828
on 17 May 2004:

I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Thanks.

Fuga



Bonnie is my little feral girl. She was trapped at around 4-5 months old
(I think!!) just about a year ago now. She spent about 2 months mostly in
a cage and then in a separate room where I spent time with her teaching
her that I wasn't going to hurt her. I also had to spoon feed her in the
beginning because she caught a URI in the clinic getting spayed. Either
that or it was herpes virus. It took many many months before I could pet
her without a welder glove on, and at first it was only with my foot. lol
Each step closer to affection was a milestone and I'll never forget the
first time she climbed on my lap to sit for the first time (it was at
least 6-8 months for that). She is now very affectionate but I can't pick
her up. She still runs if I walk across the room too fast. She still has
never purred.

--
Cheryl

I never really knew Fenda's story, but when I got her she was a very timid
eighteen month old rescue cat who hid behind the toilet for several days
before coming out. She was either abused, or semi-feral. She was
semi-longhaired, but was terrified of being touched, let alone groomed.
Whenever I touched her, even a light touch, she would drool in fear.
Sometimes she actually ****ed herself, she was so scared of people. Picking
her up was certainly possible, she didn't fight back, but she did attach
herself firmly to the nearest solid surface, to avoid being dropped. When
the nearest solid surface is your chest, or face, then you soon learn not to
pick her up.

It actually took months of patience before she would sit next to us on the
sofa, and years before the first time she came and crawled onto my lap, with
a 'I'm not really doing this' expression on her face.

Once she'd done it the first time, she decided that she quite liked it, and
over the years she became a lap cat. By the time she was thirteen she was
one of the most trusting, lovable, affectionate little cats I've ever been
privileged to know. How did we do it? We let her come round at her own pace,
basically. It might not work for everyone though.

Jeanette (missing Fenda)

Jo Firey wrote:

Neither of my ferals every became much of a lap cat, and one never
learned how to purr.

I wonder if it's not so much that this cat never *learned* to purr, but
that it stopped purring after weaning, or once separated from its mother,
because that's kitten behavior, and as a feral, it wouldn't have any
reason to continue acting like a kitten. Only domesticated cats continue
behaving like kittens with their humans (as surrogate mothers). I'm not
sure, though, whether purring is part of that behavior.

Joyce

Jo Firey wrote:

Neither of my ferals every became much of a lap cat, and one never
learned how to purr.

I wonder if it's not so much that this cat never *learned* to purr, but
that it stopped purring after weaning, or once separated from its mother,
because that's kitten behavior, and as a feral, it wouldn't have any
reason to continue acting like a kitten. Only domesticated cats continue
behaving like kittens with their humans (as surrogate mothers). I'm not
sure, though, whether purring is part of that behavior.

Joyce

On Mon, 17 May 2004 19:05:04 GMT, "Fuga \)"
wrote:

I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Thanks.

Fuga

Well, Rocky was a true feral. I wouldn't recommend my method of
"taming" him though. When I first moved in here I put out food for an
apartment complex cat, who visited various apartments on a rotating
basis. Rocky found the food, and was a regular visitor for a couple
years before he'd stick around while I filled the bowl, and a LONG
time after that before he let me pet him.

A couple more years passed before I did the smart thing and took him
to be neutered. Once he'd been neutered (TED estimated 8-10 years old
at the time), it didn't take him very long, but I'd already been a
regular part of his life for 4 or 5 years by then. A month or two
after neutering he first purred, and not long after to decide to try
out the hoomin lap. Still doesn't appreciate being picked up, more apt
to jump down and run away than stick around.

I waited WAY to long before deciding to get him neutered.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

On Mon, 17 May 2004 19:05:04 GMT, "Fuga \)"
wrote:

I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Thanks.

Fuga

Well, Rocky was a true feral. I wouldn't recommend my method of
"taming" him though. When I first moved in here I put out food for an
apartment complex cat, who visited various apartments on a rotating
basis. Rocky found the food, and was a regular visitor for a couple
years before he'd stick around while I filled the bowl, and a LONG
time after that before he let me pet him.

A couple more years passed before I did the smart thing and took him
to be neutered. Once he'd been neutered (TED estimated 8-10 years old
at the time), it didn't take him very long, but I'd already been a
regular part of his life for 4 or 5 years by then. A month or two
after neutering he first purred, and not long after to decide to try
out the hoomin lap. Still doesn't appreciate being picked up, more apt
to jump down and run away than stick around.

I waited WAY to long before deciding to get him neutered.
--
Steve Touchstone,
faithful servant of Sammy, Little Bit and Rocky

[remove Junk for email]
Home Page: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/index.html
Cat Pix: http://www.sirinet.net/~stouchst/animals.html

"Fuga )" wrote in message
. cable.rogers.com...
I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Thanks.

