Feral Cat

[leoreigns]

I have adopted a cat (see pictures below) - her name is Pepper - that was abondoned very young. I have had her for about 8 months. She will not let anyone hold her or pet her. I have an older cat and she gets along with him great. She even grooms him sometimes and he just lays there and enjoys it - just like a man huh? lol Anyway, she has started to come closer to me but if I make a move to pet or touch her - she is gone in a flash. She will come into a room where I am and start to whine. I ask her very softly what is wrong and she flops over on her side and looks all cute and pitiful at the same time. But if I make a move toward her she is gone. She sees how friendly my older cat is and how he lets everyone pet him but nothing changes. Can anyone out there help me with her? Any suggestions are greatly welcomed. Thanks.

[moosmom]

Just let her be. Eventually she'll come around once she feels safe. I had a feral kitty, LilEli, who wouldn't let me hold or touch him. I let him be and eventually he started coming up on my bed (the supine position is the least threatening to a cat) looking for pets. It took 3 years and he was still skittish.

It takes alot of patience to socialize a feral kitty, especially one who is 8 months old and feral. When she flops on the floor and exposes her belly, that is a sign that she trusts you, but not enough for you to touch her. When she does that, sit on the floor with her and toss her treats, speaking softly to her and slowly blinking your eyes.

You COULD get a crate and try to crate her. Take her out and wrap her in a towel with only her head exposed (it helps protect you from getting bitten and scratched) kissing and whispering to her. Keep doing it. She may come around sooner.

I hope she eventually DOES comes around. Be patient. It won't happen overnight or even in 6 months. It may not even happen at all. But ya know what?? That's okay. Cuz she's got you to care for her and she's safe. That's what counts.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Freedom]

Very much like my Cuddles. Just let her progress at her own pace. It takes time for them to learn humans can be trusted. Cuddles has been with me for 14 months. She still wants to be invisible. We can't look directly at her, as she dashes off, terrified. As suggested in another post, Cuddles first started coming to me at night, about 2 AM. I am lying in bed, half asleep, can't really see her. And I do try NOT to look at her, even then. She now lets me pet her. In the past 2 or 3 weeks, if I waken and pet another cat, she makes a little mew and comes over to get her share. She started sleeping on my bed after about 4 months. She likes to be on my feet. She gets along with all the other cats fine.

Over time, I became aware of a certain toy she really enjoyed. (a catnip mouse, no surprise) I took to picking it up and delivering it to her, without looking at her, of course. At first I could only wave it in her direction and put it an inch closer than it was. Then I could give it an underhand toss towards her. Just don't throw it at her!

And I talk to her often, so she learns her name, the sound of my voice. Things that I do routinely, I started "singing" or "chanting," so she would be used to that. For example, each evening I clean litter boxes. So I announce, "I am scooping the poops now. Now I am scooping the poops." On and on, nonsense chatter really. But she stopped running and hiding under a bed when I am cleaning boxes. I was no longer moving randomly and posing a threat to her. I was announcing exactly where I was going.

Each time I fed them, she would run and hide and only come out to eat after I left the room. So first I started announcing "I'm putting the food in the dish, kibble for kitties," and so forth. Because she had a lot of adjustment issues, she eats in my bedroom. Once she seemed to relax a bit at feeding times, I would lie down on the bed after putting food in her dish. First time I did that, I stayed 10 minutes and she stayed under the bed. Over time, she now will eat with me in the room.

As you see what frightens her and what doesn't, you can make use of that information. As I have done with Cuddles. And as long as she makes progress, even though it be so slow you could scream, you have to let her do things at her pace and in her time. Perhaps her past, her background, may not have let her learn to trust people. In the extreme, like Cuddles, her past actually taught her people CAN'T be trusted.

One thing I have noticed with Cuddles: whatever her thoughts about us, she does know she has luxuries here. In 14 months, she has NEVER tried to slip out an open door, approach a window, or escape in any way. She has no interest in getting the bird out the window, or watching the squirrel. She enjoys her comforts. She just wishes these PEOPLE would go away, ha ha.

Rejoice in the little steps she takes!

[jenluckenbach]

WELCOME!

The fact that she is coming closer means she is progressing. And YES, it takes quite a bit of time to totally be trusted by a former feral.

To be the least threatening, stay low to the ground. Lying on the floor is the best way to start. Or at least sitting on the floor.

Food/treats are your friend. Give he what she likes to eat and let her KNOW that it is coming from you can be a great help.

Don't always give her direct attention. Do other things in her presence so she can watch and learn that your actions/movements mean her no harm.

Earning the trust of a feral can be totally rewarding. Give her time, you will be surprised one day at just how far she will come.

[moosmom]

Great advice, Jen!

[barncat]

All the above is excellent advice.... but I would add that when she whines to you, talk back in a soft soothing way. Cats usually vocalize to their colony when they enter a space and to let their peers know their location. This feral is including you in her world, include her back. Sitting close without eye contact and playing with something that you then leave near her would be a help too. (This could be a treat or a fun toy). For cats to touch involves trust. You might try petting your other cat while the feral is grooming him. Group grooming is a great way to break the ice.

good luck. it takes time but some of the best friends I ever had once hid under the bushes.....

[leoreigns]

I do talk to her when she comes into the room and that is when she flops over on her side and looks at me. She makes me laugh she is so silly. Sometimes she will get up and then do it again. I think she is getting closer all of the time but she still does not wish to be touched. Her and her 2 sisters were dumped behind a building at a very early age. A teacher from my granddaughter's school and some of her students found them and took them to school. My granddaughter told me about them and I went to the school and had to be interviewed by the students who helped catch them. (That was the cutest experience and it almost made me cry when they said they thought I would be a good parent for Pepper. She has been to the vet but each time it takes me a while to catch her. She was born without an eyelid on one of her eyes according to her vet. Also, the vet took care of her and her sisters for the first year free of charge. He told me that Pepper was the shyest of all of them. She did let us hold her some when she first came home with me but that did not last very long.

[jenluckenbach]

There is also the fact that torties have their own particular sense of self.

Who is the adorable orangie in the photos?

[leoreigns]

That is my baby - Cinnamon. He is a little over 1 year old. I got him right after he was weaned from his mother. He loves everyone! So, I didn't know that Pepper was a "tortie" - is that what you called her. So, she has a personality because of her breed? I love this site. I am getting alll kinds of good information. Thanks.

[jenluckenbach]

Tortie (short for tortoise shell) is a COLOR. Black and orange mingled together makes a tortie.

Torties often have "attitude" commonly called Tortie-tude.

Of course, it is a generalization and not every cat will be the same.

[AvaJoy]

Given the fact that she rolls over to show her belly while in your presence when you talk to her is very optimistic! She wants your attention, but her feral instinct to be wary of humans is still overiding her new-found desires, so she has a battle going on within. You have the patience and devotion to allow her to progress at her own pace, and that is imperative. Forcing affections on a cat only makes them retreat even more.

My now Rainbow Bridge Muskrat was once a feral tortie, and in hindsight I think what won her trust was all the time I spent vocalizing to her . . . reading nursery rhymes, softly singing and simply talking to her. The day finally came when she let me put a brush to her, followed later on by my hand, and then as more time elapsed she turned into such a lovey-dovey, lap-cat of a girl! Very rewarding experience.

My advice is to vocalize as much as possible in soothing tones when she is near, and she will approach you when she feels the time is right. You have already layed the groundwork for a trusting relationship to bloom, and if you continue to exude love, care, and patience she will respond in kind! :)