- Joined
- Dec 11, 2017
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Hello!
The week before Thanksgiving I found a black and white cat sitting at the corner of my driveway. I'd never seen the cat before and when I approached it, the cat shied away from me and ran off. Over the next few days I would find the cat sitting in the same place and it began to stay put when I approached and talked with it but it still didn't like me getting too close to it.
I asked around my neighborhood if anyone was missing a cat and no one was. So I decided to start feeding it and to name it Tuxedo. I began moving the bowl of food from the ground by the front steps up each step until I was placing the food bowl just over the thresh hold and into the house. Eventually I was able to move the food bowl about five into the house from the front door and Tuxedo was fine with that. Tuxedo ate five bowls of food initially and is now down to two bowls of food in the morning and in the evening.
Tuxedo began to warm up to me, waiting at the front door when I come home from work and coming when I call in the morning or in the evenings. Tuxedo got comfortable enough to sit on the front porch and groom himself a bit and has two favorite places to sit and hang out. I live on wooded property and I believe he's sleeping in the bushes that surround the property. I've also been getting slow eye blinks when I talk to him.
Two big milestones were reached this weekend when the silent Tuxedo spoke to me for the first time when I greeted him and when, after eating he moved away from the food bowl and began to curl up on the carpet. Eventually he got up and went back outside, but I was happy that he felt comfortable enough to sit inside, even for a few minutes.
Then I got over confident with the situation and when he came back in again, I tried to sneak behind him and close the front door. He darted out the door and I didn't see him for the rest of the night. But the next morning he came back when I called and ate two bowls of food and was waiting for me when I came home. Now he's skittish again and while he's willing to come into the house to eat, he leaves immediately.
I feel like I've completely blown it and that he'll never really trust me again.
Any advice for this situation?
The week before Thanksgiving I found a black and white cat sitting at the corner of my driveway. I'd never seen the cat before and when I approached it, the cat shied away from me and ran off. Over the next few days I would find the cat sitting in the same place and it began to stay put when I approached and talked with it but it still didn't like me getting too close to it.
I asked around my neighborhood if anyone was missing a cat and no one was. So I decided to start feeding it and to name it Tuxedo. I began moving the bowl of food from the ground by the front steps up each step until I was placing the food bowl just over the thresh hold and into the house. Eventually I was able to move the food bowl about five into the house from the front door and Tuxedo was fine with that. Tuxedo ate five bowls of food initially and is now down to two bowls of food in the morning and in the evening.
Tuxedo began to warm up to me, waiting at the front door when I come home from work and coming when I call in the morning or in the evenings. Tuxedo got comfortable enough to sit on the front porch and groom himself a bit and has two favorite places to sit and hang out. I live on wooded property and I believe he's sleeping in the bushes that surround the property. I've also been getting slow eye blinks when I talk to him.
Two big milestones were reached this weekend when the silent Tuxedo spoke to me for the first time when I greeted him and when, after eating he moved away from the food bowl and began to curl up on the carpet. Eventually he got up and went back outside, but I was happy that he felt comfortable enough to sit inside, even for a few minutes.
Then I got over confident with the situation and when he came back in again, I tried to sneak behind him and close the front door. He darted out the door and I didn't see him for the rest of the night. But the next morning he came back when I called and ate two bowls of food and was waiting for me when I came home. Now he's skittish again and while he's willing to come into the house to eat, he leaves immediately.
I feel like I've completely blown it and that he'll never really trust me again.
Any advice for this situation?