Wll my semi-feral ever want to be friendly toward me?

[lionandlamb]

Through the grapevine of an animal rescue person, I took in a senior, ailing cat that lived in a vacant lot with other cats its whole life.   It's been 4 months and I have to say I do see little progresses all the time of him adjusting comfortably here.  I am grateful that he gets along with my 3 other cats and I have no control issues about him bonding with me.  I'm happy just to see him comfortable and getting the vet treatment he needs (mycoplasma).

He is still shy and afraid of me -- even when I put a bowl of food near him he starts hissing at me.  He can't be handled by hand -- I have to trick him into the cat carrier when it's vet time.M

Having no prior experience with feral or semi-feral cats, my question is: is there a chance that given time he might warm to me enough that I can pet him on the head a little?  (Oddly, when he's at the vet he's completely passive).

Thanks in advance,

Paula

 

[ritz]

First, thank you for taking in a senior, ailing cat.  You have given him a more comfortable life, even if he doesn't realise it.

If he doesn't run from you when you place food near him, that in and of itself is progress.  I fed a feral/stray/abandoned cat colony for over two years, and only in the past six months did one of the cats no longer run when I fed her.

I would simply give him lots and lots of time.  Maybe go up to him a couple of times a day and simply put a treat next to him (if he is food motivated).  Don't attempt to pet him. 

And watch his facial expression--have you noticed if his face gets softer, calmer?

A friend and I trapped "Mystique", a young cat in order to socialize and adopt out her.  After a year we had made little progress.  Then friend introduced her large but well behaved dogs to Mystique.  Love at first sight.  Mystique trusted the dogs so now she trusts friend a little bit more.  Friend is now able to pet Mystique briefly and just looks calmer; her eyes are soft.

Good luck!

 

[lionandlamb]

Oh my that photo of your cat looks like a younger version of  Garbo (the cat I'm posting about)  He has the same half- diamond marking on his head!

Well thanks for the hope.  I make sure he sees me mushing with my other 3.  He does allow me to get closer and there is a delay time in his retreating. He leaves his petbed (his safe zone) in my second room and hangs out in the corridors of my apt. sometimes.  I've found him on a pillowed shelf in my bedroom ... quite unexpected and thrilling for me.  He seems to get paranoid when he's conscious of me looking at him, so I try to ignore him and just let him do what he wants.  It's hard to ignore him, he's just so magnificent.  I'll stop here, you know how chatty  us cat-lovers can get

 

[jcat]

There's definitely some hope. Our last cat was in a feral colony for 8 years; we had him for 6. He never became truly socialized, but he would follow my husband or me in the yard or into the house and eventually allowed me to pet him on the head a little bit. He also would bring us gifts of food - lunch meat stolen from people's shopping carts, a koi, a neighbor's guinea pig, rats, etc., so he obviously developed some attachment to us. Oddly enough, if I opened the car door he'd get in. I always fed him in a carrier, as it was the only way to get him to a vet. Straycat always had to be sedated before the vet could examine him.

The one thing he wouldn't do is stay inside all day except when it was bitter cold. He learned to use a litter box with potting soil, which was gradually replaced with litter, and loved to sleep in the washer. :lol3: He would often bring home his buddies for breakfast - it wasn't unusual to go downstairs and find 6 or 8 neighborhood cats waiting for a meal. We got rid of the cat flap after he died, needless to say.