Mama Cat

I've been taking care of this cat outside my work for about 4 years now.  I have captured her babies at the appropriate time and have trapped her.  i got her fixed and she continues to live outside here.  I feed her everyday...and love her so much.  

I can only get 7 feet from her.  

What are the chances I should move her from my work and bring her to my house? 

I assume, not good.  

Thoughts? 

Not impossible.  You will need someplace to confine her until she recognizes your place as "home."

If you plan to keep her inside only, set up a room with no furniture that she can hide under/behind.  She'll need all her supplies ( a bed or blanket, food station, water and a potty (put dirt on top of the litter to help her learn what litter is for.  She's used to using dirt and may not recognize litter).

This will give her a safe place to get used to being inside (and that won't let her escape).  She will need a carrier or card board boxes for hidey holes and maybe a cat tree.  Spend time with her every day - and establish a routine.  You can sit in there and read out loud to her and perhaps play with wand toys with her.  The routine is the most important thing in all this.

If you plan is to move her to your yard, then you'll need someplace to confine her (at least a month, maybe longer).  A shed with all the amenities (potty, bed. boxes, food).  Moving her outside is trickier - so many things can go wrong, you want as much control as possible.

Thank you for helping her.  All you have done is amazing!

I agree completely with Ondine.  Also, the self transport in between, you do this with help of a trap.  Ie dont wait till she trusts you enough to be transported, catch her in a trap, like you surely did when you took her to the vet for spaying.

It may be she has become trap - savvy.  but its the next question.  Use perhaps another sort of trap, say a drop trap.

Good luck!

I brought a feral into my home last year that had been living on his own for about 2 years.  I had trapped, neutered and returned him to my outside space.  Yet, he caused some troubles with my other ferals.  He would not go into the trap, but I was able to lure him into a carrier and quickly shut the door behind him.  I brought him into a spare bedroom and had picked the bed up off the floor so he couldn't get underneath.  I had a small cat tree for him.  I blocked all areas behind bookcases so he couldn't hide where I couldn't get to him.  I had 2 litter boxes as ferals often pee and poop in different spots.  I sprinkled dirt on top.  He had a few accidents and didn't understand the litter boxes.  I ended up getting Dr. Elsey's Litter Attract and using it full strength in the boxes.  It worked like a charm!! 

He stayed in this room full time for 2 months.  I had another indoor only cat as well as a dog.  I kept them completely separated.  Every day I would visit the cat 4-6 times.  At first it was very short visits.  I put him on a schedule for feedings.  I used feliway diffusers, soft music 24/7 at the start and Composure treats and/or composure liquid to help calm him.  The first few days were rough.  He threw himself against the window repeatedly.  He yowled and cried and climbed the walls.  Yet by the 3rd day, he had calmed.  I would always bring him something yummy such as plain cooked chicken, tuna, cat treats or the beloved Gerber stage 2 baby food.  The baby food is irresistible to most cats.  You want the very small jar that is chicken or turkey and water only, no added spices. 

He had no idea how to play.  I tried mice, balls, lasers and wand toys.  Nothing.  I then tried a string under and blanket pulled slowly and he began to respond.  It took daily work and there were challenges along the way.  After being inside for 2 months and a vet visit (another challenge!) he was ready for introductions to my resident cat and dog.  That was another very long challenge.  Yet we emerged on the other side eventually. 

Today, he is a sweet loving boy.  He is still skittish of many things and no one would know he lives here as visitors to the house frighten him.  He interacts with the 3 humans that live here and has learned to get along with my large dog and resident cat.  He sits on my lap, loves to be pet and now sleeps on our bed at night, snuggling as close as possible to me.  It has been a very rewarding transformation.  He was just over 3 when I brought him inside and it has been just over a year so he is now 4. 

So it can be done!!  It just takes lots of patience and a commitment.  There is lots of help to be found here.

Thank you for caring and loving her.  The love I have for my ferals is unbelievable.  I worry about them each and every day. 

The challenge will be to trap her again, because most cats will not enter a humane trap a second time. If you are able to trap her and bring her home, it's worth a try--especially because winter will be approaching in a few months and life will be harder for her.  She might be able to adjust to being inside, like Shadow's feral, or she may be a true feral who will truly be miserable and stressed being confined inside, like my one outdoor feral. You will instinctively know after a short time what kind of cat she is. If she is a true feral who belongs outside, then you may need to release her back into her own, familiar territory. If you release her outside your house, she could get injured or lost trying to get back to her original territory. If you've been feeding this cat for 4 years and she won't allow you to get closer than 7 feet from her, then she may likely be a feral who will not be socialized and who would be miserable inside a house. 

I believe you are right.  

I am going to get her a home for shelter outside my work.   The drain is where she used to have her kittens.  She does hang out in a covered garage, but i just feel so bad for her during the winter time.  

After reading the comments, I am going to keep her here....

Does anyone know of any good "cat homes/shelters" i can purchase?  Perhaps with some sort of battery operated heater?

The feral villa is good.  They also have feeding stations    http://www.feralvilla.com/

You can also make a shelter  out of two Rubbermaid totes (36 gallon and 18 gallon).  Use flat insulation on the bottom and when the smaller tote is placed on in, inside the larger container, cuts holes in both.  I use a length of 6" diameter PVC pipe to link the two containers (as an entry way).  Keeps the weather out.  Insulate the sides with non-biodegradable shipping nuggets, packing them not too tightly.  Put the top on the inner tote, then another sheet of flat insulation, then the lid on the bigger tote.  A snug, easy house.  With lots of straw inside, you won't need a heater, especially if the house is placed against a building or under a deck.

For the feral villa, you can buy heaters specifically made for pet houses.  I saw them on Amazon.  They need to be near an electrical source.

Also on Amazon, there are microwavable discs.  Microwave them for six minutes and they stay warm for up to 12 hours.  Placed under the straw, they make the house nice and cozy.  I use these for our outside cats.

Your plan sounds good - moving feral cats is always tricky, so it's better if she can stay where she's comfortable.

If you can run an extension cord (heavy gauge) you can get an outdoor approved heat pad. They are great. Also hound heaters. If you do not have electric but access to a microwave the heat discs work well especially with straw. My DH built a feral villla but my boys didn't care for it. Last year my DH and DS built a heated cat house with a hound heater. I also did a Rubbermaid with reflectix insulation and heated pad on the bottom. Here are some pics of both.

You can also purchase a small pet house on ebay, put a heat reflective cushion it and fill the house with straw. Instead of the cushion, you can purchase those inexpensive heat reflective emergency "blankets" in a sports store (they're very thin sheets of foil) and use them underneath the straw and around the sides of the house. The pet house should have an entrance and exit so the cat can escape. In bad weather you can throw a blanket over the top, leaving a few inches for the cat to get in and out of each exit.  You don't need to use electricity to provide an adequate shelter. Here's pictures of mine. In the last pic, I covered his entire house with a sleeping bag and he still crawled in and out of it because the temps were in the negative realm. If you put the house out in the Fall with just straw, he will adjust to it in time for winter.