Rescued a feral, need tips and advice please :)

Hi, I will preface this by saying I've been feeding a feral colony at a shopping mall for the past 6 months. We work on a tnr.

I also have two house cats who I adopted when they were 5 weeks old, they aren't from the same litter but are sisters in every sense of the word.

This brings us to the new chap. I got a call from my mom last week that there was a feral trapped in a locked courtyard. I called the person who traps at the colony I look after to help tnr this young chap.

Alas, he was captured and got neutered. Unfortunately the place where my mom works wouldn't allow her to release him again. It's in the cbd, and releasing him outside the massive office building would have led to him being poisoned. (there's been a spate of cat poisonings in the CBD).

So I decided I would take him. I took him back to the vet to test for leukaemia and FIV. He's got FIV. I still decided that I would try and brought him home.

He's been huddled under a bed for a few days, he comes out to eat and do his business and fiddle. But not if he thinks I'm awake. This morning I reached under the bed to give him a treat, and he got quite hissy. He hasn't really done this before.

What can I do to make this easier for him? Sadly space is limited because for now his sisters have complete run of the house.

Many Many Thanks.

  Welcome to TCS and BRAVO for rescuing that lucky kitty (even if he doesn't yet realize how fortunate he is - he only knows that he was carted off, jabbed & poked and woke up neutered, which, in my opinion, is much easier than being a tomcat fighting and struggling to survive every minute of every day)!

     At this stage of the game, you have done things right - given him his own space & privacy and time to adjust. If you have a dog crate or a large box, you can present that to him so he can establish his "home base"; I put my mattress on the floor so that the fearful cats cant hide under it - it gives them too much opportunity to isolate themselves. Here are some other tips that I utilize & why:

    To him, you are a predator. To persuade him that you are not, I advise never reaching towards him; avoid eye contact, except for a slow blink,  Instead, as time allows, be nearby, on the floor and read out loud to him - make sure that it is something that you find pleasant so he senses a calming, positive energy from you or do some crafting and explain what you are doing, all the while speaking in a low, soft voice.

     Cats learn from observation. If you can let him see you pet your own girls, he may decide that you are okay for cats.

      Plug in a feliway diffuser and maybe check out Jackson Galaxy's website for using floral essences. The pheromes are said to be calming. 

All your experience with TNR will be valuable in dealing with your new cat. Your instincts will give you patience and also guide you as to how this cat likes to be treated. I have one cat on my porch that is 2 years old and only now can I scratch his neck, and only when he is busy eating canned food. I have several feral cats in my backyard that, even though they were born on the property, run from me as if I were satan! (that is because the only experience that we have shared was the TNR experience).  And I am sure that others will be logging on soon and will give you better advice and more tips that we will both be thrilled to learn.

       And if you can, please post pictures! We at TCS love pics and it allows us to share your journey in domesticating that very luck boy ~ susan