Hi All, Need Some Advice [feral cat?]

OK... I have been here before, about a couple of years ago seeking
advice for a cat with urinary tract issues. His name is Max. I was
operating under the name "MC".

Max and Butterball are doing GREAT!

The one thing I have to credit this group for is that you all got me
to switch to canned cat food, which I have never regretted. For us, it
worked. It turned out that Max was in reality just really fussy about
his litter box (how full or not full it is) and also very sensitive to
any scents around the house. We have been able to work completely
around the issue of his doing his business in locations other than the
litterbox, and for that I am grateful to this group.

Now I have another question.

Recently there has been a stray living on our deck. Perhaps a feral
cat... seems very young - as in maybe less than six months old.

I FINALLY was able to live trap the cat after a week + of leaving the
live trap out with the cats food, little by little bringing the food
closer to the inside of the trap.

This morning... SWEET SUCCESS!!!!

But the cat is terrified. He has not moved from the same spot inside
his new cage all day. He crouches as if to hide behind the litter box.
He/she/it hissed and growled at me as I tried to get friendly with it.

My question is... What is the best way to acclimate the cat to us, if
in fact it turns out to be a feral cat? Does anyone have direct
experience with this? Shall I get a towel and wrap him/her up and let
it know that way that I am no harm to it? Or is it better to just sit
and spend time with the cat, especially when it is eating food?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
M

"Max" wrote in message
...
OK... I have been here before, about a couple of years ago seeking
advice for a cat with urinary tract issues. His name is Max. I was
operating under the name "MC".

Max and Butterball are doing GREAT!

The one thing I have to credit this group for is that you all got me
to switch to canned cat food, which I have never regretted. For us, it
worked. It turned out that Max was in reality just really fussy about
his litter box (how full or not full it is) and also very sensitive to
any scents around the house. We have been able to work completely
around the issue of his doing his business in locations other than the
litterbox, and for that I am grateful to this group.

Now I have another question.

Recently there has been a stray living on our deck. Perhaps a feral
cat... seems very young - as in maybe less than six months old.

I FINALLY was able to live trap the cat after a week + of leaving the
live trap out with the cats food, little by little bringing the food
closer to the inside of the trap.

This morning... SWEET SUCCESS!!!!

But the cat is terrified. He has not moved from the same spot inside
his new cage all day. He crouches as if to hide behind the litter box.
He/she/it hissed and growled at me as I tried to get friendly with it.

My question is... What is the best way to acclimate the cat to us, if
in fact it turns out to be a feral cat? Does anyone have direct
experience with this? Shall I get a towel and wrap him/her up and let
it know that way that I am no harm to it? Or is it better to just sit
and spend time with the cat, especially when it is eating food?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
M

The people I have known that tamed feral cats let them run anywhere they
wanted inside their houses, and just left food and water and a litter box
out where they could get at it and pretty soon the cat tamed himself. But
their other cats were inside cats and couldn't leave. In my case, I had
other cats who were outside cats, and they could come and go thru cat doors,
so it took me a very long time to tame mine. I just fed him and brought the
food gradually inside the house until the cat was spending a lot of time
inside and after a year or two, he was tamed without really knowing it.

"Max" wrote in message
...
OK... I have been here before, about a couple of years ago seeking
advice for a cat with urinary tract issues. His name is Max. I was
operating under the name "MC".

Max and Butterball are doing GREAT!

The one thing I have to credit this group for is that you all got me
to switch to canned cat food, which I have never regretted. For us, it
worked. It turned out that Max was in reality just really fussy about
his litter box (how full or not full it is) and also very sensitive to
any scents around the house. We have been able to work completely
around the issue of his doing his business in locations other than the
litterbox, and for that I am grateful to this group.

Now I have another question.

Recently there has been a stray living on our deck. Perhaps a feral
cat... seems very young - as in maybe less than six months old.

I FINALLY was able to live trap the cat after a week + of leaving the
live trap out with the cats food, little by little bringing the food
closer to the inside of the trap.

