Advice please

Hi there guys,
I just joined and have been reading some of the threads here. I am pretty happy to find people who have a similar situation to me.
I moved into a house about six months ago and the house came with a feral cat.
The people that lived here before would feed him when they saw him, and told us that his mother and whole family of about seven cats arrived about 14 years ago. He is the only one left here now, we don't know what happened to the others but this guy is doing so well! He used to only visit once every three to four days, and now he is here everyday and hangs out with us on the deck. He doesn't like us being close but tolerates us sitting on the deck with him now rather than disappearing until dinner time.
We have started, in the last three nights leaving the door ajar for him to come and sleep inside of he chooses. And we find him in the same spot on the door mat in the morning.
However, he is becoming a little aggressive while we are feeding him his dinner the last few weeks. He jumps and swipes at my hands and legs and spit hisses at me/us. He is very impatient and his body language changes as well as the tone in his meow, so it is a distressing time for him I imagine.
Here in Australia there are no TNR programs and feral cats are treated like pests that kill native wildlife. Vets I have spoken to are not interested in helping give advice on how to care for him, I just get a lecture in how they kill and are destructive to wildlife and am giuded towards the local council to borrow a cage to trap him. Once a cat is trapped it must be surrendered to the pound, where he will be assessed as feral and put down. He has done so well to survive for this long, there is no way I am going to be responsible for his life coming to an end like that. So I have been looking for a place like this to find people who might be able to offer advice about how to make the feeding time a little less stressful for him. He eats absolutely everything I even mix worming tablets into his food and he eats that no dramas!
I know the transition for him is going to be a very slow one. It is summer here at the moment, but by winter time we want him to feel he can join us inside if he chooses.
If someone here has any tips that might help us we would be so grateful.

I know what you mean about TNR.  In some Australian states it's illegal:

TNR schemes are illegal in Victoria under the Domestic Animals Act 1994, as releasing an unowned cat back onto the streets is considered to be abandonment.

Feral cats can be tamed.  There are people here who have done it.  If you can manage that, then you can legally get him spayed as your cat.  This is not something I have experience with but there are others here to help you.

Good luck and thank you for helping this boy.

You can buy your own trap, although you may have some trouble finding a vet who is willing to work with him. Maybe you can ask around first and find someone. Then you can trap him and have him checked out, even if the vet has to anesthetize him to do it. Have him neutered and get all his shots. When you bring him in, you will need a room for him alone. If that isn't possible, a large dog crate can work. He needs time and a lot of your patience but he will make the adjustment.

If you start now, he should be a regular house cat by winter. Thank you so much for helping him!

Hi jollybean.

It sounds like you've got your work cut out for you there. If you manage to trap him and tell your vet that you are going to keep him would they treat him for you then? Or would they still refuse him as he is feral?

If you think they would be willing to treat a feral that is going on to be someone's pet I'd recommend getting a trap so you can get him fixed. You can buy them online. Once you get your trap weigh it as accurately as you can and write the weight on a sticky label or a tag thet you'll put on the trap. The reason for doing this is that vets need to know how much a cat weighs so they can give them the correct amount of anaesthetic. If they can weigh your cat without taking him out of the trap it will be easier for everyone.

If they won't treat a feral under any circumstances you'll have to get him to the vet as a very nervous house cat. Some of my cats still go ballistic every time they have to see the vet, I'm sure it's not that uncommon. If you think taking him to the vet in the trap might raise a few eyebrows try using a laundry net.

You'll need one of those big laundry nets that you can zip closed. If you can get close enough to touch him you can just scoop him up in the net, zip it closed and put him in the carrier that way. The vet won't need to take him out of the net to weigh him, so it will be easier to get him treated. If not you'll have to trap him and then get a laundry net big enough to cover the door of the trap. I recommend moving him from trap to net in a small room with no way for him to hide or escape and a thick pair of gloves for you, just in case he tries to escape.

Some traps come with a transfer cage for taking the animal to the vets in, but they are a bit more expensive. Check out the Tomahawk Humane Traps.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.

Hello JolleyBean,

First of all....thank you for offering hope to a feral cat.I just did the same 6 months ago and is a wonderful feeling helping a homeless animal.

It sounds like your most concern right now is how hes acting at feeding time.It could be its mating season and thus causing him to be aggressive.

Ide give it some time since he seemed fine before.As far as the getting him to the vets....ide make friends with him first.He will trust you more then.I made friends with my feral,then took her in for spaying and shots,and I didn't have to trap her.Ferals will freak out when trapped and that could harm his trust with you.Just give it time and he will come to you.