Fixing Behavior of Feral Kitten

cheese cuts · Jun 20, 2016

We got a feral kitten, about 7 months, living on our front porch. We just built a house up on a hill, and there are no cats that claimed this territory yet. So this little guy (or maybe a gal, haven't looked yet) was passing by one day and I threw food to him from a window. He ate the food till he was full and stayed on the porch ever since, this was about two weeks ago.

He is an extremely skinny kitten, and was most likely raised in the wild. Because of that, his feline behavior is lacking, which makes me irritated. He claimed the front porch as his own, and whenever anyone exits from the front door, he hisses at them. He does not run away, he just sits there and hisses. Same thing when I come out with cat food for him, he hisses even at the little dish I carry the cat food in, even though he can smell that it's food. I don't see any signs that he's scared of me, although I'm sure he's weary, as he comfortably comes close to me, smells my feet, he learned to meow and talk to me (cats normally don't meow), but still hisses. I'm guessing he claimed the porch as his own and I'm intruding on his personal space. I believe this is a very unacceptable behavior, because we have guests over, and he's not been taught any manners. The reason I feed him is so that he could hunt and kill mice and snakes around the house (we're in central Texas hillcountry, away from any towns). I'm not a good hearted woman that will feed a wild animal just for kicks, there are tons of them around here, and I just don't have the funds to feed them all. He has to work for it, and he has to behave for it. If I could get another more friendly kitty and let this one go, I would in a heartbeat. I only don't wanna get one at a shelter because the cat has to live outside.

I have no idea how to stop his hissing. I've tried talking friendly to him, and he responds. When I go to his dish to put his food in, if he hisses, I stop and go back to the door and start approaching his dish again, with food. He hisses on reflex, and I think he kinda understands that I don't like his hissing, but he can't stop, it's almost automatic. So how do I make it clear to him that it's unacceptable, first, and second, how do I change his behavior? I got patience and time on my hands. And also I wanna let him know that I'm the boss, not him, it's my porch, and my food, I just allow him to live here and eat my food. Should I eat in front of him and share my food? Should I spend more time outside so he gets used to me? I've been out every day for a couple of hours to work on the new flower beds and garden beds.

Thanks.

shadowsrescue · Jun 20, 2016

Cheese cuts said:
We got a feral kitten, about 7 months, living on our front porch. We just built a house up on a hill, and there are no cats that claimed this territory yet. So this little guy (or maybe a gal, haven't looked yet) was passing by one day and I threw food to him from a window. He ate the food till he was full and stayed on the porch ever since, this was about two weeks ago.

He is an extremely skinny kitten, and was most likely raised in the wild. Because of that, his feline behavior is lacking, which makes me irritated. He claimed the front porch as his own, and whenever anyone exits from the front door, he hisses at them. He does not run away, he just sits there and hisses. Same thing when I come out with cat food for him, he hisses even at the little dish I carry the cat food in, even though he can smell that it's food. I don't see any signs that he's scared of me, although I'm sure he's weary, as he comfortably comes close to me, smells my feet, he learned to meow and talk to me (cats normally don't meow), but still hisses. I'm guessing he claimed the porch as his own and I'm intruding on his personal space. I believe this is a very unacceptable behavior, because we have guests over, and he's not been taught any manners. The reason I feed him is so that he could hunt and kill mice and snakes around the house (we're in central Texas hillcountry, away from any towns). I'm not a good hearted woman that will feed a wild animal just for kicks, there are tons of them around here, and I just don't have the funds to feed them all. He has to work for it, and he has to behave for it. If I could get another more friendly kitty and let this one go, I would in a heartbeat. I only don't wanna get one at a shelter because the cat has to live outside.

I have no idea how to stop his hissing. I've tried talking friendly to him, and he responds. When I go to his dish to put his food in, if he hisses, I stop and go back to the door and start approaching his dish again, with food. He hisses on reflex, and I think he kinda understands that I don't like his hissing, but he can't stop, it's almost automatic. So how do I make it clear to him that it's unacceptable, first, and second, how do I change his behavior? I got patience and time on my hands. And also I wanna let him know that I'm the boss, not him, it's my porch, and my food, I just allow him to live here and eat my food. Should I eat in front of him and share my food? Should I spend more time outside so he gets used to me? I've been out every day for a couple of hours to work on the new flower beds and garden beds.

Thanks.

Thank you for caring about this little one. His hissing is not at all about having bad manners. It is normal cat behavior when a cat is scared or possible sick/injured or just as a way of protecting themselves. It is a warning that he is afraid. Please understand that he is not doing this behavior to make you angry or upset. He is doing this to protect himself. He most likely is not a true feral cat as he would not be wanting any contact from you. Most feral cats will stay hidden during the day and come out to eat at dawn and dusk.

He is claiming your porch as his own. This may be from the fact that if it is a male, he is not neutered. If the cat is female, there could be a chance she is pregnant. The kindest thing you could do would be to borrow a humane trap and have him/her spayed or neutered. Once a cat is spayed/neutered their behaviors will often change. Their behavior will not be dominated by coursing hormones. Also if the cat is a female, you will soon have kittens on your hand. If it is a male, there may be territory fighting or he may start to mark( spray) his territory. Neutering him will stop these behaviors. Most importantly, by spaying or neutering this little one, it will help to stop the ever growing cat population.

You also could try moving his feeding area to a far corner of the porch or just off the porch.

Shane Kent · Jun 20, 2016

I have two cats at work that used to be feral, trapped them over a month and a half ago. Before trapping them I would feed them at some steel beams they were spending the days in. When I would go to feed them the male cat would hiss at me. Not an overly growling hiss but a "hey, back it up a bit buddy". I assumed he was scared or just testing me so I ignored him. He did it for a while and then stopped hissing at me. I wouldn't see him every time I put food out but it was probably a month that he hissed. If he seen me more often he may have stopped hissing earlier. Now he lives in the building I work at and is the most cuddly little thing. I have him and his sister and both are extremely lovable cats.

I applied patience, ignored his hissing and slowly worked my way up to petting them after I trapped them. Approaching them slowly and talking softly. When he would hiss at me I was sure to keep my distance so as not to threaten him more than I needed. Must feel threatening to have such a large animal (human) approach such a small animal. I would ____ my pants if I crossed paths with a grizzly bear.

I hope ignoring him, giving space, and applying patience works out for you as it did for me.

Fixing Behavior of Feral Kitten

cheese cuts

TCS Member

Thread starter

shadowsrescue

TCS Member

Shane Kent

Crazy Cat Gentleman

Latest Posts

Connect with us