Semi-Feral Kitten! Help domesticating?

conwict

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Hello,

I was going to go shooting at a gun range (I am a college student in Greensboro, NC) when my GF and I noticed a bunch of cats congregating at the side of the building (20+). Her first comment was "how cuuuuuute!!!
"

Anyway I talked to the owners, who had been feeding them for weeks now, and we tried catching them a few different ways.

Today we finally succeeded and grabbed a cuuuuute black and white kitty, probably about 11 weeks old. She is fixed, vaccinated, etc.


If you're curious, we used a cardboard box, 5 lb weight strapped on top, a stick to prop it up, food as bait, and fishing line to pull out the support. These cats fight like DEMONS, I was afraid even with welder's gloves on when transferring her to the kitty carrier!

She has lived with a pack of pretty wild cats that don't really like to be touched for her entire life. We live in a medium (slightly less than 1000 sq ft) apartment, and it is pretty kitty friendly. We bought her a nice bed, litter box, plenty of wet and dry food (she eats a mix), bowl, toys, etc, etc.

Our strategy is basically going to be to wait her out. Hunger and curiosity should get the best of her, we feel, but we wanted to know if there are any tips or tricks you know to help her get over the trauma of being inside instead of out, and away from her fellow feline compatriots.

Thanks a lot for any advice. If anyone wants to get more details on the "trap" I used, just ask. It's very effective for catching kitties!

Conwict
 

kalikat

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Hello & welcome to the forum. I've never had anything to do with ferals. As you said, give her plenty of time to get to know her suroundings & yourselves.
 

EnzoLeya

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I got Enzo as a wild cat.... He was only 4 months old though so it was relatively easy for him to adjust. Keep your apartment quite, that would probably be the best advice I can give you. Strange noises and smells seem to really freak them out. Other than that just move slow and just wait for them to adjust.
 

cat52

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And I don't know how talkative YOU are, but I find it helps to talk to the kitty (who is usually under a bed) as much as you can without feeling like a doof. Gets the cat used to your voice & associating it with no-danger.

Oh, I don't mean stick your head under the bed, I mean just talk to the kitty as you go about your business in the house. By "talk to" I mean use her name. I'm really big on using kitty's name! MUCH better than a clicker IMO!

You sound like you've had cats before, so you already probably know about direct eye contact being a threat, yawning being friendly, stuff like that, yeah?
 
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