Questions About Stray Cat And The Behavior

[pp604]

Since November 2018, this stray cat shows up on my deck. I have researched a bit and know that the cat is a female. She has been coming almost everyday and I feed here everytime too. Now I know she comes her everyday because of food, and since last few months I have been keeping the door open so she can come in the house. She does come in and looks around and then gets scared after we talk loudly or walk around the house and she leaves, but then tries to come back in. She comes in the morning around 8 and will stay by my house till 7 pm. I finally tried to touch her yesterday and she tried to scratch my hand with her leg:/ I wanted to know why she is scared of me after all these months even though she knows me very well.
Also, for the first time she has been sleeping all evening today, is there anything wrong?

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi! Welcome to you!

Also, for the first time she has been sleeping all evening today, is there anything wrong?

No, there's not necessarily anything wrong. It is possible that she's relaxing enough to feel comfortable sleeping. However, you'll want to keep an eye out that she's still eating normally.

She sounds like a semi-feral cat that is gradually becoming tame This can take a LOT of time - especially since you don't know what she has experienced in the past from other humans.

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS!! She looks like she is exhausted from the constant & prolonged need to be hypervigilant in order to survive outside. I am very grateful to you for helping her out.
Attacking the legs is pretty common for scared cats; the best defense is a good offense, especially if she was kicked or similarly abused. Cats often find themselves in horrific circumstances when surviving outdoors. She doesn't sound like she was born feral but was once a tame cat who fell upon very hard times.
If and when she tames up, you can ask around for a free spay/neuter clinic to make sure she is spayed. Local cat rescuers, especially TNR groups, can offer support and guidance.
Please keep us updated - she is a very attractive tiger striped kitty, with her agouti fur

 

[rubysmama]

Hello and welcome to TCS.
Thanks for feeding, and caring about, that pretty kitty.

She sounds like a nervous semi-feral or stray, who is slowly learning to trust you. Do you have any plans to try to bring her inside as your pet?

 

[pp604]

Yes I do!!

 

[pp604]

Hi! Welcome to you!


No, there's not necessarily anything wrong. It is possible that she's relaxing enough to feel comfortable sleeping. However, you'll want to keep an eye out that she's still eating normally.

She sounds like a semi-feral cat that is gradually becoming tame This can take a LOT of time - especially since you don't know what she has experienced in the past from other humans.

Yes, apparently she slept the whole evening because it was so sunny. As soon as the sun went off the area, she woke up.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Hi. She's very pretty!!

My neighbor had two cats dumped on her property in late October. One was very tame (maybe 8-10 months old??), the other nearly feral - probably from next to no human exposure since birth (cat was maybe 4-5 months old??). The nearly feral one was however totally reliant on the older cat, so since the older one liked my neighbor the younger one stayed close by. It wasn't too long before they took up residence in my neighbor's back yard.

But, it was only a little over a month ago that the younger one stopped running from my neighbor - and only just a couple of weeks ago would she let my neighbor pet her. So, you can see how long it can take just to get some trust built up.

It didn't help that the younger one is not interested in human food, canned food, or even treats. So, not a lot of enticement opportunities. If your stray likes any of the above, I would start there and see if you can get to the point that she will eat from your hand. Good luck!!

 

[rubysmama]

Do you have any plans to try to bring her inside as your pet?

Yes I do!!

Excellent. If you have any questions/concerns, let us know. Meanwhile, here's some TCS articles you may find helpful.

A Feral Cat Or A Stray Cat? How To Tell The Difference
Handling Feral Cats
Adopting A Stray Cat
The Five Golden Rules To Bringing An Outdoor Cat Inside

 

[pp604]

Also, the cat never urinates or anything on my deck. I mean I don’t know how often cats urinate or poop, but this cat, even though she stays here almost all day, she never does anything on the my deck.

 

[FeebysOwner]

Almost all cats that are outdoors like that will dig a small place in soil/dirt/mulch/etc. to pee & poop and then cover it up. Territorial marking probably would be the only reason that most cats would pee on a deck.