Hope for taming my ferral kitty...

My sister trapped a ferral cat at her office about a year and a half ago... We named her Tipper and she was barely a year old when we found her. She had just had kittens so my sister used them as "bait" to trap her. Long story short, she has been living with me ever since. We found the beautiful kittens a home and were very careful to keep Tipper inside at all times, however she did get out and manage to become pregnant again. But no problem, we found homes for those two beautiful kittens and tried trapping tipper using the kittens once again as bait but no luck! She just wouldn't go into the crate/trap. So, now here I am, wondering how I'm ever going to trap this cat so I can get her to the vet to be spayed and have her shots! I have 4 other cats, all rescues, and she's very social and loving with them. She has even taken to sleeping on my bed when the electric blanket is on on colder evenings but she usually runs and hides when I get anywhere within 5-10 feet of her. I made some chicken the other night and tried to hand feed her. She desperately wanted that chicken and I actually got closer to her then I have ever have before but she would not take the meat from my fingers, in fact she bapped me pretty hard and drew a bit of blood. I know it's only out of fear but she's been in my house for over 18 months! Is there a chance that she will ever let me pet her? How do I tame her? How do I trap her when she won't go into a trap or crate?

Thanks for your advice,
Kelly

I think using food to draw a feral kitty to you is a good idea. Next time, instead of trying to get her to come all the way to you, put the chicken down 5 feet from you. Then, as she comes towards the chicken, do not stare in her eyes. That is seen as threatening. Just look beside her, or down at the ground. As time goes on, you can look her in the eye and blink slowly, which signals her that you are not a threat.

Try to establish a routine...maybe the chicken routine. Every evening at 6pm, you sit on the floor with chicken nearby, and every day the chicken gets closer. The idea is to draw her to you, not that you pursue her. If you lay flat on the floor, you are seen as less of a threat. If it were me, I would establish feeding times, and all food would be served with a human present. To eat, all the cats are in the prescence of a person. If she will not come close at first, you sit away from the bowls, but in the room.

She needs to get the message that you are the bearer of good things. No reaching out and trying to pet (at first), no grabbing, no traps. Just learning that when she is hungry, you come with food.

I only ever tamed one young adult feral, and my current two babies. It is not easy, but it is possible.

Another idea for trapping is to keep the food bowl in the carrier or trap at all times, with the door held open, so she gets used to going into the trap/carrier. Then when you decide to set it and catch her, she won't be suspecting it.

You will get more advice from more experienced catlovers at TCS. Best of luck with your girl.

Originally Posted by kac527

My sister trapped a ferral cat at her office about a year and a half ago... We named her Tipper and she was barely a year old when we found her. She had just had kittens so my sister used them as "bait" to trap her. Long story short, she has been living with me ever since. We found the beautiful kittens a home and were very careful to keep Tipper inside at all times, however she did get out and manage to become pregnant again. But no problem, we found homes for those two beautiful kittens and tried trapping tipper using the kittens once again as bait but no luck! She just wouldn't go into the crate/trap. So, now here I am, wondering how I'm ever going to trap this cat so I can get her to the vet to be spayed and have her shots! I have 4 other cats, all rescues, and she's very social and loving with them. She has even taken to sleeping on my bed when the electric blanket is on on colder evenings but she usually runs and hides when I get anywhere within 5-10 feet of her. I made some chicken the other night and tried to hand feed her. She desperately wanted that chicken and I actually got closer to her then I have ever have before but she would not take the meat from my fingers, in fact she bapped me pretty hard and drew a bit of blood. I know it's only out of fear but she's been in my house for over 18 months! Is there a chance that she will ever let me pet her? How do I tame her? How do I trap her when she won't go into a trap or crate?

Thanks for your advice,
Kelly

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Kelly....since she is interested in chicken....use that as bait inside the trap. Alley Cat Allies has good information on trapping:

http://www.alleycat.org/resources_care.html#3

You can usually borrow a trap from your local humane society. Given that she is feral...I wouldn't use a crate....I would use a trap.