Fuga



My first cat was feral. I probably would not have considered a feral cat
for my first if I had known anything about it -- but he eventually became a
truly wonderful companion. It took a lot of time and patience, though.
This was many years ago, and none of us had heard of TNR at that time. I
knew I would be heading to graduate school several states away in a few
weeks, and I wanted a companion. (If I had known better, that was actually
another reason why "feral" was not the logical route to go.) I also heard
that my neighbor planned to trap feral cats in the area and take them to the
animal shelter (where they would be euthanized). I spoke to him, and he
agreed to trap one for me. We simply accepted the first cat that we were
able to trap -- there was no "selection" of a specific cat. The cat we
trapped had long hair but had been running wild in a semi-rural area with
lots of tall grasses. As a result, he was so badly matted that skin could
be seen tightly stretched from one mat to another. Naturally, he was
terrified of us.

I kept him in my bedroom until I left for graduate school. This meant that
I was frequently in the room with him, but he kept his distance and did not
let me touch him. (FYI: I now know that this is not the best way to
introduce a feral cat, but I was "lucky" with my results.) I gradually got
him to come closer to me by placing his food closer and closer to me over a
period of time. Looking back on it, I would say that he permitted me to
work on those mats in a remarkably short period of time.

It took about 2 years before we were truly "bonded." For a few years, I had
to be careful not to walk quickly past him because he would grab my ankles
(ouch!). Over a period of time, he became more and more a truly
affectionate and loving cat -- so much so that he slept in bed with me and
every time I would move, he would shift so that his body constantly was
pressed up against my back or legs. We learned shortly after I adopted him
that he had UTI, and the vet told me that he would not have lived much
longer without treatment.

This cat eventually became one of the most wonderful cats I have ever known,
and he was also gorgeous -- truly regal. The vet estimated that he was
about 8 months old when I adopted him, which means that he lived to be
almost 20. During that time, he adjusted remarkably well to leash training.
Once he began to purr, it was a "monster purr" -- we used to call him a
motor boat when he was purring because we could hear him purring clear
across the room.

There are others on this group who can give you much better information
concerning the best methods of working with feral cats. As I said, I knew
so little that I really learned just by feeling my through the process.
However, I thought this personal anecdotal history might give you some
encouragement. I can certainly tell you from personal experience that it
*simply is not true* when people say that feral cats cannot be trained or
become household pets. It takes a lot more time and a lot more effort, but
it definitely can be done (although I will not claim that it can be done
with *every* cat).

To see a picture of him, go to the second link under my signature. Scroll
about 2/3 of the way down. You will see a picture of Holly on the mantle.
The next photo down shows Duffy relaxing on top of the hutch -- and in the
hutch is a photo of the cat I have been describing. He was 18 years old at
the time that picture was taken.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

"Fuga )" wrote in message
. cable.rogers.com...
I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Thanks.

Fuga



My first cat was feral. I probably would not have considered a feral cat
for my first if I had known anything about it -- but he eventually became a
truly wonderful companion. It took a lot of time and patience, though.
This was many years ago, and none of us had heard of TNR at that time. I
knew I would be heading to graduate school several states away in a few
weeks, and I wanted a companion. (If I had known better, that was actually
another reason why "feral" was not the logical route to go.) I also heard
that my neighbor planned to trap feral cats in the area and take them to the
animal shelter (where they would be euthanized). I spoke to him, and he
agreed to trap one for me. We simply accepted the first cat that we were
able to trap -- there was no "selection" of a specific cat. The cat we
trapped had long hair but had been running wild in a semi-rural area with
lots of tall grasses. As a result, he was so badly matted that skin could
be seen tightly stretched from one mat to another. Naturally, he was
terrified of us.

I kept him in my bedroom until I left for graduate school. This meant that
I was frequently in the room with him, but he kept his distance and did not
let me touch him. (FYI: I now know that this is not the best way to
introduce a feral cat, but I was "lucky" with my results.) I gradually got
him to come closer to me by placing his food closer and closer to me over a
period of time. Looking back on it, I would say that he permitted me to
work on those mats in a remarkably short period of time.

It took about 2 years before we were truly "bonded." For a few years, I had
to be careful not to walk quickly past him because he would grab my ankles
(ouch!). Over a period of time, he became more and more a truly
affectionate and loving cat -- so much so that he slept in bed with me and
every time I would move, he would shift so that his body constantly was
pressed up against my back or legs. We learned shortly after I adopted him
that he had UTI, and the vet told me that he would not have lived much
longer without treatment.

