Friending a Feral

[curciouscat]

I've been trying to befriend this feral cat that's been hanging around my house for the past few weeks. He used to live in an abandoned building right across my house until I started leaving him some food there then moving the feeding spot outside my doorsteps. Surprisingly it worked and, with the help of some cat treats, he's been more comfortable spending time in my front yard and doesn't get spooked when I walked past him. He even comes back into my front yard when I spot him outside and opened the gates to let him in (I live in a gated community)! He's been doing that a bit less probably because I've doing that every chance I get so he's bored of it. I do believe he's a pretty smart cat as the first time he did that, and the moment I felt he started to trust me, was when I left some food underneath the car he was hiding in after he got into a fight with another cat. It started to rain shortly after the fight and he went through the trouble of eating those unfortunately semi-rehydrated dried cat food before coming back "home". I also think he's a pretty chill cat since he loves to do nothing more than walk around the streets, sniffing the same whatever plants he finds along his journey, napping wherever he pleases, and roll/lay around on the streets, sometimes next to me when treats are involved. He's so chill, in fact, that he'll keep walking up to that same cat he got into a fight with and just roll around and lay in front of her even after she keeps meowing/hissing at him to back off, inevitably getting into fights after fights with her and getting beat up every single time - what a lovely chad. I'd like to believe he has the potential to become a lovely house cat though I'm not entirely sure if he'll enjoy being inside one all the time since he seems to enjoy his adventure so much. That might change once he gets neutered. He's still understandably a bit scared, most likely due to instincts, when I reach out my hand to place a treat right in front of him as he'll just swat my hand away but never claw me then proceed to eat right in front of my presence. Being persistent, I bought a leather glove and have been fearless in trying to get him to trust the hand that's literally feeding him. He then, understandably, proceeded to put more forces into these swats and clawed "me", or at least his claws were out. I decided to try a new strategy where I'll just place the treats right in front of my hands as I lay it flat on the floor and it seems to work! He'd initially swat my bare hands when I tried that, hence the glove, but as of today he slowly approached and at the treats then sniffed my "hands". Since it just happened, I'm not sure if he'll continue to swat but I'm hoping this is some progress.

I'm looking to try to pet him soon through the gloves since I know he's not vaccinated and am pretty sure he has ringworms, bald patch on his nape has been getting bigger and bigger and he's losing a bit more hair everywhere though he's still the same chill cat so probably doesn't have rabies. I'd like to know your thoughts and if you'd have any advice for me going forward. I'm living in Thailand and am currently unemployed so I'm not quite certain how I'm going to (be able to afford to) get him checked up and neutered. I'm also worried I'd be losing his trust if I decided to trap him and get him to the vet myself. If all goes well I'm absolutely taking him in and was also wondering how I should go about letting him roam outside if he wants to since I don't want him to get re-infected with ringworms or drinking water from dirty puddles outside (I'd let him do it if I can afford the treatments haha).

plz help i really want (a cat) friend(s) ;_;

 

[LittleMoonSanctuary]

If you plan to get him neutered, trap him and keep him in a large dog kennel to adapt to the house. Use any high value treats like chicken, tuna, etc. To get his attention. Feed him when you are in the room and overall have patience. It'll take time to earn his trust back but will be well worth it! I use this method and 95% of the time have great results.

 

[curciouscat]

If you plan to get him neutered, trap him and keep him in a large dog kennel to adapt to the house. Use any high value treats like chicken, tuna, etc. To get his attention. Feed him when you are in the room and overall have patience. It'll take time to earn his trust back but will be well worth it! I use this method and 95% of the time have great results.

How do I go on about trapping him in the kennel? I'm assuming I'd need to trap him in a cat trap then transfer him into the kennel but I've got neither of those. Also is he going to end up bolting out of his cage at the first opportunity or will he be more afraid and just retreat to a corner in the cage? It's been almost a month since I'm at it and I'm planning to keep going until he'll (hopefully) become a lovely indoor fellow. I'm just worried about getting him into the house since I think he has ringworm and don't want that spreading in whatever room I put him in the house.

