Trying to bring in an outdoor cat

what a beautiful cat. I hope with time and patience he will learn to trust you and realise how warm and cosy he could be living with you. good luck

gardenandcats said:

 
I'm a little confused he comes into your kitchen? Why do you not just shut the door when he comes in and don't let him back out?

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If we had done that to Mytton (our 'barn cat') she would have had a major panic attack and we would probably never have got her in again and undone all the good approach work I am betting it would be the same with this cat too.

You really do have to be patient and let the cat decide that it is comfortable with being inside.

Cannot help with the 'flakes' never seen anything like that in any of the food our cats have ever eaten. Are they there before the cats eats?

gardenandcats said:

 
I'm a little confused he comes into your kitchen? Why do you not just shut the door when he comes in and don't let him back out?

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Because Gardenandcats, as Berghill said, he would probably panic. He comes into a little area of my kitchen where I have put up a gate so he can't come in any farther as I have a little shih tzu dog. The two of them have to get to know and accept each other before I can let him in any farther. Also, he is skittish and I want he to be very comfortable with entering the house, The only way I can see to do that is to let him feel he can exit at will as well. One day when he seems relaxed I will try closing the door and see how he reacts. But, that won't be for a while I'm sure.

Thank you Berghill. I totally agree!

Ahhh o I understand now thanks for explaining.Hope your able to get kitty comfortable enough to stay in with you.

@Pi-Pi  somehow I lost track of your thread but back.

I believe the white hard chip thingys in the food are actually pieces of bone, likely fish bone or scales perhaps.

Fish flavors correct? I've seen this too before. Helps give me a visual of what reeeally goes in to their food........

Yes, it does take time, despite him being a non true feral, even the tamest cats, once they have had a bit of time under their belts (paws living outside will become skittish. This is purely due to the survival mode they go into as well as the lack of interacting with humans regularly.

In time though, he will go back to being tame. How much depends on how long he has been on his own basically.

You might find you have a former lap warmer, who knows!

Oh and the treats he loves? They wouldn't happen to be Temptations would they??? Kitty crack! They all seem to be crazy for them.

Catwoman 707 I think you're right about the white flecks belling bone or fish scale or even shell. Something they add to the food for calcium perhaps.

Well, this morning I had a little excitement around here when I went to feed him. I opened the door with food in hand and all of a sudden there was a commotion in the garage and I looked inside to see the most enormous cat I have ever seen in my life! It was not Pi to be sure. It was a very large gray tabby — tiger. It's coat was so fluffy and puffed out. It had to be at least 2 1/2 to 3 times larger than Pi. My cat is not a large cat, possibly due to the fact that he was neutered. Anyway when the cat saw me it panicked and ran around the garage knocking things over trying to get out the closed window. I thought it was going to break the window it was big. So I came back in the house and closed the door behind me giving it some time to get out through the pet door which he did—like a bolt of lightning. When the coast was clear I went out and started calling Pi. Little head popped up from the evergreen bush where he has his outside house. He looked around and came slowly across the lawn to me. He was very wary about coming inside because I'm sure he knew that the cat had been here. For all I know he might've been in the garage when the cat entered. He doesn't want to tangle with that cat it's pretty obvious. Good idea too because I think that cat is really feral. After feeling reassured by me that all was okay he came in and ate his breakfast. Now he's off on his daily stroll through the woods I hope—not out towards the road. That's the little prayer I say every day, don't go near the road. As far as the big cat is concerned, while I feel for it too I'm not interested in starting a colony. All I want to do is save that one little black cat Pi-Pi and hopefully one day bring him into my house.

Pi-Pi said:

 
Because Gardenandcats, as Berghill said, he would probably panic. He comes into a little area of my kitchen where I have put up a gate so he can't come in any farther as I have a little shih tzu dog. The two of them have to get to know and accept each other before I can let him in any farther. Also, he is skittish and I want he to be very comfortable with entering the house, The only way I can see to do that is to let him feel he can exit at will as well. One day when he seems relaxed I will try closing the door and see how he reacts. But, that won't be for a while I'm sure.

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Does he ever show any interest in anything in the kitchen?   Or interest in going past the gate?   I wonder if he found his way to another room, say with a comfy chair or bed, if he would consider hopping up and taking a nap?  Of course, you would have to put your dog in another room for this experiment.

