I Want to Befriend a Stray Cat

Hi, I just found this website!!! I want to befriend a stray cat I have seen in my backyard since I moved to this house a yr. ago. Any tips, advice you can give me? I never, ever befriended a stray cat. I started feeding it for the first time yesterday and found it sleeping in my backyard this morning!

Originally Posted by my2girls

Hi, I just found this website!!!

I want to befriend a stray cat I have seen in my backyard since I moved to this house a yr. ago. Any tips, advice you can give me? I never, ever befriended a stray cat. I started feeding it for the first time yesterday and found it sleeping in my backyard this morning!

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my advice is to give it a dependable source of food, and a nice warm shelter.

Originally Posted by my2girls

Hi, I just found this website!!!

I want to befriend a stray cat I have seen in my backyard since I moved to this house a yr. ago. Any tips, advice you can give me? I never, ever befriended a stray cat. I started feeding it for the first time yesterday and found it sleeping in my backyard this morning!

Click to expand...

Do you mean you want to bring this cat into your house or do you want to feed it outdoors and provide it shelter? In either case, it is best to borrow a humane trap from your local humane society and trap this cat so it can be looked over by a vet. It can also be neutered or spayed at that time. If you need a low cost spay clinic...there is a list below for New Jersey:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html#nj

Katie

I agree with both of your previous posts that were posted for you above.

And if my expierince will help you out here it goes....

I have 3 cats. But 1 cat (a stray) kept coming over and looking for food. He was VERY scared of me at first.
I just placed a bowl of water and food out at about tthe same time everyday and he started coming by everyday. Its been about 6 months since he first started coming by and now when my door is open to the house... he runs in!!
He is so loving towards me and my girls now.

These strays just arent used to being loved by humans. Most of them are probably shoo-ed away and that causes them to not trust us.

He/She just needs to know that they can trust you. Do it slowly.
I started by walking to him slowly... but bent down low to the ground.... and when he would try to back away from me I would talk really sweet to him. I would tell him that I wasnt gonna hurt him. Most strays are used to people screaming at them so just the soft voice will be a nice change for him/her.

Try it and let me know how he/she reacts.
Good luck.
And thank you for being such a kind person to want to love this animal whether you decide to make it an inside cat or not.

~SARAH~

Hey, I have good advice, go to the post I made last week, as my little journey with trying to befriend a "feral" cat. Feral is when they've lived outside for a long time, you can get a better "feral" defination here: http://www.feralcat.com/

Here's my post, read on, and you'll get LOTS of good advice

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=70251

~Leah~

Any updates on the stray kitty? With all the rough weather back East, I am hoping that the kitty has accepted your generous offer of friendship! Please keep us posted!