Petting My Feral...

[mutex]

I've had my feral buddy Ghostie locked in a spare bedroom since mid April. Its going really really well. I feed him once a day, we eat supper together. There's a bed in there that he still hides under and when he eats its gotta be a few feet from the bed else he wont come out...but once he's out he'll lick treats off my fingers and the other night he fell asleep with his head on my foot. He's still very skittish and he'll still dart under the bed alot, but its getting less and less every night and he usually comes right back out now. We're making awesome progress!

The goal here is to be able to touch him..checking for ticks etc.

I try to pet him a few times a night, but was wondering where I should be starting. Im guessing his head is a bad place. His back? His sides? His tail? Any advice other than take it slow and try to read his signals as much as possible?

 

[Kieka]

Where a cat wants to be pet varies from cat to cat. Generally, head and base of tail are usually safe. Along the spine is sometimes good. Sides and tummy are usually not good. But I have a cat who loves belly rubs and one who lives getting her hip rubbed (yes, the side of her hip).

I usually recommend holding out a hand and letting your cat direct the petting until they are comfortable. My former feral I would hold out a hand and let her bump me. If she bumped, I would start moving fingers and she'd move around to where she wanted to be pet (four years later and she loves hip petting). Think of it more of your cat petting you then you petting the cat. Let them lead and over time they may get more comfortable. For tick checking, you may have to just have a day where you get some help and hold him to check. I'd do a limb per day and then the core body over several days. It took the four years for me former feral to be okay with two hands petting her and she still isn't okay being picked up

 

[Graceful-Lily]

When I rescued my semi-feral, she loved being pet on her head and down her back. Anywhere else was asking for a swot. I started using a pin brush first - the bristles were plastic so it feels like a massage. She loved that and her butt would shoot straight up into the air. She'd growl at first when I got close but I proceeded anyway and she'd start purring.

So, I'd say head and work down to back. But I had to get low to the ground and never went overhead. I'd crawl towards her slowly and speak gently. I'd also have to "ask her permission" by letting her smell my hand. A 'yes' would be snif and looking away with no growl. A 'no' would be snif and curling up with a low growl.

Cheeks are also a sweet spot on some cats, not all.