Chessie, my ferel cat. Help!

Seven months ago, a skinny, frightened, ferel old tabby showed up in my backyard and I began feeding him. Now he is fat, happy and ferel. I am getting ready to moved in a few months and I can't bear to leave him behind. I am sure this has been his territory for many years but we have become very attached to each other. My problem is that he will not let me touch him. I can get very close and he is very loving but he runs the moment I extend a hand. Do any of you out there have any suggestions on how I can get him to let me touch him and then of course, comes the carrier issue when we move and then getting him used to a totally new environment? He is definitley an outdoor boy and if I had to guess he is around 8 years old. Thanks in advance for any ideas!

Originally Posted by Jillyh

Seven months ago, a skinny, frightened, ferel old tabby showed up in my backyard and I began feeding him. Now he is fat, happy and ferel. I am getting ready to moved in a few months and I can't bear to leave him behind. I am sure this has been his territory for many years but we have become very attached to each other. My problem is that he will not let me touch him. I can get very close and he is very loving but he runs the moment I extend a hand. Do any of you out there have any suggestions on how I can get him to let me touch him and then of course, comes the carrier issue when we move and then getting him used to a totally new environment? He is definitley an outdoor boy and if I had to guess he is around 8 years old. Thanks in advance for any ideas!

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Jilly....the best thing to do is to borrow a humane trap from your local humane society and trap this boy to be checked by a vet and neutered. To learn more about TNR, go here:

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

Katie

The best thing you can do for him is borrow/rent/buy a humane trap and take him to be neutered and vaccinated. If/when you move, you can also move him using the trap, but you must strictly follow the relocation guidelines that can be found on Alley Cat Allies' website (www.alleycat.org).

He may or may not ever allow himself to be touched, but fortunately he doesn't have to be petted to have a happy and healthy life. Neutering him and continuing to feed him as you have been doing will be the best things that could happen to him.

Thank you for your help. I forgot to mention that Chessie has at some point been captured and released. He has a snip in his ear and has been neutured. When I first met him i could count the bones on his body and he trembled everytime I came near him. Now he is "fat", upside down happy and will come straight to me but just won't let me touch him. The thought of trapping him and losing that trust smarts but I know that is best for him. He is not a youngster. I was also wondering if it is possible once i move to another state that he can acclimate and how i go about doing that. I went to the alley cat site but when i click on the information sites nothing comes up. ?????? Any advice on getting him to warm up to touching would be great. I know he can he happy and healthy without it but at some point i may need to get him to a vet for help and i won't be able to get him in a carrier. He is frightened by "containers". When it got cold, i put out two very large shelters with large openings and he ran from them and wouldn't even go to the areas where they were located. Something awful must remain in his memory. Thanks again!

I can only share with you what I do. My hubby calls it the "Hissy grab"

First off, I get an old beat up mattress and lay it on the ground (on a tarp if the weather is nasty) and if it is raining, I cover it with an old plastic shower curtain. I lay on this mattress near the food bowls. I lay on my stomach while the cats are eating, until they get used to seeing me there and basically ignore me. I keep moving the food bowls closer. Then one day, when I believe they are ready, I reach up high over their heads (still laying down) and grab them by the scruff of the neck and put them in a carrier. That is what I do with the ones that won't go into a trap. it is not an instant remedy-it takes time and patience, but it always has worked.

Thanks Hissy! It is worth a try. I have 3-4 months before I move so i am going to work and work with him. Today i touched his tail and he didn't freak out. He just looked at me like "what was that?" If I haven't gained his trust by the time we leave, i will just have to grab him. He will hate me when we get to the next state but then i will just have to regain his trust again. I don't know the first thing about getting him acclimated to a new place. I have 4 indoor cats but have never had a ferel.

Just be careful, keep your face and arms away from the flailing claws and be sure the carrier is close enough that you can get to it easily

Sometimes cats won't always go in the humane traps (they are to smart for their own goods) In order to get him used to them you should leave the trap out for a week or so with the food in it, but don't set it then when you are ready to trap him put the food in and set the trap.
Cassidy

Originally Posted by princeegrl

Sometimes cats won't always go in the humane traps (they are to smart for their own goods) In order to get him used to them you should leave the trap out for a week or so with the food in it, but don't set it then when you are ready to trap him put the food in and set the trap.
Cassidy

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This is good advice! Also, when/if you do capture him and move with him, there are procedures to take when you relocate a feral. Do not just let him outdoors once you get him there. You need to keep him in some enclosure for weeks feeding, watering, and let him get use to the smells and sounds. He also needs to know this is the area he will now get his food and water. Go to this link for relocation steps:http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/relocate.pdf Good luck to you and thanks for caring so much for this guy!

I can't help but care for this little guy. I think he is kind of old. He has some clouding cataracts on his eyes and he has just turned into the sweetest cat. I could never leave him behind. these have probably been the best 7 months of his life. I am sure it is the first time he has ever been able to depend on anyone. He went from a trembling malnourished kitty to a fat boy with his own lounge chair. Aren't cats great?
I will definitely go to the site for relocation help. I thought i would buy one of those really large kennels and start him out in there and work our way out of it. I have no idea.........
I know he has been TNR'd but when? He probably needs his shots updated but how in the world do i do that??????
Thanks for responding!

He would have to be retrapped and brought into a vet office (he should be in the trap when you bring him in). Alley Cat Allies has good information on how to trap him.

Katie