Help with feral cat

Hello everyone! A small black cat appeared in my garage around 5 months ago and I've been providing food and water for him ever since. He was extremely shy and skittish and would run away as soon as he saw me. Now he spend his days on top of the outer walls of my house, don't run away when he sees me coming and even approach me when I go feed him. He still won't come down though, at least not when there's people around (he does get off the wall and walks all over my front yard at night). So, here's my problem: he's been pooping on my neighbor's backyard and she is very pissed. I overheard her talking about "trapping the cat" and "taking him somewhere far away". I'm afraid she might do just that or even worse, poison his food. don't know what I can do to make him stop going there. How can I teach him to start using a litter box? I was also wanting to take him to the vet for a check up and to neuter him. But I'm afraid trapping him will scare him even further and I'll lose all his trust in me. I would like to domesticate him but I doubt he'll get used to it. What if he runs away and never come back? Any advice would be VERY welcome. Thanks.

eatnsleep said:

Hello everyone! A small black cat appeared in my garage around 5 months ago and I've been providing food and water for him ever since. He was extremely shy and skittish and would run away as soon as he saw me. Now he spend his days on top of the outer walls of my house, don't run away when he sees me coming and even approach me when I go feed him. He still won't come down though, at least not when there's people around (he does get off the wall and walks all over my front yard at night). So, here's my problem: he's been pooping on my neighbor's backyard and she is very pissed. I overheard her talking about "trapping the cat" and "taking him somewhere far away". I'm afraid she might do just that or even worse, poison his food. don't know what I can do to make him stop going there. How can I teach him to start using a litter box? I was also wanting to take him to the vet for a check up and to neuter him. But I'm afraid trapping him will scare him even further and I'll lose all his trust in me. I would like to domesticate him but I doubt he'll get used to it. What if he runs away and never come back? Any advice would be VERY welcome. Thanks.

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You can perhaps try with the most prosaic: provide him with a litter box on your property?   With a little luck, he will use mainly this, as its easier.

I think also, you plan soundly: ie plan on neutering him.  And the key is to trap him.  This way he wont connect YOU with catching him, you will instead be the one who do releases him from the trap, and takes him back home.

Anyway, you are his food source, his friendly human, he wont hardly run away.  He will perhaps be somwhat more cautious with you for some period, but its not probable he will run away.

On the other side, as more and more mature intact tom, the risk goes greater and greater for every month he will disappear, seeking willing females to mate with.

After neutering it will also be easier to domesticate him...  You are already on good way.  Just to proceed!

Good luck!

Rather than a litter box, you could try putting a sandpit or sandbox on your property for him to use. Some cats prefer an area with loose wood chips. If you want him to stick around and become tamer, you really have no choice but to trap and neuter him. Like Stefan said, he'll probably become temporarily wary of you, but it will lessen the chances of him leaving altogether.

He'll come back. I've trapped and neutered a lot of cats and they always come back to their food source. You can probably borrow a humane trap from The Humane Society or from groups doing TNR in your neighbourhood. As StefanZ says, you'll be the one releasing him and your the one who feeds him so he won't hold a grudge against you.

Could you talk to your neighbour and explain that you are going to trap and neuter this cat? Also if you take some of the earth from her garden where he has been going to the toilet and put that in the area that you want him to use as a toilet he'll be more likely to go there. I've found an apology and an offer to clean up any messes in a neighbour's garden usually works well.

Good luck, keep us posted.

Thanks for the great tips and advice, everyone! I'm so glad I found this site. I'm already going after a nice sandbox and will trap&neuter him as soon as I can. I've already spoken to my neighbor but she's a difficult person to deal with,unfortunately. I will keep you all updated. (Oh, and let me apologize for all the grammar mistakes in my OP. My brain wasn't working properly lol)

I've come back with more questions, ha. I found out my town is spaying/neutering cats for free. K, that's great. But I'm having trouble deciding what I should do with the cat once he is back.

I'd like to make him an indoor cat. But I don't know if he'll adapt to the lack of freedom, and I'm afraid he'll become stressed. As far as I know, I will have to keep the cat in a closed room until he becomes more comfortable with his surroundings (and me). But will he learn to stay indoors or will he run away as soon as he has a chance? Will he come back at least to eat or will he be traumatized and keep his distance?

What's the most humane thing to do? Neuter and release him afterwards, keeping the routine we've had up to this point (he has a cat house on the roof, and he comes to eat twice a day)? Or try to bring him indoors?

It sounds like he is already getting used to you, so if you're able to give him a home I'd try to keep him in. Some feral cats adjust better than others. I picked up a feral kitten about a month ago and she's already totally comfortable with having a home and someone to care for her. Let's me pick her up and pet her and even put up with me giving her medicine every day when she had a cold.

Other cats take longer, but you've already made progress with this little guy so I'd say it can be done.

It usually takes cats a month to adjust to new surroundings. After he's been neutered you'll need to keep him indoors while he recovers, so you could set up a cat room for him ready for when he comes back from the vet.

Try it for a month. If he seems miserable and you've got no closer to being able to pet him after that, at least he will have had plenty of time to recover from his surgery. He's unlikely to run off after a month indoors being fed. Even if things don't work out he'll stick around and sleep in his cat house.

Let us know what you decide to do, there are lots of ways you can make him feel comfortable with being indoors.

Minor update, but I have to share because it feels like a major milestone. He finally let me pet him today. By "let" I mean "staying still without jumping and going away" I was able to scratch his lateral and he didn't even mind. Then he smelled my hand and went to eat very close to me with his guard totally down. Looking back, we've come so far. I'm really happy with the progress and glad I found a place where I can share it with fellow cat lovers!

That's awesome progress. Well done.

No big news, just wanted to share a photo of my handsome little guy. I'm planning on neutering him next month, when I'll have a spare room for him.
 

Uh oh, I don't see a picture?

misterwhiskers said:

Uh oh, I don't see a picture?

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It's there now.



He looks great @eatnsleep  So healthy and shiny.

I've came back, but not with an update I'd like to give... Gato was run over and sadly passed away. I found his body very close to my house, like 2 blocks away.
I feel so terrible and so guilty. I wanted to neuter him and bring him home and give him the best life possible, but none of that happened because I have no money or my own place. I am devastated and wish I could go back in time...
Anyway, thanks for the all the help and support provided during my little journey with my baby. I'm not religious but I like to think there's a pet heaven somewhere. Let this thread serve as a memorial of sorts.

I'm so sorry to hear that.



I've had similar experiences. It's so hard to take proper care of outdoor cats and things like this happen, no matter what we do. At least he had you to feed and love him while he was around.

One day you'll have your own place and you'll be able to take care of a cat who needs you. Gato will send his little cousins to find you when he sees that you're ready.

@eatnsleep I know you're totally heartbroken- I would be too! But take some comfort in the fact that you made Gato's (what a GORGEOUS CAT!!!!)last weeks SO much better! Because of you, he never had to go to bed with an empty tummy, he never worried about a safe place to sleep, and he knew he was very loved.
my heart for goes out for you AND Gato.