Semi-feral--am I doing the right thing?

Pennywise is the sole survivor of a colony of sewer cats (hence the name) in my neighborhood. Individuals in my subdivision this year were feeding stray cats, but nothing else. Every time I passed their house while walking my dogs, there were more and more cats and kittens. I started carrying treats and would toss them to the kitties on my nightly walks. At one point, there were about 20 cats and kittens that swarmed out of the bushes to eat the treats!

Unfortunately, the cats were causing issues with their neighbors--and the kittens kept dying from getting hit by cars, dog attacks, etc. Someone on the street called animal control, and the number of cats that came out to greet me when I brought treats became fewer and fewer.

Pennywise was the last cat standing. He's very wily. Every time he saw me coming with my dogs, he would run out to meet me, meowing loudly, and would follow me until I gave him food. I started feeding him a cup of cat food every night on my walk. Well, I started feeling quite responsible for this little noisy cat. I borrowed a trap from a friend and tried for weeks to catch him so I could get him fixed, but because he wasn't anywhere near my house, I had no luck--and when I asked the people who had been feeding the cats if I could put a trap on their property, they slammed the door in my face. (Lovely!) Pennywise would get very close to me, but wouldn't allow me to touch him, so I couldn't just grab him. 

Then, a week and a half ago, my husband was able to get Pennywise to follow him back to our house. He coaxed the kitty into our house with a trail of food, and then quickly shut the door! Pandemonium ensued, but Pennywise darted into our laundry room and behind the dryer. Success...?

Over the next few days, my husband proceeded to do everything you're not supposed to, and he was able to pick up Pennywise and hold him for a while. The last time, Pennywise was even purring. Then the kitty found a way into our basement...where he's been for the past week.

He's using the litterbox like a champ, drinking plenty of water, and eats plenty of food. We put the food up on the ground floor, and he comes out at night to eat. He'll come up if we're sitting there and we're quiet. But I can tell he's not happy AT ALL. The dogs (two rescued greyhounds) haven't noticed the cat yet (we also put up a baby gate across the stairs so they won't come down, which helps).

So, are we doing the right thing? My husband and I are both very worried about Pennywise, because we're not sure if he'll be able to survive the winter (our winters get pretty cold), so we plan on holding on to him. Right now we're just "letting it ride" and seeing how long it will take Pennywise to get comfortable and come back out of the basement. Should I try and get him back into the laundry room and try and socialize him there? Should I trap him and take him to get fixed and then try and socialize him in the laundry room? Should we just leave him where he is?

You are ABSOLUTELY doing the right thing! I would take a deep breath and allow him to be for a few days. If he comes around, speak to him softly but don't rush him or try to force him in any way.

If you haven't gotten a carrier for him yet, do so and leave it out where he can access it. Put a t-shirt you or your husband has worn inside, so he can get used to your smell. He most probably will soon go in and lay down. Once he's comfortable with that, you can begin getting him used to the idea of you being in the room while he's in there. After a bit, you will be able to approach and close the door.

If this doesn't sound feasible, you can try this with a humane trap. Cover the trap with a blanket to make it a hiding place for him. After he's used to being inside, you can set the trap. Keep in mind, this is going to take a few weeks. But he sounds fine for the duration.

It does sound to me as if he'd once been inside, as true ferals would not have settled at all. The key is patience and time. He will need a lot of both to adjust to the new situation.

If you want to get the neutering over with, you can go ahead and trap him now and allow all adjustments to come later. That is up to you. No matter what, he will stress out about the trip to the vet but he will calm down soon enough.

Thank you so much for taking on this challenge. He is a lucky, lucky kitty!

Good job!! You are doing the right thing. You have some great advice. I took in a feral cat I trapped and spayed. She was the last of a feral colony on a vacant tract of land that was developed. She has been with me now 12 years, still runs when she sees me and I've never been able to get close to her but gets along great with my other cats when she doesn't think I'm looking. I've given up trying to be close to her, but at least I know she's happy with my other cats and safe from the wild animals outside. I don't know what I'm going to do if she gets sick but I'll cross that bridge....If your husband can pick him up then rest assured he will eventually become part of the family. He just needs time.

You are absolutely doing the right thing bringing Pennywise in. He's a lucky kitty

Thanks for the great advice and encouragement, everyone! The carrier idea is great, and I'll see if I can begin implementation of that today. I'll keep you posted on progress. For now, here is a pic of the dude. As you can see, he's still little--only about 6 months. He's a cutie.

awww what a cutie!!!!

You're absolutely doing the right think! Think what he'll be subjected to if taken back out ---increasingly life-threateningly cold temps, and obviously those neighbors are more than happy to dispose (somehow?!?! Makes me ill). He needs socialization. I personally would go ahead & spay/neuter. Rather than get close, frighten him again by trip to get, start over. Get over the vet trip (I'd use live trap, or trick him into carrier with laser & have someone shut the door behind him. Get all that done & we'll all help you socialize him!!!! Put a TV or radio down with him on low, preferably talk-oriented, like NPR or HGTV.soft though! Go down & talk/read to him. Time is the key!

Well, drat. I set up one of my traps inside the house on Sunday night to catch Pennywise so I could take him to the vet. The trap must have sprung while he wasn't fully in the trap, so when I came down Monday morning, there was food everywhere, an upturned rug, and an empty trap. Back to the drawing board, I suppose. He didn't come up to eat last night, but I figure he will venture up once he gets hungry enough. Husband thinks I should let it be for a while. I will--but I have one last trick up my sleeve to surreptitiously close the basement door when Pennywise is eating! I'll keep you posted...

Try not setting the trap and begin to feed him in the trap.  Do this for a week or so.  Then set the trap when he is used to eating in it.  I would not leave the trap unattended for that long of a period of time.  I would feed him as usual (in the trap with it set) and then watch and wait.  Once he is inside the trap, you will want to cover the trap to keep him calm.  If possible, try to trap him in the morning.  If he gets used to only being fed in the trap morning and night, the morning trapping shouldn't be too hard.  It will really reduce the amount of time he's in the trap.  It is very important to cover the trap once he is inside, it truly helps to keep him calm.  Otherwise, he may try to get out and injure himself during the night. 

Small success! I awoke this morning to discover that my husband was able to close the basement door when Pennywise came out to explore. So, we're back to the laundry room, where a very unhappy cat is hiding behind the dryer. I'm going to get a Felaway diffuser on my way home from work, and husband is going to be sitting in the laundry room doing his work today. Baby steps in the right direction!

Good news! Your husband's presence will help the cat acclimate to you. If he has time, he can read out loud. It gets the cat used to voices. Thanks for the update.

Great news (small victories!). What a good hubby! If he's willing to sit in there with Pennywise, def good idea to have him read aloud (even if it's work docs or emails)-anything to help Pennywise get used to human voices. And I'd get some tuna, mackerel or chicken baby food (all very stinky, big kitty food draws!) and have hubby set some out while he's in there, which'll hopefully start to draw Pennywise out (& help him realize people can bring super yummy things). Then hubby can start to ease yummy food closer and closer to him....drawing Oennywise back in.

I think I'd actually ease off on trapping and vet visit for a bit at this point. Initially I liked the idea of getting all the nervewracking stuff over at once, but at this point I wonder if Pennywise needs some trust rebuilding time.