This cat eventually became one of the most wonderful cats I have ever known,
and he was also gorgeous -- truly regal. The vet estimated that he was
about 8 months old when I adopted him, which means that he lived to be
almost 20. During that time, he adjusted remarkably well to leash training.
Once he began to purr, it was a "monster purr" -- we used to call him a
motor boat when he was purring because we could hear him purring clear
across the room.

There are others on this group who can give you much better information
concerning the best methods of working with feral cats. As I said, I knew
so little that I really learned just by feeling my through the process.
However, I thought this personal anecdotal history might give you some
encouragement. I can certainly tell you from personal experience that it
*simply is not true* when people say that feral cats cannot be trained or
become household pets. It takes a lot more time and a lot more effort, but
it definitely can be done (although I will not claim that it can be done
with *every* cat).

To see a picture of him, go to the second link under my signature. Scroll
about 2/3 of the way down. You will see a picture of Holly on the mantle.
The next photo down shows Duffy relaxing on top of the hutch -- and in the
hutch is a photo of the cat I have been describing. He was 18 years old at
the time that picture was taken.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: 'o'
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

On Mon, 17 May 2004 19:05:04 GMT, "Fuga \)"
wrote:

I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Many years ago - around 1980 - I spent several months feeding and
trying to make friends with a feral calico that lived in my
neighborhood. Eventually she got to the point where she would
tolerate my presence while she ate, but would still run away if I
touched her. As time passed, she had a litter of kittens, and I
followed her one day to discover that they were under a neighbor's
mobile home.

Then on July 4th - it had been raining for some days - she showed up
on the front steps and meowed as if she wanted to come in. somewhat
amazed, I opened the storm door and she came in. We had three cats at
the time, so there was cat food, a water bowl, and litter pans. The
feral checked out the facilities (our cats stayed out of sight) and
demanded to be let back out.

A few minutes later, she came back, with a red tabby kitten in her
mouth, came in, put the kitten behind the sofa, and went back out.
She did this two more times, each time with a red tabby kitten. Then
she lay down on the rug in front of the door and called her kittens,
who promptly came out and nursed. She left and the went back behind
the sofa. She came back a couple more times to nurse them, then was
never seen again.

It took several months, but the kittens eventually got used to us and
tamed down. They turned out to be reasonably good house cats, but
they always preferred spending good weather outside.

BTW, they were all three females - female red tabbies (with tiny white
lockets ranging from seven hairs on one to a fully visible spot).

T.E.D. - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body)

On Mon, 17 May 2004 19:05:04 GMT, "Fuga \)"
wrote:

I was wondering if anyone on the list here has ever tamed a feral/
semi-feral cat? And if they had some recommendations or guidelines for
going about this?

Many years ago - around 1980 - I spent several months feeding and
trying to make friends with a feral calico that lived in my
neighborhood. Eventually she got to the point where she would
tolerate my presence while she ate, but would still run away if I
touched her. As time passed, she had a litter of kittens, and I
followed her one day to discover that they were under a neighbor's
mobile home.

Then on July 4th - it had been raining for some days - she showed up
on the front steps and meowed as if she wanted to come in. somewhat
amazed, I opened the storm door and she came in. We had three cats at
the time, so there was cat food, a water bowl, and litter pans. The
feral checked out the facilities (our cats stayed out of sight) and
demanded to be let back out.

A few minutes later, she came back, with a red tabby kitten in her
mouth, came in, put the kitten behind the sofa, and went back out.
She did this two more times, each time with a red tabby kitten. Then
she lay down on the rug in front of the door and called her kittens,
who promptly came out and nursed. She left and the went back behind
the sofa. She came back a couple more times to nurse them, then was
never seen again.

It took several months, but the kittens eventually got used to us and
tamed down. They turned out to be reasonably good house cats, but
they always preferred spending good weather outside.

BTW, they were all three females - female red tabbies (with tiny white
lockets ranging from seven hairs on one to a fully visible spot).

T.E.D. - e-mail must contain "T.E.D." or my .sig in the body)

"Jeanette" dumped this in
on 17 May 2004:

By the time she was thirteen she was
one of the most trusting, lovable, affectionate little cats I've ever
been privileged to know. How did we do it? We let her come round at
her own pace, basically. It might not work for everyone though.

My sister did the same thing with a cat she adopted from someone who
couldn't deal with a hiding cat. He was an adult, I don't know if he was
feral at one time, but for several years he hid under her bed. He came
out at night, and little by little he'd come out during the day when her
and her family were up. She just pretty much ignored his hiding but when
he approached her, she'd give him rubs and scritches. He always hid when
there was company even 5-6 years later. Now he is very affectionate to
those who are over all the time (my Mom LOVES him! and he, her) but I've
still never seen him in when he's comfortable being out of hiding. I'm
not over there often enough.

Jeanette (missing Fenda)

:`)


--
Cheryl