Niles, from feral to friend

     Niles was a feral kitten only six weeks old in Sept, 2013, when a neighbor, who had a family of strays under her porch helped me to lure him into a carrier  to take him home.    From the moment he left the carrier, I would hardly see him.   He cried the whole next day, but then became completely silent for a whole year.  He would hide and only come out at night and after I was lying in bed still and quiet for at least 20 minutes.  I noticed within a day or two that he had fleas.  When I tried to catch him to take him to the vet, I realized I was dealing with a monster who turned into a writhing ball of teeth and claws and bit and scratched my hands so badly and in so many places that from then on I wore welders gloves, goggles, and long sleeves with hood to approach him.   I don't know who was more afraid.   I could lure him out at night  with a long ribbon tied to a long stick, and he would love to attack the ribbon, but only at a safe distance from me.  My slightest move would send him running.  I also contracted a terrible case of Cat Scratch Disease (Bartonella henselae) which was a horrible swelling in my lymph gland under my right arm and pain lasting four months down to my thumb  where the inoculation puncture had been.

     This story does end very well!  Niles is on my lap right now!   I never thought he would let me touch him, but suddenly a full year after I rescued him, he began letting me pet him with my hand.  The way I got to this point was by using the stick the ribbon was tied to to gently stroke him.  He was afraid of my hand coming close, but the stick he tolerated, and slowly he would start coming back again and again to rub against the stick.  Once when he was asleep I began softly petting his head.  He woke up and let me continue for a little while.  In a matter of days, he was coming up to me to be pet, and from then on he has been turning into a cuddly friend who sleeps a few feet from my head at night.  He still has some of his wild traits and is skiddish and hides from strangers, but is steadily improving.  He loves to play and is an excellent mouser!  Thanks to all on TheCatSite who encouraged me to keep Niles, and who taught me about a raw diet which Niles now mainly enjoys.

That's certainly a success story that will encourage others not to give up!

Well done to you and Niles.  

He's a beautiful cat and so lucky to have found someone to go to all that trouble to befriend him.

Cats are always well worth the effort.