adopting another cat to encourage ferals in?

4ferals

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Hi, I stumbled across your site, read quite a lot and decided to ask for your advice as I cant find anything similar to my idea!
I am British from the UK if any of this sounds confusing.

I have mum and 3 feral kittens at mine. I have provided a home now for 12 months. Mum adopted my garden shed and I started feeding outside the shed. Now a year on, all 4 are neutered and wormed (done age 3 months) and mum before she got pregnant again, within weeks of her arriving at my garden. It was clear from day 1 mum had never been touched.
Once winter started kicking in I had a cat flap installed and they still now feed and sleep and chill out in a side room of my house with access to the whole house should they wish. I chat to them constantly whilst im in the kitchen and during their food prepararations particularly. My ginger tom miaows back to me and my calico girl brushes past my legs. :) this bit is lovely but I want more! I still have not touched any of them. I desperately want loving relationships with them and am getting impatient.


So here is where I would appreciate your advice...
I am thinking of adopting another cat, a cat that has been socialised already and is loving and friendly. I am wondering if when my ferals see me petting and loving the new cat they might trust me and allow me to do that to them?? Or would the new cat become as timid and fearful as they are and im then feeding 5 mouths with nothing in return? I think mum cat kept them feral and now she doesn't bother with them at all, they keep each other feral because at times, my calico really wants to love me but my ginger darts so she does.
Any advice greatly appreciated. I've been so so patient as I know its all about trust but the anniversary of their arrival is coming up and I've not made much progress in ages!
 

ondine

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I am not sure another cat will help.  They may end up making him or her as timid as they are.  Plus, as new cat may disrupt the status quo.  He or she will need to be introduced to them carefully.

Your biggest tool is patience.  I know it seems like a long time but we have a feral who is just now letting us brush her - and she's been an inside only kitty for five years!  Her brother still doesn't let us pet him for more than a few seconds.

Keep in mind that they may already be as friendly as they are going to get.  Maybe getting another cat will give you the cuddly cat you desire but please don't depend on him or her helping to make these guys any friendlier.

But - I did want to add - thank you for helping them all and having the fixed.  You are doing the right thing!
 
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4ferals

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Thanks for your reply odine. And although it pains me to contemplate, I agree they may not become any friendlier.

They do like other cats that come to our garden though. An elderly, scruffy (owned by an old man behind our house) cat that I call Fat Jack is even allowed through their cat flap and a space at their feeding tray! They great him like he could be father. Mumpuss is a little less tolerant leading me to think he was a 1night stand if he is!! ;)
 

StefanZ

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The idea of adopting a fully socialized, friendly cat is not bad. It often works. But as Ondine said, there are several Buts, so it may go sour, or be OK but still dont work out as you hoped.

(Anyway, IF you want to open your heart to another one whom it is pity about, try to pick up one who is socialized, and can be your personal bug love, sleeping with you in your bed in the knee bend. )

A safer try is if you have a Feliway diffuser on!  Making them feel more comfortable, less stressed, less anxious...

Classical relaxing music may also work.  Classical harp music is best, but almost any relaxing music should do.

Your talking much softly and friendly is good, so proceed with it.

Another idea, is you concentrate your efforts on the most curious / bravest of your kittens.  And let this kitten become your ambassadeur you did skissed up.

Tx for caring and helping these small fellows!

Good luck!

  Welcome to the Forums!

Ps.  Be careful with this letting in of this cat of neighbours.  He is a nice illustration they arent hostile to other cats. But if he eats at your place more than occasionally, there is a risk he dont want to eat at his own owners place.  Perhaps he dont even want to return there. And get lost.

Is HE friendly?  If so, you can work through him.   Be prepared to talk with this senior citizen, his owner.
 
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4ferals

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Hi stefan and thanks for your reply too. No Fat Jack is as unfriendly as my 4. He only comes for dinner about once a month now. He should have been a panda...eats, shoots and leaves! ;)
Ever since their personality started appearing, my calico has been the bravest so yes I have encouraged her more, my ginger tom was worst but now he's 2nd bravest so I know I am making progress and they are trusting me more.
I think mumpuss will be leaving home soon, she hangs round the garden very little now and isnt present at mealtimes, instead popping home an hour or 2 after its served.
I will Google this feliway product and see if I can get it in the UK.
Thanks once again x
 

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Have you tried interactive playing with them at all?  Sometimes that helps them warm up to you a bit.  Set aside a time each day that you go in and play with them some. 
 

shadowsrescue

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There is a wonderful series of videos on youtube that show socializing of feral kittens.  My first feral was around 6 months when he first appeared to me.  Most of what I had read said it was too late to socialize him, but I would not go down without a fight!  I read everything I could and began my work.  He had learned that I was trustworthy as I had been feeding him and providing shelter.  Yet, I could not touch him and if I even looked at him too long, he would run. The videos were wonderful.  They gave such great tips on using stage 1 chicken/turkey baby food.  Cats just love it.  Also lots of interactive play; feathers, wands, da bird, lasers, etc...).  They sometimes get so wrapped up in the play, they forget and allow some brief touching.  I used a feather on a long wand.  Shadow would chase after it.  I would then slowly run it over his body so he became accustomed to something touching him.  After a few weeks of this, he began to enjoy it.  I was able to rub the feather under his chin.  Soon, I pulled the wand closer and closer to my body so that my hand was touching him.  By this time he enjoyed it so much, he didn't mind. 

Ferals are always a challenge.  I have worked and worked with Shadow.  After touching, petting and brushing, I knew there could always be more.  He comes inside the house (more often in the winter) and will now let me pick him up and he even sits on my lap.  Each step of the way is baby steps.

As mentioned above, Feliway diffusers are great as is soft music.  I also used Feral Cat Rehab flower essences from Spirit Essences.  The essences worked wonders.
 

ritz

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I think you should work with the bravest/braver of your feral kittens/cats, as other posters have suggested.  The scaredy ones hopefully will copy from the braver ones.  You can try playing with them with a wand and baby food can work wonders!

Alley Cat Allies is also a good resource for feral cats.

I've been feed a feral kitten/cat (TNR) for over a year in an outdoor colony; only now does he NOT run from me.  Progress.

And yes thank you for your work with rescue/feral cats and especially getting them fixed.
 
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4ferals

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Ive been trying to work out what TNR stand for. I can tell its neutering but....

Ive had such a positive time with my kits since I posted... your all doing an amazing job! [emoji]9829[/emoji][emoji]9829[/emoji]
 

StefanZ

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Ive been trying to work out what TNR stand for. I can tell its neutering but....

 
Trapp Neuter  Return - ie you usually dont adopt them as home cats, most continue to live as hemeless, but their life now easier, when they are spayed / neutered.

Although an ambitious TNR programme tries to adopt the individuals who are likely to be easy fostered, kittens and adults.

And they also tend to have some care of them returned too.

If you want to manage humanly big groups of semiferales, but are tigh on resources, TNR is the magic trick.

What extras, depends on the resources at hand and the volontaries you do have.
 
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