Feral Cat

[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!