Or does he just "eat and run"?

Hi rubysmama, He once looked beyond the gate into the kitchen out of curiosity. I don't think he is quite ready yet to do that and besides I have white chairs and sofas in my living room so I'm not prepared to do that yet. But one day I will. Having never had cats before I have to get to understand him just as much as he has to get to understand me. LOL! But, now with that other enormous cat sometimes showing up I will work harder to get Pi into the house. He wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with that big fella. I just can't leave food for Pi in the garage at night after he's finished his dinner. When I go up to bed I'll be sure there's no food there and that I've swept the area as well. Maybe if the big cat doesn't smell food he'll stay away. Hope so anyway. Trouble with pet doors is they let in unwanted critters as well as the pets!

Catwoman 707---YES the treats are Temptations! His favorite are the chicken with cheese centers. He'd do anything for those things. He likes the catnip ones too. I hope they're good for the cats because he eats a lot of them for sure. Kitty crack indeed!

Pi-Pi said:

 
Catwoman 707---YES the treats are Temptations! His favorite are the chicken with cheese centers. He'd do anything for those things. He likes the catnip ones too. I hope they're good for the cats because he eats a lot of them for sure. Kitty crack indeed!

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How did I know that.....hmm. Yeah, they all go nuts for them. No, they're pretty much crap, but not like it's their main food so I wouldn't worry about that.

Although they will add weight to a cat if given enough.

That great big boy, poor thing, he obviously IS feral and was frightened to death when you encountered him, surely has never had human contact.

It's a very hard life for an unfixed feral cat. The females have litter after litter and depletes every bit of nutrients she has in her body in an effort to develop fairly healthy babies, and the males will fight vicious fights and the main spreaders of FIV and FELV. 

Unmanaged ferals have short lives, not only due to being prey, hit by cars, and so on, but they live in constant survival mode, searching for food and getting through the harsh winter temps.

I really feel for them so much. If only I could help people understand that ferals are not wild animals, but the very same inside as our fat, cozy, comfy loved indoor cats we all have. 

The very same. I just had proof first hand once again when I lost my most recent feral resident cat Destiny. In her last few days of her life, after having her for over 5 years living as a cat room resident, she suddenly lost all fear, she knew of course she was at the end, and out of the blue, came to my car when I came home one day, followed me in to my house and sat next to me. I was able to pick her up and hold her, that I had dreamt about all those years how I would love to do. She had never done any of those things, come in to my house??!

It was the most touching thing I have ever experienced in rescue.

For 3 days. Then I saw it was time to take her. But how precious that was that she gave me I will never, ever forget. Proof that without their fear, they are truly the same.

Anyway! Back to your kitty. No worries about him tangling with the big boy out there. It won't happen because he is fixed and would NOT stand up to him. It's 2 unfixed boys that fight, driven by their hormonal drive to mate.

Pi-Pi said:

Hi rubysmama, He once looked beyond the gate into the kitchen out of curiosity. I don't think he is quite ready yet to do that and besides I have white chairs and sofas in my living room so I'm not prepared to do that yet. But one day I will. Having never had cats before I have to get to understand him just as much as he has to get to understand me. LOL! But, now with that other enormous cat sometimes showing up I will work harder to get Pi into the house. He wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with that big fella. I just can't leave food for Pi in the garage at night after he's finished his dinner. When I go up to bed I'll be sure there's no food there and that I've swept the area as well. Maybe if the big cat doesn't smell food he'll stay away. Hope so anyway. Trouble with pet doors is they let in unwanted critters as well as the pets!

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I guess with white sofa & chairs, you're not quite ready for Pi-Pi to move in yet.  It does seem that you are making great progress with him.  He's lucky to have you and when the time is right, I'm sure he will be a wonderful indoor kitty.

