I began TNR & adopting feral cats 10 years ago, I currently have 15. Other than them being afraid of strangers they are all very sweet cats. I can hold and groom 11 of them and some are lap kitties. Five are house cats and the rest live in the cat sanctuary my husband and I built for them. The problem is concerning an adult male cat who showed up on my front porch about 5 months ago. After no success in locating his owner, I determined that he was either a stray or feral cat. I have been feeding him and bought him a feral house for shelter. He has been here for about 5 months and we named him Jack. Jack is very vocal, he loves to hang out and follow us around our property and loves playing with catnip toys. My issue with Jack is when we put his food bowl down and start walking back inside or walk past him he will run toward us and try to scratch our leg. He will also scratch or bite if we try to pet him. I have never experienced this with any of my ferals so I'm hoping for some suggestions on why he may be doing this and how to stop this behavior. We don't want him to be afraid of us or for him to think we are afraid of him. He seems to want to socialize with my other cats but I don't want him inside the fenced area because we have not yet had him tested or neutered and worry that he would be aggressive with my other cats. HELP! This is a photo of Jack the day he followed me from the garage and into the laundry room.
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Need Advice on a Stray Cat
- Thread starter dcam
- Start Date
Hi, have you tried using a wand style toy with him, rather than petting him, and also to distract him from you as you're walking away?
My Captain ambushed me the other day when I walked by the deck and he charged out from underneath it, aiming for my legs. He is supposedly at least about 7 years old but I swear he acts like he's 7 months.
Anyway, he'd never done that kind of thing prior to this, but before I yelped which caused him to end up about 3 feet away (looking up at me like I'd just come from outer space LOL), I caught the goofy silly look on his face--he wanted to play, which I think is what your boy is doing.
My Captain ambushed me the other day when I walked by the deck and he charged out from underneath it, aiming for my legs. He is supposedly at least about 7 years old but I swear he acts like he's 7 months.
Anyway, he'd never done that kind of thing prior to this, but before I yelped which caused him to end up about 3 feet away (looking up at me like I'd just come from outer space LOL), I caught the goofy silly look on his face--he wanted to play, which I think is what your boy is doing.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Hi. I agree with the above. This cat is in that 'in between' stage - meaning he wants attention, but his kind, not necessarily your idea of attention. I would try to sit with him when he first starts to eat rather than walking away or placing your attention elsewise, it seems like he doesn't really want to be alone.
If he can see the other cats and appears to want to interact with them, that is also another telling sign that he is 'lonely'. Hopefully, you can get him checked out soon and then maybe work on integrating him with the others - although, I am kind of wondering if he might not be a better fit for inside than outside on the long run.
Tossing a kickeroo toy his way when he acts like he might be scratching or biting for play or attention. Petting him sounds like it might be a while before that can happen. But maybe if you sit with him when he is eating, over time that could be something to try, starting with his head only. You can work on the biting/scratching issue overall when you have developed a more trusting rapport with him.
If he can see the other cats and appears to want to interact with them, that is also another telling sign that he is 'lonely'. Hopefully, you can get him checked out soon and then maybe work on integrating him with the others - although, I am kind of wondering if he might not be a better fit for inside than outside on the long run.
Tossing a kickeroo toy his way when he acts like he might be scratching or biting for play or attention. Petting him sounds like it might be a while before that can happen. But maybe if you sit with him when he is eating, over time that could be something to try, starting with his head only. You can work on the biting/scratching issue overall when you have developed a more trusting rapport with him.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
Thank you and I agree with you, I do think that he's lonely. We have a cat area inside our garage that 4 of my rescues can access from the Purrfenced fenced yard. We put Jack in the garage at night to keep him safe from predators. He likes to sleep on top of the wire enclosure and I wonder if it makes him feel like he's inside with the other cats. I give him his kickeroo dipped in catnip every evening and he loves it. I have no idea how old he is but he plays with toys like a kitten. I would love to be able to integrate him with the other cats but I have 4 different litters, each has their own house and fenced area because they are very territorial. My first rescue group are inside cats (2 males, 3 females) Sadly, they would never get along with Jack. I will be patient with Jack and maybe I can figure something out. Thanks again!
