Need advice on taming a feral cat

I would imagine that she needs some privacy and lot of time.

Maybe let her be alone, just bring in food at certain times, those times should be same every day.

If you can, you could get Feliway diffuser to office, it should help after week or so.

I am in quite similar situation, you can read thread called 3 ferals at snow to get picture where I'm now, but make it short I have now two cats which I don't see much, they hide when I enter the room.

Few tips that might help, always knock to door before you enter, also I tend to say "knock knock, I'm coming in", bit silly perhaps, but it gives cat time to prepare and she will not get caught in middle of something.

Also don't look into eyes, look tail or somewhere between you and cat, but don't look eyes, go low, on your knees, don't be afraid to lie down on ground, she is not so afraid of you when you don't appear so big.

Until she starts to show herself, I think it is best not to pay much attention to her, it is best not to even look where she is, give cat impression that you are minding your own business, filling her water and food bowls, but mostly ignoring the fact that there is a cat.

Cat needs to feel that you are not a hunter and that you are not hunting her, in cat's mind there is only surviving and all others are possible threats to her surviving, so she needs to see that you are not predator.

Humm, what I have found out is that when I humm and do something cats act as they would think I would be preoccupied so that I don't see or hear them, also they seem to like music or at least some tunes.

Play eye games with a cat if you see her or even if you don't, cat is seeing you, close your eyes, turn chin to where you think cat is, it tells her that you are not a threat and trust she being not a threat to you, also don't keep eyes fully open, squint, it is sign of trust.

That is at least what I remember from what I have read, some from my experiences, however I don't quarantee everything being 100% correct, maybe more experienced members can point out if I have some mistakes?

One thing I did read from here was that don't except anything from the cat, I think it is quite well put, keeping that in mind it is easy to act way cat sees trustworthy.

It might take a bit of time, but check out this thread

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11395

Three weeks hiding is pretty normal. She is used to being able to get away and now that this access is cut off, she is hiding to feel safe.

Avoid any contact with her, just set up a schedule and stick to it so she knows her food, water etc...appears same times every day. See to her litter pan on a schedule and just ignore her (unless you believe she is ill). If you take the pressure off of her- she will relax and come out. They hate to be ignored.

She doesn't sound feral at all, someone's neglected pet or a cat who got lost- did you have the vet scan for a chip?

Welcome to TCS, and THANK YOU for rescuing this kitty! What's her name?

Cats are all about territory, and she hasn't made your office hers yet. She's on unfamiliar ground, doesn't understand what's happening or why, and she just needs time. But you're doing the right thing, and she WILL love you for it. The bond you'll form will be amazing. Just turn off your clock, and give her all the time she needs. Take a big deep breath, and know we're here to help!

The process of socializing a scared cat is all about earning their trust. The very first things to do are to help kitty understand you want nothing at all from her, and have her associate you as caregiver (especially when it comes to food LOL).

Right now, being confined to your office is best - though if you have no other animals, you may want to move her to your bedroom? There's nothing less threatening than a sleeping human. But if you spend a lot of time in your office during the day, then keep her there.

Do as many things as you can for her on as fixed a schedule as possible. Clean her litter boxes at the same times every day. Clean her water dish at the same time every day. Clean and fill her food dish (if she free feeds kibble) at the same time every day. Feed her meal(s) of wet food at the same time every day. Cats LOVE routine, and this will REALLY help her settle in. Give a light knock on the door before you go in, and tell her you're coming in.

Otherwise, spend as much time in there as you can - but not trying to interact with her. Just let her get to "know" you and learn how "non-threatening" you are. Spend as much time as you can down on the floor, with your side facing her. Read a book out loud, fold laundry while you talk to her, knit (while you talk to her), work on a laptop, practice yoga, yawn, stretch, exercise, take a nap, sing, bring DH in there and play a board game or cards on the floor.... whatever you can think of to do or need to do, do in there, on the floor, if you can. Let her watch, listen, and learn. Whenever you get up to leave, put a couple of treats out where you were sitting. This will help her come to associate your scent with something she loves.

You can also get a t-shirt really good and sweaty and put it under her food dish.

If you don't have a night lite on in there, it's a good idea to get one. It will make her feel less vulnerable.

If there's a window, put something up by it so she can sit and watch outside. It may take her a while to feel comfortable enough to hop up there, but you can leave treats for her up there.

She probably doesn't know what toys are. You may want to whatever's around outside where you live - a couple of pine cones, maybe some acorns... she may bat those around. But when she starts to get a little more comfortable with you, you might want to try using a wand toy - only making the toy at the end wiggle on the floor at first, and slowly, like a hurt animal. She'll likely be scared of it at first, but that "prey movement" usually ends up getting the best of them. When we rescued Chumley this summer, he was TERRIFIED of the wand toy at first, and it sent him fleeing. It took a week or so, but he stopped fleeing, and began to get really interested in just watching it move. Finally one day he attacked it when it was within reach. Now he's a play maniac. But do not ever leave any wand toys out anywhere she can access them. Ferals/strays that have lived outside for some time tend to eat the string, and this can require surgery to fix.