 

[LittleMoonSanctuary]

How do I go on about trapping him in the kennel? I'm assuming I'd need to trap him in a cat trap then transfer him into the kennel but I've got neither of those. Also is he going to end up bolting out of his cage at the first opportunity or will he be more afraid and just retreat to a corner in the cage? It's been almost a month since I'm at it and I'm planning to keep going until he'll (hopefully) become a lovely indoor fellow. I'm just worried about getting him into the house since I think he has ringworm and don't want that spreading in whatever room I put him in the house.

Try going to your local shelter and see if you can borrow a trap for a day or two to trap him you can also go to a flea market to find a cheap kennel to put him in. Its possible he might try to get out of the kennel, but just have a board or something similar you can work around and he can't get past. I like to get a double door crate and ziptie it to another crate. This way I can block off the interest to the other cage and clean and refill food and water.

 

[fionasmom]

You need to get a cat trap like a Havahart or Tomahawk and it is possible that you can rent one from a local shelter. Before you trap him, make arrangements with a local TNR network or vet or rescue who can arrange for the neutering. They may have a schedule that you will need to meet. It might also help if you rig the trap so that it is not going to close if he walks in and allow him to get used to eating in there before the day actually arrives that you set it to close after he trips the bar or you close it manually by pulling out whatever you have used to prop open the door from a distance. The use of a trap and vet care might be something that you can find on a very affordable level if you look for resources in your area.

Once he is fixed, it is good to bring him into a small bathroom if you have the available space or any other smaller room that does not have a lot of hidey holes. If you need to use a dog crate, get one that will allow for a litter box, food, water, and a bed in enough space so that the litter and food are not next to each other. From there you can start to assess his personality and see how he adapts to indoor only. Given that you suspect ringworm and want vaccinations for him you will have to ask whomever you contact if they can provide that service for him at a low cost. A spay and neuter clinic will possibly give shots but might not treat ringworm. Make some calls and see what you can find out about what is available. Theoretically, around here what would happen to this cat is that I would trap him and take him to my vet and let them deal with the ringworm, vaccines, and neutering before I ever was in contact with him on a regular basis.

What I wrote is basically an overview, so if it seems to have some loopholes don't worry. We can walk you through the entire process if you need that if you will update with where you are with his capture.

I don't recommend trying to transfer him from a trap to a kennel. Most vets or spay/neuter facilities want a cat brought in with the trap. Unless this guy is really mellow and friendly, you do risk losing him if you try to transfer and are not experienced in doing that.

He will be angry that he was trapped and will probably thrash around in the trap. You can cover the trap to make him feel a little calmer but absolutely don't worry about hurting his feelings or losing his trust. It is much more important that he be cared for and gets a home and he will get over whatever snit he is in about being trapped.

 

[curciouscat]

You need to get a cat trap like a Havahart or Tomahawk and it is possible that you can rent one from a local shelter. Before you trap him, make arrangements with a local TNR network or vet or rescue who can arrange for the neutering. They may have a schedule that you will need to meet. It might also help if you rig the trap so that it is not going to close if he walks in and allow him to get used to eating in there before the day actually arrives that you set it to close after he trips the bar or you close it manually by pulling out whatever you have used to prop open the door from a distance. The use of a trap and vet care might be something that you can find on a very affordable level if you look for resources in your area.

Once he is fixed, it is good to bring him into a small bathroom if you have the available space or any other smaller room that does not have a lot of hidey holes. If you need to use a dog crate, get one that will allow for a litter box, food, water, and a bed in enough space so that the litter and food are not next to each other. From there you can start to assess his personality and see how he adapts to indoor only. Given that you suspect ringworm and want vaccinations for him you will have to ask whomever you contact if they can provide that service for him at a low cost. A spay and neuter clinic will possibly give shots but might not treat ringworm. Make some calls and see what you can find out about what is available. Theoretically, around here what would happen to this cat is that I would trap him and take him to my vet and let them deal with the ringworm, vaccines, and neutering before I ever was in contact with him on a regular basis.

What I wrote is basically an overview, so if it seems to have some loopholes don't worry. We can walk you through the entire process if you need that if you will update with where you are with his capture.

