Hi!
I have several feral cats that I take care of. The oldest one is Empsey who has had a hematoma in one ear so it has scrunched down into her body and she no longer hears out of it. It took me nearly two years to get her to completely trust me. I would put food and fresh water on my front porch and when she came to eat I would talked to her in an quiet way and gradually reaching out to touch her more and more over time. I left my garage door open about 6-8 inches so she could get in out of the rain and eventually I put 2
metal end tables on the porch with pillows or fabric on the ground and on each shelf and covered it with an old blanket on one and a old aghan on the others, leaving just enough room for her to get into. After 2 sets of babies (the surviving kittens were all eventually fixed over time), I was able to pick her up and she is now fixed. In fact when the weather is chilly, she actually walks into my house and sleeps under the bed. As soon as I am asleep she gets on the bed. She now as domesticated as a tame cat. One of her babies, Shadows, took about 6 months to be able to catch. She has come to believe that petting and stroking is ever so nice. She doesn't like the house tho' and also you cannot pick her up. One of her other babies, Claudia, began to trust me in her 3rd year and had a batch of kittens on my front porch and then moved them into my garage. As soon as they were weaned, I managed to catch her and now she is done. She still is a bit leery and only occasionally lets me touch her. Her kittens, 3 of them, all believe they are housecats at the age of 7 1/2 months. Most are waiting for me when I get home from work just waiting for dinner. The others come when I call their names (if they are within hearing range). All of my cats are now fixed. However, I am also host to 3 Toms who belong to other peole who refuse to fix them. They congregate on my porch hoping that the bakeries of the females will re-open. LOL
Goldenwren
I have several feral cats that I take care of. The oldest one is Empsey who has had a hematoma in one ear so it has scrunched down into her body and she no longer hears out of it. It took me nearly two years to get her to completely trust me. I would put food and fresh water on my front porch and when she came to eat I would talked to her in an quiet way and gradually reaching out to touch her more and more over time. I left my garage door open about 6-8 inches so she could get in out of the rain and eventually I put 2
metal end tables on the porch with pillows or fabric on the ground and on each shelf and covered it with an old blanket on one and a old aghan on the others, leaving just enough room for her to get into. After 2 sets of babies (the surviving kittens were all eventually fixed over time), I was able to pick her up and she is now fixed. In fact when the weather is chilly, she actually walks into my house and sleeps under the bed. As soon as I am asleep she gets on the bed. She now as domesticated as a tame cat. One of her babies, Shadows, took about 6 months to be able to catch. She has come to believe that petting and stroking is ever so nice. She doesn't like the house tho' and also you cannot pick her up. One of her other babies, Claudia, began to trust me in her 3rd year and had a batch of kittens on my front porch and then moved them into my garage. As soon as they were weaned, I managed to catch her and now she is done. She still is a bit leery and only occasionally lets me touch her. Her kittens, 3 of them, all believe they are housecats at the age of 7 1/2 months. Most are waiting for me when I get home from work just waiting for dinner. The others come when I call their names (if they are within hearing range). All of my cats are now fixed. However, I am also host to 3 Toms who belong to other peole who refuse to fix them. They congregate on my porch hoping that the bakeries of the females will re-open. LOL
Goldenwren