Do you already have a Feliway plug-in going? If not, if you can afford it, that's definitely something to consider.

You can also either leave a radio playing on a classical station, or you can buy some harp music and leave that playing for her. A lot of classical music isn't actually very calm, and ferals seem to LOVE harp music. http://www.amazon.com/Harp-Hope-Dian.../dp/B000CADMS0

These are other music alternatives:
http://www.catfaeries.com/music-for-cats.html
http://www.musicmypet.com/

Also, most health food stores will carry Bach Flower Essences, specifically Rescue Remedy. You can add a few drops to her water (that's all it takes, it's not a "more is better" kind of thing). There is a spray, but for scared cats, drops in the water is best. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...LAID=525395526

Don't worry about her "freedom." Right now she's missing the territory she knows, and she has NO IDEA how happy she's going to be. Having more space she doesn't know or feel comfortable in won't help right now.

She'll be running to you when you call again, and she'll eat with you sitting right next to her. This WILL happen. Rescuing her was the best gift you could give her. The next best gift, right now, is just as much time as she needs to realize what a wonderful gift she's been given.

Indeed, feral needs really long time to just let someone near her and if trapped inside first my samples did try go trought the walls.

Other has had over week of captivity other 4 days and they start to accept there is no way to escape from the room, but it takes really lot of time with ferals and these two are perhaps semi ferals as I already got them to eat from hand and they do know me from last autumn, so having completely alien feral inside would be even more of a challenge.

JTbo, your advice is just great! You've learned a lot and remember well!!

BTW, do you need help searching for a low-cost spay clinic? If you could share the county in which you live, or a city of some size near you, we can help you find one.

Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends are the two national cat advocacy organizations, and both have great resource libraries.

http://www.alleycat.org
http://www.bestfriends.org/nomorehom...sourcelibrary/

We didn't start a TNR org, we just started TNRing. We bought a trap, and chatted with the local vet. We bring home baked goods for all the staff all the time.

We get a discount on the cost of spaying and neutering, and they let us board the cats overnight (for males) and for two nights (for females), so we don't have to keep them in the trap during recovery.

But if you want to search for TNR orgs, or low-cost spay/neuter clinics, Pets911 and Petfinder are great places to start.

http://www.pets911.com
http://www.petfinder.com

At Petfinder you can search for shelters in your area. They'll describe what they do, and you may be surprised to find that some have TNR programs.

Other sources of info:

http://www.StrayPetAdvocacy.org
http://www.neighborhoodcats.org/OVERVIEW_RESOURCES
http://www.feralcat.com/

What a story!! And I am so happy that you were able to see her in that trap that day at your neighbor's. It sounds like she was meant to be your cat..

Some very good advice has already been given and I will not add too much more. Keep this cat in that "safe" room, do not let the cat have a larger area yet... This could take many weeks. Spend as much time in the room as possible, reading out loud, talking quietly to the cat, no eye contact. You can play a quiet radio/or TV if you have one in the room. Feliway is a great idea to add as well. I always put a t-shirt with my smell. I would sleep in a night shirt and then put that in Magilla's tent (her hiding place) on her bed. I would change out the t-shirt everyday with the one I slept in the night before. I would also sit in her room when I brought her the wet food. I would just sit in there and be quiet reading or writing and she eventually started eating with me in the room. It just takes alot of patience. After she starts eating in your company, you can start to try to get her to play with an interactive wand toy. Don't move fast with it, this is only to get her interest on that toy and off you and bring out the hunt in her which she naturally has. This will start building trust and happiness to her. It is all about trust with these ferals, and some are quicker to come around than other's. Trust, patience and more patience are the recipe for bringing these wonderful cats around. Feral's make the most loving and loyal cats. Magilla has been in my house for about three months now. And just two days ago, she has finally approached me on the couch for pets and loving. She is totally trusting of me now and I can pick her up and snuggle her and kiss on her. She loves the attention and is almost more loving than my other babies!!!!! It is a very rewarding process and don't expect anything from her or rush the process in any way. She will sense this. There is no one time frame for how long this will take and I like to tell people to really enjoy the tiny steps they make as it is an amazing feeling when they start trusting. Just let her come around in her own time.. for your sweetheart

From my experience, it's better to have her spayed first and then try to tame her. Once she goes into heat, she'll be under constant stress and won't pay any attention to you. And she'll keep trying to escape. It's much easier to tame a spayed cat. So if I were in that situation, I'd have her spayed ASAP and go from there.

Sounds like progress to me! Good for you (and for Luna).
Wishing you all the best. I'll confirm what the others have said on here: the little milestones are really rewarding. My out-and-out feral (who lives in my barn) now lets me see her and talk to her from about 25 feet away now, as long as she's near her hidey-hole. Four months ago, distance didn't even come into the equation: she simply didn't want to be seen. So I reckon you're coming along nicely.