I don't recommend trying to transfer him from a trap to a kennel. Most vets or spay/neuter facilities want a cat brought in with the trap. Unless this guy is really mellow and friendly, you do risk losing him if you try to transfer and are not experienced in doing that.

He will be angry that he was trapped and will probably thrash around in the trap. You can cover the trap to make him feel a little calmer but absolutely don't worry about hurting his feelings or losing his trust. It is much more important that he be cared for and gets a home and he will get over whatever snit he is in about being trapped.

From what I've been reading online is it not preferred to have at least one hiding spot for the cat? I do have a bathroom available that I'll need to rearrange but there's really no hiding spot for the guy besides from behind the toilet. I've actually been playing with him with a couple of strings and turns out he was actually really playful! He'd even get close enough to me without running away and I'd have to give him the slow blink so he doesn't get too worried of a giant predator luring him into a trap. On more than one occasion he's been waiting with curious eyes at the front door of the house and was actually willing to come in when I opened the door slowly as if I was inviting him in but was only stopped because I can't really let him in without getting him checked out first.

I wouldn't be too surprised if he completely freaks out if and when I trap him since he's still very jumpy when I make contact with him, whether during feeding or playing. He'd actually swat/claw at me, though once only as a warning, when I'd try to pet him (gloves on) gently on his back when he's eating (food or treats); it did work on my 3rd attempt but not as well since and I've decided to take it a bit slower with him from then on. Generally speaking I still think he's a pretty peaceful cat and a rather cowardly one, as he'd bolt at just the scoff of another male cat, for that matter so I was quite worried when I saw that he's gotten even more scratch/claw marks around his body and a new huge nasty looking one across the bald patch on his nape. He wouldn't play as much and seems to be a lot more anxious over the past few days probably because of the fight which probably explains (as far as my human perception would allow me) why he'd be a bit more keen to enter the house where his feeder lives and where things seem to be more safe and sound. As weird as it looks I still think he doesn't have rabies yet since he's still acting the same as when I first met/got close to him a month ago but with the new gash I just can't help but to be worried, though cats around this area seem to be rabies-free and just get into a lot of fights with each other for normal feral cat reasons.

There doesn't seem to be a TNR program around Bangkok and the (big) ones I've contacted (Vetvan and Soi Dogs) haven't responded back to my queries I've sent a few weeks ago, possibly because they don't have services available in the city. I've found a few possible options at public hospitals nearby that provide (supposedly) free neuter and vaccination services but don't seem to have checkups for ringworms and fleas. There does seem to be a volunteer, self run, TNR service but looks like she's been more quiet as of late; I'll still try to contact her anyway. That said, I'm still looking at places where I can borrow a cat trap and am hoping that I'd be able to lure him to eat inside of one since he wouldn't even use the cardboard box cat house I've made for him.

 

[fionasmom]

When you trap him, he will react. He may thrash around and seem violent but this is very par for the course. Cover the trap with a large sheet or towel, leaving enough for air to circulate, but once he can't see outside, the thrashing will stop. Ordinary pet cat do this when they are put in their carrier so it is no reflection on him or a sudden change in his personality. When you release him from the trap which I assume would be in the bathroom, he may also react with a lot of fright as he has just been through a stressful experience. Just let him rest with food and water and litter box, along with a bed, and he will calm down. You might even be surprised how he will react once he realizes that he is safe and the aggressive cats don't live in your house.

It sounds as if he wants to come in. He is getting beaten up outside and he recognizes you as a friend. If you have a bathroom available, that is great. You can put a carrier or box of some sort in there so that he can have a hiding place and bed. It does not need to be purchased or expensive as cats are notorious for liking cardboard boxes.

It can be hard to find organizations to help. I don't know if this will help as they do give a contact for a person in Asia.
Contact Us - Humane Society International
Home - Rescue Paws Thailand
PAWS Bangkok

You have probably tried all of these. You can apply a product like Advantage for fleas but it will not take care of ringworm.

As for rabies, I don't know where Thailand stands on rabies control. A couple of articles I read said that it seems to be carried by dogs more than cats. It might be more under control than I think and you should have some local statistics on a government health website? Just keep wearing the gloves when you try to touch him.