This morning... SWEET SUCCESS!!!!

But the cat is terrified. He has not moved from the same spot inside
his new cage all day. He crouches as if to hide behind the litter box.
He/she/it hissed and growled at me as I tried to get friendly with it.

My question is... What is the best way to acclimate the cat to us, if
in fact it turns out to be a feral cat? Does anyone have direct
experience with this? Shall I get a towel and wrap him/her up and let
it know that way that I am no harm to it? Or is it better to just sit
and spend time with the cat, especially when it is eating food?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
M

Oh.....I forgot to mention....Get him neutered as soon as possible.....This
will greatly accelerate the taming process....

On Feb 16, 11:40*pm, "Bill Graham" wrote:
"Max" wrote in message

...



OK... I have been here before, about a couple of years ago seeking
advice for a cat with urinary tract issues. His name is Max. I was
operating under the name "MC".

Max and Butterball are doing GREAT!

The one thing I have to credit this group for is that you all got me
to switch to canned cat food, which I have never regretted. For us, it
worked. It turned out that Max was in reality just really fussy about
his litter box (how full or not full it is) and also very sensitive to
any scents around the house. We have been able to work completely
around the issue of his doing his business in locations other than the
litterbox, and for that I am grateful to this group.

Now I have another question.

Recently there has been a stray living on our deck. Perhaps a feral
cat... seems very young - as in maybe less than six months old.

I FINALLY was able to live trap the cat after a week + of leaving the
live trap out with the cats food, little by little bringing the food
closer to the inside of the trap.

This morning... SWEET SUCCESS!!!!

But the cat is terrified. He has not moved from the same spot inside
his new cage all day. He crouches as if to hide behind the litter box.
He/she/it hissed and growled at me as I tried to get friendly with it.

My question is... What is the best way to acclimate the cat to us, if
in fact it turns out to be a feral cat? Does anyone have direct
experience with this? Shall I get a towel and wrap him/her up and let
it know that way that I am no harm to it? Or is it better to just sit
and spend time with the cat, especially when it is eating food?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
M

Oh.....I forgot to mention....Get him neutered as soon as possible.....This
will greatly accelerate the taming process....

Thanks Bill :-) I sure appreciate your thoughts. I intend to neuter
this one ASAP ;-) I plan to keep working with kitty, too, but I agree
with you... that cat will have to set the pace. Wish me luck and
thanks,
Melissa

"Max" wrote in message
...
OK... I have been here before, about a couple of years ago seeking
advice for a cat with urinary tract issues. His name is Max. I was
operating under the name "MC".

Max and Butterball are doing GREAT!

The one thing I have to credit this group for is that you all got me
to switch to canned cat food, which I have never regretted. For us, it
worked. It turned out that Max was in reality just really fussy about
his litter box (how full or not full it is) and also very sensitive to
any scents around the house. We have been able to work completely
around the issue of his doing his business in locations other than the
litterbox, and for that I am grateful to this group.

Now I have another question.

Recently there has been a stray living on our deck. Perhaps a feral
cat... seems very young - as in maybe less than six months old.

I FINALLY was able to live trap the cat after a week + of leaving the
live trap out with the cats food, little by little bringing the food
closer to the inside of the trap.

This morning... SWEET SUCCESS!!!!

But the cat is terrified. He has not moved from the same spot inside
his new cage all day. He crouches as if to hide behind the litter box.
He/she/it hissed and growled at me as I tried to get friendly with it.

My question is... What is the best way to acclimate the cat to us, if
in fact it turns out to be a feral cat? Does anyone have direct
experience with this? Shall I get a towel and wrap him/her up and let
it know that way that I am no harm to it? Or is it better to just sit
and spend time with the cat, especially when it is eating food?

Any thoughts?

