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Feral Cats
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 |
#2
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I've done it twice. Both cats were under a year old. Rules I gave the kids
is you can put out food. If she's still around in a week, I'll take her for shots. It she is still around a week after that, I'll have her fixed. Then and only then is she you cat. (Now I'd be more inclined to go for shots and fixed at the same time if the cat were old enough. Both our ferals were much older that they looked at first glance) First guideline in the cat has to be willing. Any cat born in the great outdoors is by definition feral, but there are huge differences in degree. I'd personally never try to tame a tom that has been active for several years. I'd try to trap and have him altered. I'd provide food, etc. But there are so many willing kittens that may never get homes that I don't see the point with a fully adult feral However. We had a plague of rabies here about 15 years ago. Unless someone were willing to pay for quarantine, all the feral cats in one area were destroyed. Many business had a semi resident, semi feral cat that they had fed and taken for shots and fixed and encouraged to hang around to deal with vermin. Old victorian building that had been remodeled next to a levee river area. Virtually all those cats were put into paid quarantine, and most of them taken home as household pets after it was over. The two I knew adapted very well. You just let them come to you as much as they are willing. Neither of my ferals every became much of a lap cat, and one never learned how to purr. Jo "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 |
#3
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I've done it twice. Both cats were under a year old. Rules I gave the kids
is you can put out food. If she's still around in a week, I'll take her for shots. It she is still around a week after that, I'll have her fixed. Then and only then is she you cat. (Now I'd be more inclined to go for shots and fixed at the same time if the cat were old enough. Both our ferals were much older that they looked at first glance) First guideline in the cat has to be willing. Any cat born in the great outdoors is by definition feral, but there are huge differences in degree. I'd personally never try to tame a tom that has been active for several years. I'd try to trap and have him altered. I'd provide food, etc. But there are so many willing kittens that may never get homes that I don't see the point with a fully adult feral However. We had a plague of rabies here about 15 years ago. Unless someone were willing to pay for quarantine, all the feral cats in one area were destroyed. Many business had a semi resident, semi feral cat that they had fed and taken for shots and fixed and encouraged to hang around to deal with vermin. Old victorian building that had been remodeled next to a levee river area. Virtually all those cats were put into paid quarantine, and most of them taken home as household pets after it was over. The two I knew adapted very well. You just let them come to you as much as they are willing. Neither of my ferals every became much of a lap cat, and one never learned how to purr. Jo "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 |
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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 My Brando was a feral/semi-feral. I trapped him with a Hav-a-Heart trap, and then put him in a cage. I started out by feeding him caned food from a spoon, and then went to feeding him canned food from my fingers. It took him about a month to let me touch him, and another month before he purred. Once he was neutered and healed, I let him out of the cage, since he was essentially tamed by that point. Now, he is the most loving, sweet, lap cat I've ever known. He was probably about 2-3 years old when I first trapped him. So you *can* tame an adult, although I've read it isn't easy. HTH, Ginger-lyn |
#5
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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 My Brando was a feral/semi-feral. I trapped him with a Hav-a-Heart trap, and then put him in a cage. I started out by feeding him caned food from a spoon, and then went to feeding him canned food from my fingers. It took him about a month to let me touch him, and another month before he purred. Once he was neutered and healed, I let him out of the cage, since he was essentially tamed by that point. Now, he is the most loving, sweet, lap cat I've ever known. He was probably about 2-3 years old when I first trapped him. So you *can* tame an adult, although I've read it isn't easy. HTH, Ginger-lyn |
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"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 Rosie was wild and homeless from birth until I trapped her when was seven months old. Now she is the sweetest little purr machine you could ever find. You can see a picture of her, the way she looks now, at http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.h...bum_id=1740469 or at RPCA_Pictures in Yahoo. Look in the Annie folder. Annie |
#7
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"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 Rosie was wild and homeless from birth until I trapped her when was seven months old. Now she is the sweetest little purr machine you could ever find. You can see a picture of her, the way she looks now, at http://www.hpphoto.com/servlet/com.h...bum_id=1740469 or at RPCA_Pictures in Yahoo. Look in the Annie folder. Annie |
#8
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"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 |
#9
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"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 |
#10
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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) |
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