Mr. Stinkeye

stinkeyesmom

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Last winter a scrawny, dull coated little black cat sat on my porch railing glaring at me while I was standing at the kitchen sink.  I felt so sorry for this skinny little thing that I put food out for him.  He ran the minute I opened the door but once I left he came back and devoured the food down to the last crumb.   He'd even wrap his paws around the food dish and growl the whole time he was eating like he was afraid another cat would eat it. He's ear tipped and I think he was part of a neighborhood colony.   Eventually he'd allow me to be on the porch while I put down his food but he was always on alert and he'd stay a safe distance away.

Fast forward to this summer. He's getting fat and his black coat is beautiful and shiny.    He/she, I'm not sure is being fed in my back yard so there's no other cats around.  He'll eat half and feel secure enough to leave the rest for later.  He'll lay in sun in my back yard and doesn't move when I go out there.  If I don't feed him right away in the morning, he'll peer in my screen door and meow to remind me to feed him. If the screen door is shut, he comes to kitchen screen door and stands on his hind legs to look in the screen and then meows to get my attention.  He's so funny that way.  He lets me get within a foot of him when I feed him, but he's doing something new now.   When I sit outside at night he comes and sits under the chair next to me.  I talk gently to him but I haven't made any move to touch him or anything.   I'm really amazed at the progress that he's made so far.   Can I have your opinions or suggestions?   How do I go about getting close enough to pet him?   Should I even try?   I'd like to get him/her inside eventually.  

But until then, I'm in the process of creating weatherproof warm oustide cat house for him so hopefully he'll stay in my yard over the winter.  
 

catspaw66

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Don't make any effort to pet him/her yet. Let the cat make the first move, or you may undo everything that has gotten the cat to get closer to you.

I suggest you look at some of the articles on this site. It is best to use a computer to do it, as the mobile site is not as complete.

Keep talking to him, let him be himself, and most likely he will let you pet him eventually. Just be happy that he chose you to be his servant.
 

outofmydepth

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we are in a similiar position, having been feeding 2 cats for a few months now, ours will come and eat inside, walk around the house and laze in the sun on the deck but we cant get near to touch them, I will be watching your progress with interest! I am dying to have them lay on the couch and come for a cuddle!

Goof luck!
 

shadowsrescue

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I have 3 ferals living on my property that I have worked on getting somewhat socialized.  It has been a long process.  I started by using food as a motivator.  I would us plain cooked chicken cut into small bites or canned tuna.  I would sit out with the feral and gently toss the chicken/tuna to him.  He loved the taste so each throw I put a bit closer to me.  This took daily practice, but eventually he got close to me.  This was just step one. 

Next, I started to engage him in play.  I would use a wand toy on a long string so I could keep a safe distance and not spook him.  I also used a laser pointer in the evenings.  He loved chasing it all over the yard.  Once he got used to playing, I used a smaller wand toy.  It had a feather on the end and I was able to use it to start touching him.  I would get him interested in the toy, then put it up above his head and this allow it to gently touch his body.  At first he freaked, but after a few days, it became less scary.  I continued doing this for weeks until all at once I could move the feather back and forth.  I was petting from a distance.

Next step was to replace the wand with my hand.  I would get him engaged in the petting with the wand and then gently pull the wand into my body while moving my hand to his body.  Sometimes he didn't even notice as he loved the pets so much. 

Another step is to gently make a fist and put it out to him.  It will look like another cats head that he would want to head butt.  It also will allow him to sniff you.  I find it helpful to be sure to divert my eyes so direct eye contact doesn't startle him.

I am currently working on socializing my latest feral.  We have worked all summer on pets.  The feather wand freaked him out too much, so I improvised and made a "pointer" like wand.  I will attach a picture to show you.  He loves it.  I can now pet him from head to toy, under his chin and on his belly too.  Yet only with the wand.  He does allow pets to the top of his head, but only on his terms.  I have to be careful or he will swat me.

Having a shelter for winter is a must.  Depending on where you live and if you have electricity and how much you are able to spend there are lots and lots of options.  You can do a simple google search on feral cat shelters and view under images.  You can also check out my blog(the signature link is below).  I have a section on the shelters I use.

Thank you so much for helping this sweet one. 


 

juleska

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@catspaw66 and @ShadowsRescue both have great advice so I don't really have anything to add. Play is a great tool to help socialize even the most hardened feral, but this guy sounds like he really likes to call the shots. Thank you for taking care of him and good luck!
 
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