Thanks,
M

If he really is feral, the best way to tame him and acclimate him to people
is keep him a medium size cage- about 2'x3'- during the process. If you let
him run loose in your home, he'll only run and hide when people are around.
You want him to learn you mean him no harm- if he's able to run away and
hide every time you're around, you'll never get him to trust you- or it will
take years. Some people put a carrier in the cage and tie the door open to
the side of the cage. I don't agree with that method because it gives the
cat a place to hide. Hiding places are great for pet cats- but not for
ferals you're trying to acclimate to people. Put his bed in the back of the
cage and the litter box and food and water bowls in the front of the cage on
opposite sides where you can change them safely without reaching to far into
the cage. Keep the cage on a table in your living room or in the room where
you spend the most time. If you like to read, sit by his cage and read.
Reading out loud is good idea. Just don't force yourself on him. When you
feed him, see if he'll eat while you're there. If he does- that's a good
sign. Every time you open the cage to clean the litter box, gently toss a
treat to him. You want him to associate you with good things.

I don't have the time to explain the whole process right now- but this
should point you in the right direction. Just remember, p a t i e n c e.

Good luck,

Phil

"Phil P." wrote

If he really is feral, the best way to tame him and acclimate him to
people
is keep him a medium size cage- about 2'x3'- during the process. If you
let
him run loose in your home, he'll only run and hide when people are
around.
You want him to learn you mean him no harm- if he's able to run away and
hide every time you're around, you'll never get him to trust you- or it
will
take years. Some people put a carrier in the cage and tie the door open
to
the side of the cage. I don't agree with that method because it gives the
cat a place to hide. Hiding places are great for pet cats- but not for
ferals you're trying to acclimate to people. Put his bed in the back of
the
cage and the litter box and food and water bowls in the front of the cage
on
opposite sides where you can change them safely without reaching to far
into
the cage. Keep the cage on a table in your living room or in the room
where
you spend the most time. If you like to read, sit by his cage and read.
Reading out loud is good idea. Just don't force yourself on him. When you
feed him, see if he'll eat while you're there. If he does- that's a good
sign. Every time you open the cage to clean the litter box, gently toss a
treat to him. You want him to associate you with good things.

I don't have the time to explain the whole process right now- but this
should point you in the right direction. Just remember, p a t i e n c e.


I wanted to add that a lady at one of our most successful no-kill shelters
keeps her ferals in the bathroom that she uses, for the same reason: no
place to hide. (Envisioning this, I see constant efforts to keep the cat IN
thebathroom, so I think a cage is better.) And she said she thinks she has
had good success with this because the cat can smell her smells (!) and see
her going about ordinary, understandable business on a regular basis. Also,
there is the fact that most cats seem to find people on toilets
irresistable. My 4-month-old gets inside the pants around one's ankles and
settles in. I had on sweats a few times and pulled them up so that she
slithered down one leg and out the ankle.

On Feb 17, 8:09*am, "cybercat" wrote:
"Phil P." wrote





If he really is feral, the best way to tame him and acclimate him to
people
is keep him a medium size cage- about 2'x3'- during the process. *If you
let
him run loose in your home, he'll only run and hide when people are
around.
You want him to learn you mean him no harm- if he's able to run away and
hide every time you're around, you'll never get him to trust you- or it
will
take years. *Some people put a carrier in the cage and tie the door open
to
the side of the cage. *I don't agree with that method because it gives the
cat a place to hide. *Hiding places are great for pet cats- but not for
ferals you're trying to acclimate to people. Put his bed in the back of
the
cage and the litter box and food and water bowls in the front of the cage
on
opposite sides where you can change them safely without reaching to far
into
the cage. Keep the cage on a table in your living room or in the room
where
you spend the most time. *If you like to read, sit by his cage and read.
Reading out loud is good idea. Just don't force yourself on him. *When you
feed him, see if he'll eat while you're there. *If he does- that's a good
sign. *Every time you open the cage to clean the litter box, gently toss a
treat to him. *You want him to associate you with good things.