Almost every one of my family's and my beloved cats have come from "the streets" or outdoors.  As soon as I learned what I know now about cats and safety, I have insisted on all of the cats in my care being indoors-only, with lots of stimuli available such as cat furniture, scratching surfaces of various types, toys, interactive toys, windows and window perches for them to observe the outside world, etc.  Most cats in my experience adapt quickly to this and actually prefer being indoors, safe and well-fed and comfortable.  Fortunately, our house has a lot of doors where I can block off escape, and this comes in handy if I have a tech coming or am bringing in groceries, etc.  There isn't really any other way to do it, I don't think, than just to bring a cat in and keep him/her in.  He'll be much safer and more comfortable that way, too.  Best of luck with your gorgeous mini-panther prince!

Thank you Tarasgirl 06 for your welcome advice. I am trying to do just that. Unfortunately my house hasn't been set up for cat residents but I will do my best to see that Pi-Pi has a good play area and window perch. Just hoping he and my dog Happy will get along well.

Last night I am happy to report that Pi slept in the vestibule between my kitchen door and garage. I have a thick black rug out there with a little donut bed on top of it and 2 SnuggleSafe disks under it. He LOVES the warmth of the SnuggleSafe disks. He was there when I ate my dinner and still there at 11 PM when I went up to bed. I went out and reheated the disks for him then played with him and his toys in the garage for a while before going inside and upstairs to bed. As I said, just before going up I peeked out and there he was snoozing soundly in his little bed.

Oh, Pi-Pi, that is wonderful news.  Doesn't it melt your heart?

HI!  I am sitting next to the best cat ever (along with all the other best cats here), which I couldn't get near just over a year ago.   He is a (former) stray Tom and about this time last year I made him an outdoor cat house out of a coleman cooler.  I threw some cat food in it every day for awhile and I was absolutely thrilled when I went out one day and tapped on the top and he came flying out like a bat out of hell.  

Anyway,  I couldn't leave dry food out because of an oppusum so I started opening the door AM and PM and offering a plate of food.  Eventually he would hear me raise the blinds and pop his cat head out of the house, but he wouldn't come near the food if I was near it.   Then suddenly he decided he wanted to be petted before he ate.  It wasn't gradual, it was like he flipped a switch. 

Now we had 9 below zero temperatures here last winter, but the cooler had a heating pad in it, as well as string lights in the top (the old fashioned kind that gave off heat).  He had a really thick winter coat and he spend most of his time in there when he wasn't out patrolling.   He got two full squares a day and I think he was pretty comfortable in there. 

In the spring I decided to get him fixed so I would put the food just inside the door so he would come into the kitchen.  I shut the door on him one day and he freaked out at first but then I watched him morph into a house cat a few days.  He never asks to go outside and he hates to be alone.   He's never sprayed or scratched the furniture.  I can't believe someone actually kicked him out - he is such a source of joy to my family.

As far as ferals, this is a very heart warming video about some guys who own an auto salvage business and tamed a feral Tom called Scruffy.  They are on their sixth Scruffy installment:


PS  Your cat house looks great.  I put mine up on some overturned flower pots so it'd be up off the ground and out of the snow. 

PSS I hate hysterics, but there's a fair number of complaints about those snuggle disks catching on fire on amazon.  I used a heating pad from CVS on low in the cat house and I used a seed warming mat plugged into a thermostat for the cat bed I kept in the garage.  Anyway, I was worried about fire in the garage so that's why I used the thermostat and the seed warming mat. 

Pi-Pi said:

 
Thank you Tarasgirl 06 for your welcome advice. I am trying to do just that. Unfortunately my house hasn't been set up for cat residents but I will do my best to see that Pi-Pi has a good play area and window perch. Just hoping he and my dog Happy will get along well.

Last night I am happy to report that Pi slept in the vestibule between my kitchen door and garage. I have a thick black rug out there with a little donut bed on top of it and 2 SnuggleSafe disks under it. He LOVES the warmth of the SnuggleSafe disks. He was there when I ate my dinner and still there at 11 PM when I went up to bed. I went out and reheated the disks for him then played with him and his toys in the garage for a while before going inside and upstairs to bed. As I said, just before going up I peeked out and there he was snoozing soundly in his little bed.

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Yay!! Moving right along Great to hear!

