I had done this once with a feral cat and got him to the point he would let me pet him when I fed him. I fed him out on the front porch and sat and talked to him. My ex scared him away one night and he never returned. I had named him Max and built a small home for him so he would not freeze outside. I made it with 2 openings so he would not be trapped inside by another animal. It was cold one night and she wanted to add some more straw for him. I told her he was probably in there already. She didn't listen and he raced out when she pushed in straw. I never saw him again so I guess something happened to him. He was a black cat.