I don't have the time to explain the whole process right now- but this
should point you in the right direction. Just remember, p a t i e n c e..

I wanted to add that a lady at one of our most successful no-kill shelters
keeps her ferals in the bathroom that she uses, for the same reason: no
place to hide. (Envisioning this, I see constant efforts to keep the cat IN
thebathroom, so I think a cage is better.) And she said she thinks she has
had good success with this because the cat can smell her smells (!) and see
her going about ordinary, understandable business on a regular basis. Also,
there is the fact that most cats seem to find people on toilets
irresistable. My 4-month-old gets inside the pants around one's ankles and
settles in. I had on sweats a few times and pulled them up so that she
slithered down one leg and out the ankle.

Yes, Phil and cybercat, those tips are very helpful. At least I feel
we are on the right track. This morning kitty saw me and started
running around the cage in a frenzy... exactly the way he/she acted
when kitty was in the live trap, so I think the cat is quite feral.
Right now kitty is in a cage of the size Phil stated. Kitty is in the
garage though, because I don't want to expose my two house cats to
anything. I may bring that cage inside a bedroom today so kitty can be
warmer and that will enable me to spend more time comfortably with the
new kitty.

Am I being overly careful about keeping the cat away from my two house
cats?

"Max" wrote in message
...


Am I being overly careful about keeping the cat away from my two house
cats?

Take him to the vet *right now*. You should have taken him to the vet to
be tested and neutered while he was still in the trap. Put a carrier in the
cage- don't try to touch him. He should run into the carrier to hide. Use a
broomstick through the bars of the cage to hold the carrier door shut while
you lock it.

cybercat wrote:
"Phil P." wrote
If he really is feral, the best way to tame him and acclimate him to
people
is keep him a medium size cage- about 2'x3'- during the process. If you
let
him run loose in your home, he'll only run and hide when people are
around.
You want him to learn you mean him no harm- if he's able to run away and
hide every time you're around, you'll never get him to trust you- or it
will
take years. Some people put a carrier in the cage and tie the door open
to
the side of the cage. I don't agree with that method because it gives the
cat a place to hide. Hiding places are great for pet cats- but not for
ferals you're trying to acclimate to people. Put his bed in the back of
the
cage and the litter box and food and water bowls in the front of the cage
on
opposite sides where you can change them safely without reaching to far
into
the cage. Keep the cage on a table in your living room or in the room
where
you spend the most time. If you like to read, sit by his cage and read.
Reading out loud is good idea. Just don't force yourself on him. When you
feed him, see if he'll eat while you're there. If he does- that's a good
sign. Every time you open the cage to clean the litter box, gently toss a
treat to him. You want him to associate you with good things.

I don't have the time to explain the whole process right now- but this
should point you in the right direction. Just remember, p a t i e n c e.


I wanted to add that a lady at one of our most successful no-kill shelters
keeps her ferals in the bathroom that she uses, for the same reason: no
place to hide. (Envisioning this, I see constant efforts to keep the cat IN
thebathroom, so I think a cage is better.) And she said she thinks she has
had good success with this because the cat can smell her smells (!) and see
her going about ordinary, understandable business on a regular basis. Also,
there is the fact that most cats seem to find people on toilets
irresistable. My 4-month-old gets inside the pants around one's ankles and
settles in. I had on sweats a few times and pulled them up so that she
slithered down one leg and out the ankle.


IMHO Cats in the bathroom seem to be an instinct left over from the
"wild" to protect those other cats in a vulnerable position. After
all, who wants a predator creeping up on a friend who is busy doing what
has to be done in an awkward position? MLB

"MLB" wrote

IMHO Cats in the bathroom seem to be an instinct left over from the
"wild" to protect those other cats in a vulnerable position. After all,
who wants a predator creeping up on a friend who is busy doing what has to
be done in an awkward position?

An interesting and plausible theory. Lately our kitten is stalking Gracie
when she is in the box. We do have three, but the kitten finds her. I
discourage this, to say the least.