Here is a group in orlando that may be able to help you get a trap:

http://www.carefelinerescue.org/procedures.htm

Katie

Originally Posted by kac527

Is there a chance that she will ever let me pet her?

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In Sweden there is hardly any TNR, they do usually catch the semiferals ferals and tries to socialize them at home. Ie, they are doing what you try to do. Most of them takes no longer than a half year, usually shorter. But sometimes it takes longer yes.

I remember a example. A women get in the cat. The she-cat get on to living inside, but never allowed to be petted. But lived a qood live in her shy way. The women didnt mind, she had 4 other cats who loved to be petted and sitting on the knee, so she didnt minded and accepted. Glad to have saved also this life. Six years did it took. 6 years. And the ex-feral did come and showed her love and wanted to be petted she too....

I remember another example. A three years example....

......................................

It will be probably a little easier when she is neutered. The risk for her to run away also much lesser.
And there are these small things to do: not to look directly at, blinking slowly, yawning, streching like the friendly cats do...
Perhaps even Feliway....

Good luck!

She is in your home and not outside? You need to put her into one room, set the room up right before you put her in there, then leave her in there while you work with her. You are welcome to PM or email me if you like. The process does not happen overnight, but it can and does happen if you let your cat guide you and if you forget that she will be a "tamed" kitten, because she won't be. She will be socialized though, and able to make it in your home or another home with other cats over time. Please keep her indoors, she does not need to bring anymore kittens into this world.

If I can put my 2 cents worth in, it is a long time. My ferals are all outside, but just this past year, the two younger generations, Princess, and Junior, Lyssa-Lyssa and Socorro have finally allowed me to pet them on the porch, only in the morning for breakfast.

I tell you the first time I touched one of them, I was so overjoyed I darn near cried. My family knows me, they respond when I talk to them, but only for breakfast on the porch can I touch them. I live with their standards. Please be patient, try not to get angry, and keep talking to them. Never underestimate the power of your voice.

It is more than possible to socialise a feral cat. You will never completely tame them, not to the point that they became cuddly house cat (if it is a true feral and not just a stray) but with a lot of patience and gentle persistence it is possible to be able to pat them and give them lots of love, maybe even pick them up briefly

I know it is DEFINATELY possible to socialize a feral. It takes a time and patients but it definately doable. It took one of my ferals about 8 years to allow us to pet her. She was about 6 years old when we started trying. Once she realized that being petted wasn't a bad thing she would prefer to be petted than fed. I could never pick her up but she would sit so close to me she might as well been on my lap. My Blackie is/was a feral. It only took about 6 months with her but she was much younger. Now she is the sweetest cat I've ever seen. I can pick her up and carry her and she tolerates it better than Princess (who was raised by people since she was 3 weeks old after her mother was killed).

I'm not an expert but what what I did was start talking to them when I fed them. After a while I moved on to playing with them with a string (or a toy that they could play with me from a distance). Once they became comfortable playing I would sit down on the ground and put their favorite treat near me. I slowly moved it closer until they would take it from my hand. From that point I kind of followed the cats lead about petting. Blackie would come sit on my lap but still wouldn't allow me to touch her (weird, I know). A couple days later I was putting some food down for her and touched her. She backed off but came right back. The next day I tried to touch her again and from that point on she has allowed me to touch her. It took a couple more months for her to trust other family members. She still doesn't like strangers. Sweetie was very different. I tried to touch her a couple times when I was feeding her and would get slapped. She then started walking by and would quickly brush against your leg and run. That went on for a while. I decided to try to pet her when she would do it and after a couple times she quit running away. After about a month of that anytime she would see my hand she would come head-butt me to pet her. I have to say that the thing that helped me most with Sweetie was a stray cat (George) showed up and decided he lived here. He is very friendly and loved attention. Sweetie would watch him being petted and get a little jealous. She soon opened up to the idea of being petted.