Hello all! I could use some advice if you can provide some. Recently we had a small grey cat start sleeping in our garage. I'm having a hard time figuring out if it's feral or just a really skittish stray. I've fed it two nights in a row now at the same time and it is highly reluctant to get very close to me. However, it did let me touch it while it ate and is also willing to come near to me from its perch in our garage if I have food. It makes eye contact and did the slow blink a few times tonight, but from a safe place in a hiding spot out of reach.
I keep referring to the cat as "it' because I haven't been able to determine the sex of the cat yet. Also can't tell how old it might be. It's rather small, so there is the possibility it might not yet be full-grown, or it could be just a small adult. It's thin, and rather dirty, but not unhealthy, at least from external appearances. (Eyes are bright, no obvious wounds or scars, no patchiness or matting in coat, but clearly dirty). It has vocalized a few times and has been willing to approach the back door of the house, right up to the threshold and look in, but did not come in. However, it flinches and runs if you make sudden movements or get too close without food, but it has not been aggressive and hasn't even been overly fearful (no hissing or growling when approached or touched.)
I would love to adopt it and have no other pets. But I also realize a feral cat may be more than we can handle and I don't want to try to subject a feral cat to that kind of socialization process, especially if it ultimately wouldn't work.
Any suggestions for how to proceed and the best practices? I fed it a can of tuna last night and went to the store today and got small cans of cat food and a bag of dry food and some treats. It liked the tuna best and ate the whole can, ate most of a small can of cat food tonight and was willing to eat the treats, but not from my hand. I only see the cat around 7 each night and sit outside with it while it eats and talk to it. (So far about an hour each night.) We live in Las Vegas so the nights aren't horribly cold, but I worry about it possibly getting hit by a car or attacked by other neighborhood animals. I'd rather not trap it if I can convince it to come in on its own but I'm not sure it will. (And I don't have a trap.) Any suggestion or information would be much appreciated. Thank you!
I keep referring to the cat as "it' because I haven't been able to determine the sex of the cat yet. Also can't tell how old it might be. It's rather small, so there is the possibility it might not yet be full-grown, or it could be just a small adult. It's thin, and rather dirty, but not unhealthy, at least from external appearances. (Eyes are bright, no obvious wounds or scars, no patchiness or matting in coat, but clearly dirty). It has vocalized a few times and has been willing to approach the back door of the house, right up to the threshold and look in, but did not come in. However, it flinches and runs if you make sudden movements or get too close without food, but it has not been aggressive and hasn't even been overly fearful (no hissing or growling when approached or touched.)
I would love to adopt it and have no other pets. But I also realize a feral cat may be more than we can handle and I don't want to try to subject a feral cat to that kind of socialization process, especially if it ultimately wouldn't work.
Any suggestions for how to proceed and the best practices? I fed it a can of tuna last night and went to the store today and got small cans of cat food and a bag of dry food and some treats. It liked the tuna best and ate the whole can, ate most of a small can of cat food tonight and was willing to eat the treats, but not from my hand. I only see the cat around 7 each night and sit outside with it while it eats and talk to it. (So far about an hour each night.) We live in Las Vegas so the nights aren't horribly cold, but I worry about it possibly getting hit by a car or attacked by other neighborhood animals. I'd rather not trap it if I can convince it to come in on its own but I'm not sure it will. (And I don't have a trap.) Any suggestion or information would be much appreciated. Thank you!