Handling Feral Cats

If she comes out, great, then you haven’t got that much work ahead of you. If you can’t find her, and you know you have effectively sealed up the area and she cannot escape, don’t go looking for her unless you are prepared for war. She will come out of hiding, but usually only when it is dark and the house is quiet.

For the really wild ones, the ones who like to launch at my face, I take a flat piece of cardboard and fashion a shield of sorts. If they start to come at me (and some of them do) I just raise the cardboard up so they hit this soft landing instead of my face or arm. If you have a really scared kitty, she is going to try everything in her arsenal to get out of this confinement, so wear long sleeves, gloves ( I use heavy welding gloves) and extra layers of clothing. Don’t be surprised to find out how small she can make herself when she hides. I have found ferals up underneath armchairs, inside sofa arm rests and tucked back into corners I didn’t think a mouse could hide in.

Try some of these exercises with her. Sit on the floor and take out some treats and place them a good distance around you. Bring a book and start reading to her out loud so she can get used to your voice. Do this every day at scheduled times. If she comes out do not look at her full in the face, for this is considered a challenge. Just try to ignore her.

As the days go on, use a feather toy to engage her in play.Another thing to do is to take an old tee shirt of yours and put it on and do a workout to get it good and sweaty. Once it is wringing wet with your sweat, take it into the room and put her feed bowl on top of it. When she comes to eat she will be surrounded by your smell and she will associate your smell with pleasant things.

Remember that working with ferals is sometimes frustrating. At times it is two steps forward and three steps back. She does not know you are one of the good guys and she will not trust you for quite sometime…. BUT when you finally get that first head bump from her, it is a thrill beyond measure. Not everyone understands the value of having a cat’s complete trust, but the day your feral kitty decides to jump on your lap, you will understand that value and feel like you won the lottery. Good luck!

Mary Anne Miller is a free-lance writer, and member of the Cat Writers' Association. She is a web copy writer, and passionate about feral cats/kittens and bottle babies. You can read more by Mary Anne at her Feral Cat Behavior Blog.