I touched it!
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (64169)
United States
August 9, 2016 5:36pm CST
Actually... him...
My friends know that I have a trio of sibling cats who are very feral. We call them "The 3 E's."
I was in talking to my roommate in her room and came out quietly. In the chair nearest the door, with his back to me, was Elmer, asleep.
I moved quietly toward him. At the last moment he lifted his head, but by that time my hand was right over his shoulder. I put my hand down gently, yes, it really was gently, and got a full body pet in on him as he ran away.
He only ran a couple of yards at most and turned around to glare at me. Knowing that looking at him was considered a threat in cat language, I turned away to tell my roommate.
This is my second full body "drive-by" pet on Elmer. Oh, we've gotten tail and foot, but I've now gotten him to run off under my hand twice.
In fact, the only one of the "E's" we've never really touched is Emily, she's the most timid of the trio, but even she is getting a bit braver, spending more time inside than she used to. She looks at us scared instead of the glare we get from Elmer, but at least we are seeing her these days.
5 people like this
4 responses
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
10 Aug 16
That's so amazing that you were able to pet him. Years ago my best friend and her neighbor put out cardboard boxes in the winter for some feral cats living in her parking lot. Eventually, they captured three of the cats, brought them to the vet to be spayed and my best friend ended up keeping one as a pet. It always amazed me how that cat settled in for her!
2 people like this
@ElicBxn (64169)
• United States
10 Aug 16
Oh, we've had the 3 since they were kittens, and I pretty much doubt they are ever really going to get tamed down at this point. My guess would be that the one she kept had been someone's pet at one point. I had 2 cats I thought were feral, but once I actually got to touch them, scratch their heads, they remembered they liked that.
1 person likes this
@CRK109 (14556)
• United States
10 Aug 16
@ElicBxn No way to know the background of her cat, but the vet had advised her and her neighbor to put them back outside and NOT try to keep them because of their nature. My friend had always been good with cats and I guess feeding this little one and keeping her warm made a difference over the years.
1 person likes this
@rebelann (117226)
• El Paso, Texas
10 Aug 16
it takes such a long time for ferals to warm up to us ..... have they vocalized yet? Mine didn't start to meow until after she'd been locked on the porch overnight, the next time she snuck unto the porch and I closed the door she really yowled. Since then I read that ferals don't generally meow until they feel the need to communicate with humans. Odd, isn't it.2 people like this
@rebelann (117226)
• El Paso, Texas
10 Aug 16
Poor Gizmo @ElicBxn maybe you can entice him into a carrier and take him to a boarder while the house is still dangerous ..... I've never used that kind of poison because cats are so sensitive to that stuff and now I find I too am sensitive to those poisons. I've found that boiling vinegar scares off lots of noseeums ...... and a few unwanted people as well 
1 person likes this
