Hey everyone! I found this site this morning while trying to Google myself some answers. There seems to be a lot of great replies here so I figured I'd join and learn something.
I'm very new to the cat scene. I got my first cat 3 yrs ago, she was 8wks old and full of fleas. It was an interesting few weeks. Got my second cat in August, he was 6wks old and full of fleas. Ugh! Both are perfect now.
Ok so sometime around Sept, I walked out my front door to find a cat curled up in a ball on my comfy chair. She instantly leapt off and ran off the porch, then watched over her shoulder and she strolled down the street. The next day she was there again. This carried on daily for a week so I decided to put a small bowl of kibble and some water out. She came daily to lay on my chair and eat some food and drink some water. After a month or so she stopped running away. U couldn't get closer than about 4 or so feet, but she didn't bolt. By December she would be looking in the door and tapping the glass with Greycat (yup, that's his name). Winter in Canada can get nasty cold, so I bought her a little cat teepee so she could at least be out of the direct wind and snow. I got in the habit of remote starting the truck then coming out and giving her food. Once it got super cold out, she stopped sleeping on my porch...but, she would come trotting down the street when she heard the truck start. I'm amazed that I call the cat with a truck...it's so cute to see!! March brought less frigid temps so she's back to sleeping in her bed on my porch. I have named her Porchcat (Porchie, for short). About 3wks ago another cat followed her here on her way back from taking herself for a walk. He's not aggressive but he is very pushy. He had no issue with walking up and eating her food. He wasn't mean about it, he just walked up and started eating it. She's pretty timid so she backs off and waits. I have started feeding him now so I can make sure she eats. He has decided to make my chair his bed. I now have 2 cats that eat and sleep on my porch. Both seem friendly, they'll stand beside me and come up to eat with me still beside their bowls, but if I move, they get ready to run. I was sitting tossing temptations to them this morning and both were an arms length away. As I was slowly and lightly tossing treats, they would reach out and slap my hand. I was a foot or so away from touching them and not making any obvious moves that I was even trying to touch them (cuz I wasnt), but they were reaching out to slap me. Idk what that means and am nervous to try tossing treats again. I don't want to be scratched or bit or have one try to mangle my head lol. There were no claws out, no growls or hisses or signs of being scared or ready to fight me...just a slap then eat the treat. Both did it several times. Is this bad? My cats don't do that so Idk how to take it.
Ideally, I'd like to earn their trust over the next few months so I can trap them and bring them to a vet. Idk if they're male or female, I just guessed becuz one looks feminine and the other looks like a tough guy lol. I'd like to have them treated for whatever is wrong (fleas, worms etc), all shots done, spay/neuter and chipping, before the next winter so I can move them into my basement. At least they'd be warm and we can allow them time to adjust to our sounds and smells etc so they can just be cats like our other 2. The one is def fixed as he (or she) has had the ear tipped. Idk if it's common elsewhere but our humane society does that as part of their trap n release program.
Sorry for the book I just wrote. I really wanna help these two out. Ppl around here aren't very nice to strays.
On a side note, has anyone noticed that their stray started to have a happier or softer looking face once u started feeding and caring for them? I swear Porchcat doesn't look as mean and grumpy as she used to. Maybe I'm just crazy tho.
Thanks for any and all advice. I really do appreciate it.
I'm very new to the cat scene. I got my first cat 3 yrs ago, she was 8wks old and full of fleas. It was an interesting few weeks. Got my second cat in August, he was 6wks old and full of fleas. Ugh! Both are perfect now.
Ok so sometime around Sept, I walked out my front door to find a cat curled up in a ball on my comfy chair. She instantly leapt off and ran off the porch, then watched over her shoulder and she strolled down the street. The next day she was there again. This carried on daily for a week so I decided to put a small bowl of kibble and some water out. She came daily to lay on my chair and eat some food and drink some water. After a month or so she stopped running away. U couldn't get closer than about 4 or so feet, but she didn't bolt. By December she would be looking in the door and tapping the glass with Greycat (yup, that's his name). Winter in Canada can get nasty cold, so I bought her a little cat teepee so she could at least be out of the direct wind and snow. I got in the habit of remote starting the truck then coming out and giving her food. Once it got super cold out, she stopped sleeping on my porch...but, she would come trotting down the street when she heard the truck start. I'm amazed that I call the cat with a truck...it's so cute to see!! March brought less frigid temps so she's back to sleeping in her bed on my porch. I have named her Porchcat (Porchie, for short). About 3wks ago another cat followed her here on her way back from taking herself for a walk. He's not aggressive but he is very pushy. He had no issue with walking up and eating her food. He wasn't mean about it, he just walked up and started eating it. She's pretty timid so she backs off and waits. I have started feeding him now so I can make sure she eats. He has decided to make my chair his bed. I now have 2 cats that eat and sleep on my porch. Both seem friendly, they'll stand beside me and come up to eat with me still beside their bowls, but if I move, they get ready to run. I was sitting tossing temptations to them this morning and both were an arms length away. As I was slowly and lightly tossing treats, they would reach out and slap my hand. I was a foot or so away from touching them and not making any obvious moves that I was even trying to touch them (cuz I wasnt), but they were reaching out to slap me. Idk what that means and am nervous to try tossing treats again. I don't want to be scratched or bit or have one try to mangle my head lol. There were no claws out, no growls or hisses or signs of being scared or ready to fight me...just a slap then eat the treat. Both did it several times. Is this bad? My cats don't do that so Idk how to take it.
Ideally, I'd like to earn their trust over the next few months so I can trap them and bring them to a vet. Idk if they're male or female, I just guessed becuz one looks feminine and the other looks like a tough guy lol. I'd like to have them treated for whatever is wrong (fleas, worms etc), all shots done, spay/neuter and chipping, before the next winter so I can move them into my basement. At least they'd be warm and we can allow them time to adjust to our sounds and smells etc so they can just be cats like our other 2. The one is def fixed as he (or she) has had the ear tipped. Idk if it's common elsewhere but our humane society does that as part of their trap n release program.
Sorry for the book I just wrote. I really wanna help these two out. Ppl around here aren't very nice to strays.
On a side note, has anyone noticed that their stray started to have a happier or softer looking face once u started feeding and caring for them? I swear Porchcat doesn't look as mean and grumpy as she used to. Maybe I'm just crazy tho.
Thanks for any and all advice. I really do appreciate it.
They clearly trust you to some degree and continue to be around you so just keep doing what you have been...With cats I've learned slow and steady is the way to go HEHE it's always on their terms and not ours.
I too found this site while seeking info on caring for a little grey and white neighborhood stray who has since taken over our home and our hearts. 
