Earning Stray Cat's Trust

[Neo815]

Unfortunately I can't take her as a pet. She has this other place where she spends most of her time.

What I don't understand is that she comes near me one day and get suspicious of me the next day.

 

[orange&white]

Well, if you're willing to take care of her and kittens (if she's pregnant) for a couple months out of your life, and then have her spayed, then you are doing a very good deed.

I took a wild feral for TNR last spring, and wasn't sure she'd hang around since there's plenty of food around the neighborhood. I did start feeding her after I had her spayed, and now she lives on the patio and comes in the house when she wants.

Even after months, sometimes she really enjoys being petted and sometimes I put my hand out and she runs like she has no clue who I am.

If you don't want her hanging around as a pet cat, then just don't feed her after she is spayed if you're certain she is eating somewhere else.

Meanwhile...you do need to figure out how much responsibility you want to take if she is pregnant.

 

[Neo815]

I tried to play with her with a teaser today. She got scared and ranaway. It had rain today and the weather was very cold. She was sitting in a spot all day.

I think I am back at the starting point with her.

 

[tabbytom]

Try again and play gently. She may need to warm up to play. Sometimes if you bring out something strange looking to her she may be afraid. Have to introduce the teaser slowly to her. Let her smell the teaser and make small movements with it.

Just be patience.

 

[Neo815]

How could I bring the teaser near her? She hides under the car when she sees it.

 

[tabbytom]

Use a cat wand with feathers at the end of a long string. Don’t just swing the feather in front of her. Play in such a way that the feather looks like a prey to her, so she can hunt for it. Like hiding part of the feather behind the tires and move it away slowly just like a bird walking away.

This is to get her interested and make her chase the feather. Have you tried enticing her food? Sit near the car and offer her food.

I think she must gain her trust in you again. Don’t give up.

 

[Neo815]

I give her cat treats and she likes them a lot. She was not eating her food after I gave her treats. It was as if she wanted more treats. So I sprinkled some treats on her dry food. Then she ate it. She is also very fond of wet cat food. But she feels secure under the car so I place her food bowl and treats near the tire.

 

[orange&white]

How could I bring the teaser near her? She hides under the car when she sees it.

The first time I got my backyard feral to play with anything that was "attached to me", it was a very long piece of cotton clothesline, something like 40-50 feet long. I put a couple of knots in the end for her to have something to grab onto and put one end out in the grass, then went back an sat on the patio and started making jerking motions with the rope. I was so far away from the end of the rope that she got fascinated with it and didn't associate me being "attached". Within a day or two I was able to walk around the yard dragging the rope and she was following me to catch the end.

You could tie the teaser to a longer piece of string, or a toy, or just use the string. Set it next to the car where she's hiding then start making it jump, wiggle and vibrate from a distance. If she gets interested, you can start pulling it closer to you.

 

[Neo815]

Should I feed her with my hand? If I put food on my hand and move it close to her, will she eat from my hand ir scratch it? Won't it be helpful to build trust?

 

[orange&white]

You'll have to judge how aggressive she is. If she is just frightened but not aggressive, you can try to feed her by hand. If she is aggressive (will lash out and claw you, or bite) then I'd take it slower. You could put food on a long-handled spoon if you think she'll attack your hand.

It took my backyard feral months to eat out of my hand. I was able to pet her gently while she ate from a saucer long before she took treats by hand.

 

[Neo815]

She is not agressive at all. She is just afraid. She is tolerating the teaser more with every passing day. Tonight I moved the teaser near her. She looked at it curiously for some time before she ran under the car.

 

[orange&white]

Since she isn't aggressive and she like cat treats, you could try to get her to eat from your hand. Get as close to her as she allows without running and toss a treat 1/2 way in between you and her. Take one step backward, so she comes forward (hopefully). Toss another treat 1/2 way the distance and move back a tiny bit. You may be able to "close the gap". If she doesn't come forward, hold your hand out with a couple of treats to show her. Then just put them on the ground and walk away. She will come out then and realize that you've left her favorite treats, plus they'll have your scent from being in your hand.

 

[tabbytom]

This kitty sounds like she has some bad experiences with humans and so that’s why she is still skittish around you.

Just be patience and work around her slowly and she needs lots of assurance from you in order for her to gain more confidence and to trust you.

Whenever you try to feed her or play with her, get down low so that she don’t feel so intimidated and keep talking to her in a calm and gentle voice.

 

[Neo815]

What is the best time to feed a cat? Morning or night time? I only want to feed her once. I don't want her to become too dependent on me. She used to go to her other place but now she spends more time in my house. I don't want to develop a bond with her. It will hurt her more when I stop feeding her after getting her spayed. I don't want her as a pet.

 

[tabbytom]

What time does she normally turns up at your house? When she comes, you feed her.

But does she really only comes once a day? What if she comes twice a day?

I don’t get what you meant by when you stop feeding her after she is spayed. You are not going to feed her anymore?

 

[orange&white]

Before my feral started eating at my house, she used to show up most reliably around sunrise and around sunset. Morning or night should be all right if you only want to feed her one meal.

 

[Neo815]

I don't want to keep her as a pet. I only want to get her spayed.

She has started to hang around my house a lot. She leaves for a few hours in the morning and at night. She is spending more time around my house now.

Here in Pakistan, houses are divided and surrounded by walls. She comes through my neighbor's house in the garden area is connected to our garage. She stays in the garage most of thr time.

I don't want her to leave her other place and make my house her permanent territory.

 

[tabbytom]

I guess in that way, you just feed her one meal and let her hang around and if she’s hungry, she’ll look for food else where, if she has a place to go to for food.

 

[Neo815]

Can I get her trust with one meal? I have tried to feed her 3 meals and treats. She starts to trust me a little but next day she changes.

 

[tabbytom]

To get her to trust you is through food. If you feed her only one meal and she gets other meals elsewhere, your house is just a stop over restaurant for her and for her to really trust you will take a long time.

If you want her to trust you, you must give her love too, not only food and while doing that, she is like your outdoor pet cat, you can’t deny that. To get a cat to trust you is not an overnight thing, it takes time and sometimes, takes lots of time. There are members here who take in feral cats and stray cats, some of them took months and even years just for the cat to trust them but it’s because they shower the cats with love and have the determination to so that in the end, the cat have a better life.

So if you have the intention to have her spayed, let her hang around your garage and let her be, if she wants to stay around, let her be. If she wants to move around but still come back to you for food, let her be and feed her and at least she has a proper place to sleep.