If you haven't already, check out Best Friends Animal Society's web page. They have a brochure called "Socializing Very Shy or Fearful Cats". Almost by definition, stray or feral cats are very fearful.
I second what ever one has said; patience, patience, patience. Also always helps to get down to their level physically: sit on the floor, never stand. I look like King Kong to the feral/stray cats I'm taking care of--and I'm a 5 foot tall 90 pound weakling.

I have minor difficulties to appear as small too 6.2 feet and 300 pounds

Oh yes, don't keep your fingers straight, make them curled, for cat that is nails out / nails in thing, that along with no eye contact has done wonders for my cats.

Gary and I learned as we went along. He definitely thought he could be alpha cat, in the way that you kind of can with dogs. Fortunately, he's learned to respect cats for what they are (and now completely believes that "cats rule and dogs drool" LOL - of course we still both love dogs ).

Yes - during the process of socialization, there will be many small victories and plenty of setbacks. Sometimes it's three steps forward and one step back, and sometimes it's one step forward and two steps back. Sometimes the kitties get so mixed up they'll get to the point they want a pet - at first - and purr and kind of hiss at the same time.

But really, even the hissing is a good sign! It means she's getting more comfortable in the space!

Mine are different animals during day and night, in dimly lit room at night or late evening cats have much more courage, if you keep making notes about time when Luna is more tolerant you should find that it is evening or very early morning around time of sunrise or bit before.

I always rub their bowls with my hands, so that there is my scent around when they eat, also I rub floor next to bowls, they should connect my scent and food that way together and that also should help in making bond.

Curiosity will win in the end!

Indeed, she is already showing small signs

Friends at the local foster network lobbied the town in which they're based to support their TNR efforts, and they got budgeted $12,000/year to help with spaying/neutering and, of course, official permission to TNR. I'll ask her what they did. But those links I provided should be really helpful! I think most of us on TCS just TNR on our own. Plenty volunteer at shelters too, but most TNR programs aren't affiliated with shelters.

Luna sounds like she is doing great and so are you with the progress. I socialized my Magilla who is about nine months now. It took a good three months, but now she is more affectionate to me and loving than one or two of my other's. You will feel like you are taking steps back, but the steps forward then will be even more progress. Back and forth, but eventually you will reap the rewards of full trust on Luna's part.

Most of the TNR programs near where I live are not affiliated through a shelter, but do have connections as well as connections to barns in our area that will take the newly TNRd kitties and acclimate them to living at the barns. Good luck and keep updating on Luna

I'll tell you something Hissy said in a post once that I have always remembered. It's funny but effective. As far as not making eye contact, you can take it to the next level.

The more submissive cats lower their heads and only make slight eye contact with the others and then lower their lids slowly.

So with my ferals, I have sat in front of them at a comrfortable distance of their choosing. When they would look at me I would slowly lower my eyes and heads.
Several times during one sitting. After a while and I mean or month or so, they would do the same thing to me. It was our first real one on one communication.

We communicated that way for months before I was allowed to venture closer. I have done this with two of my cats. It seems to ease their sense of me being a threat.

The key words to remember are patience and time. I have one who has lived with me nearly 10years and I can pet her now IF I don't startle her. But if I have to pick her up, it has to be for a reason and I have to do it matter of fact and firm. She meows at me when she wants something on a regular basis and occassionally has a very very very tiny purr. When she is laying down I can approach her and finally after ten years I can lay my head on her back and cradle her in my arms "without picking her up" and she will allow it. And then I listen for that tiny purr while my head is on her back. Long road but worth every second!!

Don't give up on your feral...! Just don't give up.

Isn't that true!!!! It is the most rewarding feeling in the world to me too when you make those little steps towards becoming great friends with your feral. It is a very special relationship in the making. I am sure she is already looking forward to seeing you each day now and has come to rely on your visits with her. As far as eye contact, I would look at Magilla with soothing eyes and slowly blink and then look away, and then look back and slowly blink. After about three weeks, she is very shy, she would not flinch anymore when I would look at her. You are doing a great job building trust with Luna, and enjoy the process!!!! It is so worth it. for Luna

It does sound really good

I think that cats do some tests to see if it can really be true that us 2 leg monsters are not really going to eat them, so they come out little bit and then quickly hide and make mental notes of how we react, they are a lot more clever than most think, so except to see more of Luna

When I throw treats towards my scared ones, they will come to pick up treats, but this can be because I used to throw those to them before capturing them too, so they might feel that it is some safe ritual or something like that, anyway it helps getting them to push their limits, which I think will help in socializion process.

I can just see it! Too cute! She's probably telling you all about how she's so scared but she really wants to trust you.

We're playing the "darting game" with the almost-one-year-old ferals outside. We've been feeding them since last fall (they're trapped and sterilized), and they've had plenty of time to understand we're the food source. They dart out while I'm putting out the food, look up at me, and dart back under the deck. If I reach under to get a food dish while they're under there they hiss, but as soon as I clean it and start putting food in it, they dart back out to look. Of course, as soon as I look up, they dart back under.