I have successfully turned 3 or 4 barn cats into indoor/outdoor cats, but never completely house cats only! The last one was crying out in the barn, and I brought out a bowl of milk and a bowl of dry cat food and repeated this for several days until he would finally let me close enough to pet him while he was eating/drinking. After a couple days of this, I finally was able to pick him up, and I walked to the house. I live on a farm, and the farmers out here simply shoot the cats when their numbers get too great, and I'm guessing that they come here to my place just to stay alive!! I have them all neutered right away so that I'm not overrun with them, but there are those who might think that I already am overrun because I have 10 cats now! I try to get them all in the house at dusk, because there are so many predators out here, like coyotes, mink, raccoon, skunks, badgers, foxes, and even stray dogs. I also have a Doberman female, but she like the cats... amazing, huh??  I brought 4 cats from the city when I moved out here, and they quickly became indoor/outdoor cats. Presently, they ALL go outside, but there is a "kitty" door (which I lock at night) so they can come and go during the day. There is also a "doggy" door on the back porch, so they can get in out of the weather if they should not happen to get inside before I go to bed! I have had skunks come through the doggy door, but never through the kitty door and into the house!! I actually went out on the back porch and petted a skunk while she was eating, much to my wife's opposition. I just love all animals, and I have had several skunks as pets in years past. 

I would not recommend giving any cat milk, but it does break the ice when trying to domesticate a feral cat! In most cases, cats are lactose intolerant, and it causes diarrhea. I don't mind because none of my cats don't use the litter box!  It keeps me broke buying litter and food, and now that my wife is in a home with Alzheimer's, my cats are my family now... and as long as I can afford it, they'll all have a home until one of us dies!! I have made arrangements with friends to care for the remaining cats upon my demise! 

Back to the last "barn cat".... he is a lap cat now, purrs his head off, and sleeps in the bed with 4 or 5 of the others!! He still runs when people come into the house, and is quite paranoid about any stranger, but he trusts me and is now my "best buddy". I haven't had him neutered yet because there are no females he could impregnate, and I've not seen him "spraying" anywhere, so I may just leave him intact! I did have him into the vet because he had a bad foot (something/someone had bit him) and it got infected. So he got his rabies shots and a physical then. I probably should have had him neutered then, but I wasn't sure that he would stick around, so I passed on that. I'm already VET POOR what with having 5 females and one male fixed about a year ago. The males only cost me around $30, but the females were nearly $100 each!

I am SOOOO grateful that I do not have a "flea" problem... mainly because they sleep with me! When I told the vet that I didn't have any fleas, he jokingly said that I must have a rare ecological site! I can only attribute this to the 3 remaining chickens I have that have the run of the place. I do have an occasional tick, but no fleas! Can someone give me a reason for this?? I surely couldn't afford to buy "Frontline" at $40+ a pop for 10 cats and 1 dog! Maybe God sees what I'm doing for the cats and knows my financial situation, so banned them from living here on my farm! I can think of no better reason!!

OK, I have another question. I was told that when male cats are neutered they stop roaming. But Pi was neutered in late September and hasn't lost the urge to wander. Will he eventually? He is up at the crack of dawn and hangs around until I come downstairs to feed him. So he eats a good breakfast between 6:30 and 7 AM. Sometimes he eats half of it and stays in the area until 9 or 9:30 when he finishes it. Then he is off for a day of roaming. I have no idea where he goes but suspect it is into the woods behind my house. Its no longer a large wooded area because so many houses have been built over the years but a section of the former woods has been declared a "wet lands" and that is where I believe he goes. Like clockwork he usually returns home between 3 and 4:30 PM now that we are no longer in Day Light Saving Time. He is given his dinner at that time and eats what he wants of it then wanders my yard and my neighbors yards until around 6:30 or 7 when he returns for the night to the vestibule just outside my kitchen door where he has a bed and SnuggleSafe heated disks for warmth. He also has access to the garage from there and his toys and food. I take in any leftover food before I go to bed so as not to encourage any wildlife from entering through the pet door. Next day he is off and running on the same routine rain or shine.

I guess the question is is he roaming or just hanging out in his territory like any house cat who goes outdoors.   It sounds like your making great progress with him.  The two strays we took in last year never want to go outdoors.  In fact when she first came in the house the female stray was pretty relentless about asking to go out.  I finally caved and I expected I wouldn't see her for hours and she was back in the garage within an hour.  After that she never wanted to go out again.