I was really getting worried about the feral cat in our yard.
By kris182_2000
@kris182_2000 (5444)
Canada
April 20, 2011 12:09pm CST
I posted up a while ago about a feral colony living on our street, and how one of them was injured.
I've been feeding her daily to try to gain her trust, I'd like to hope that she could be brought inside and into a good life.
In my mind, she's not one of the ferals, she does seem to have a bit of trust in me. Last week when the weather was really bad, I left the back door open for her and her food just inside so she didn't have to eat out in the wind.
She was timid, but she ate a bit, but did prefer to be outside, so I ended up putting the food under the patio table in the yard.
2 mornings ago, I fed her, but that's the last I'd seen of her until this morning. I kept looking out the back window, wondering when she'd show up for food, she was always in the yard when she was hungry.
This morning though, we were standing at the door having a smoke and my dog was outside. As I was trying to get him up the stairs, I looked out and saw her coming up to the door. I knew she was starving.
But she wouldn't come in, so I left the food out by the door for her. It's been raining pretty bad this morning, and I'd hoped she would have the courage to come inside for once and dry off a little.
I'm working at this, and eventually I may fully win her over, and she wont be considered a feral cat anymore.
1 person likes this
7 responses
@chinchoy (191)
• Hong Kong
20 Apr 11
The poor fellow must be having a hard time before you take care of her. You will need a lot of patience to win her trust. She is coming back to your house and eat is already a sign of she feeling safe. I guess the reason why She did not go into your house is because of the territory thing for animals. The house is full of smell of strangers, especially your dog. I hope there are more animal lovers like you and less people abandoning their pets. Thank you.
1 person likes this
@kris182_2000 (5444)
• Canada
20 Apr 11
Thank you. I wish the same as well, but I see it all the time, a lot of people just don't care.
So the idea had sprouted and I had a hand in it, to start a forum for animal lovers, and that's exactly what happened.
But it seems like there aren't that many animal lovers out there, I wish there were more of them.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
20 Apr 11
I have had very little success with taming feral cats. if I put food out some will come but only cats that have been home raise and then tossed out that I have caught very early in their wild state can ever be tame enough to have in the house.
The truly wild ones that have never trusted humans in my experience can't be tamed.
@uath13 (8192)
• United States
20 Apr 11
I've never seen a full feral be domesticated. They might get to the point of tolerating a little petting from you if you continue to feed them but taking one inside would be like caging them up. If she grew up in a home that's a different story but you probably wouldn't be having this much difficulty with it if she had.
@kris182_2000 (5444)
• Canada
20 Apr 11
Like I said in my previous comment, I do have mixed feelings on her being feral. If she does happen to be the same one who let me pet her and get right up to her, then I doubt she's feral. If something hadn't spooked her that day, she would have let me rub her belly. I think she was really craving human contact.
I hope that once she heals, I'll be able to determine this easier. I would love for her to have a life where she was safe and not at risk of being killed by the cats in the feral colony. 2 of them were fighting in another yard the other day, they were really going at it. I don't want to see her go through that.
@Hatley (163781)
• Garden Grove, California
20 Apr 11
kris That is so wonderful you are helping this kitten and maybe sooner or later she will come to you when she sees you and the dog mean her
no harm. Once you win her over she will not be feral again and thats
a big achievement for both of you.
@kris182_2000 (5444)
• Canada
20 Apr 11
I sure hope this will happen. She's such an adorable girl and I'd love to share my home with her.
@daeckardt (6237)
• United States
21 Apr 11
Although strays will sometimes warm up to one person, I think they will always have something of a wild streak in them. I had a cat one time that my brother picked up as a stray kitten. He gave her to me and she started to trust me. But if anyone ever came to my house, she would run and hide. She eventually had a litter and it was right before I was going to move. I did take them with me, but now I wish I hadn't. I wasn't able to keep them at the house where I was staying and my brother kept them in his shed. I could go out there and handle them, but if anyone else went out there the mother went wild. Eventually, we had to get rid of the lot of them because no one but me could handle them so we couldn't even give the kittens away! My brother has had much better luck "adopting" strays. He has several that he feeds and some of them do go into his house, but I think they were previously owned and just abandoned. Oh well...
@marie2052 (3691)
• United States
21 Apr 11
We had a litter and momma feral cat. We got the trap and got all of them. I had then in a huge cage until the guy could come back and pick them up.
There was one of the kittens I wanted to keep so I let the man come and get all mother and kittens and said leave the one.
I had to go to the store and when I got back, my cat had somehow made a hole and got out of the cage, So that was a fleeting thought for me!
I named her Pumpkin she will come and yell at me for food I can come within a foot of her to feed her but touch her...Not on your life.
There is a strange wildness in them that once born like this it takes a very long time to undo.
I read a lot on feral kittens and cats, and also talked in depth to my vet. Some will never make good pets he told me. We have a park area with the bay backing up to it and after they get caught, spayed and neutered they go to this particular park that has woods all around it. so people bring them food and water but we don't try to take them away from their environment.
Good Luck with yours.
@GardenGerty (157627)
• United States
20 Apr 11
It can really be sad when they will not let you help them and care for them. I admire the people online here who are involved with animal rescue. Glad she at least showed back up.
