How Can I Socialize This Cat?

myfamily

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 12, 2017
Messages
146
Purraise
92
I have been feeding her for 2 years. She has already had one litter of kittens. I have a trap out for her, and she is now going half-way into the trap to eat her food. So I should eventually be able to get her to go all the way in. She is basically MY cat. I trapped her and her three siblings 2 years ago where I work. I brought them home to my garage to get them out of the cold, but she escaped. If I do catch her, what is the best way to socialize her. Keep this in mind: I refuse to release her back into the wild. She is MY cat, and I am a renter. I'll be darned if I am going to move from her, and leave her behind. So once I catch her, she is done being outdoors. But I just don't know how to socialize her. I can't put her in the garage because there are strays that sleep in my garage, and the strays have 24/7 access to the outdoors via a pet door. I can hardly keep her in my apartment because I already have 3 cats of my own living indoors, and recently took on a roommate who is not a cat lover. He tolerates them. But never interacts with him or shows any interest. About the only thing I can think of is to put her in a large kennel inside my bedroom, but that doesn't seem right. Is there any other options? She is about 2 1/2 years old. Thanks.
 

shadowsrescue

TCS Member
Veteran
Joined
Apr 27, 2011
Messages
7,022
Purraise
5,083
Location
Ohio
First step is to get her trapped and spayed ASAP. She will only continue to reproduce. Since she is eating 1/2 way in the trap, she should be ready for you to move it all the way back. A good idea is to not feed her the night or morning before the trapping so she is good and hungry. Be sure to have a place to take her as soon as possible, reducing the amount of time she has to spend in the trap. Once she has been spayed, vaccinated and tested for FIV and FELV, you can bring her home into a large dog crate if needed. She will need to be separated from your other cats while she heals. Also she will need to be introduced to your other cats. Keeping her in a large dog kennel indefinitely is not an option. It can work for socializing, but keeping a cat in a cage beyond a few days most likely will not work. It can work for kittens, but is much much harder for full grown cats.
You can still keep her in your bedroom as long as your resident cats stay out. You will also need to block under your bed and behind and under large furniture. I like to put the bed flat on the floor. Under the bed is the first place she will go and it's nearly impossible to get them out. For socializing, you do not want her hiding where you cannot get to her. She will need a hiding spot such as an old box, cat tree hiding box or even a cat carrier. Somewhere to feel safe.

Socializing her can be done, but it will take time. You have to have lots of patience. Also realizing that she may never be a warm and fuzzy lap kitty. Yet she will be warm and safe in your home. Also be sure that the roommate is on board to help keep your cats out of your room and also to never let her outside.

Here is an article to help with socialization ideas.
Socializing Cats: How to Socialize a Very Shy or Fearful Cat
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,986
Purraise
17,680
Location
Sunny Florida
I agree 100% with what has been stated. It will take time and patience, but it will be rewarding to bring her in.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #4

myfamily

TCS Member
Thread starter
Adult Cat
Joined
Feb 12, 2017
Messages
146
Purraise
92
Thank you for your reply. I am not sure it is going to work because my cats stay in my room a majority of the time. I live in a townhouse, and the bedrooms are upstairs (mine and my roommate's). My cats have no where else to go. They do not like hanging out downstairs. I might have to put an ad on Craigslist for a volunteer to socialize her, or maybe take her to the shelter, and request a foster parent. I just don't see how I can keep my cats out of my bedroom since this is where they spend all of their time.
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,986
Purraise
17,680
Location
Sunny Florida
Requesting a foster parent is a good idea. I would steer clear of Craig's List.
 

alphakitty

Beeqie - Sly Kitty - 2017
Young Cat
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Messages
85
Purraise
156
Location
Urth
I understand your concern.

As for keeping an outdoors cat indoors, well I gotta tell you, its outright cruel in my opinion. When the kitties have imprinted a specific behavior, it is emotionally extremely harmful to them to forcibly counter the imprinting. You are not doing the cat a favor, but rather you are salving YOUR SELFISH NEED (Kharma generation). As for socializing the cat, well that is a mixed bag. My mother was successful with a few fully adult cats, but some cats will not or can not (depending on neurological sufficiencies...how the brain developed) be socialized. I also have some experience in this area. Aside from having expended many years associating with these wonderful little characters as well as studying them, I am also an active member of the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) community. Currently, I have four indoor kitties, all of which were adults when I trapped them and that I socialized. Three of them are short-hair blacks and one is a short hair brendle (my good looking little diva). I also have, feed and care for (in my large back yard) a community of 9 ferral short-hair black cats. I have successfully socialized four of them. I can pet and pick them up and they come when I call them by the names I've assigned to them. The fifth is beginning to trust me, I call him spunky, as he always strikes me when I offer my index finger for him to sniff (my way of saying 'hi'). But now he meows for dinner, and rubs on me, and frequently gives me a little tail. So things are moving along!! Old Mom, the mommy of ALL the kitties except Brendie, the brendle kitty, I can't get close to her. Been trying to socialize her for three years. Nr. 3 after several years of working with him, I am now beginning to see positive behavior changes. I have my fingers crossed.

Kitties are fascinating little guys and they never cease to amaze me regarding their intellect.

Ad rem...back to socializing your semi-ferral kitty. As others have stated, it takes patience, the feedbag and something that's fairly obvious with those who expend time working with these little skunkrats, and that is playing with them. The more one socializes with kitties in a manner that kitties recognize as being 'social', friendly, the more acceptable and less fearsome they become of us. Playing with them Remember that cats LOVE challenges, so challenge them, and allow them win, but make ramp the challenge up occassionally to keep things interesting to them. At some point, the little character will forget the fear, and begin to treat you as a kitty!! Heh heh heh, its true. It works. Judicious application of Love, attention and the feedbag is majikkal.

As for moving kitties around, that also can be achieved with outdoor imprinted kitties. But that takes careful management for about six months to be sucessful or the character will take off, searching for the privious home location, and likely to never be seen again, although I have seen that happen, but its rare. If interested, I'll detail how I have been successfull in moving an outdoor ferral community to another state. And they are still residing outdoors happily with me at my home.

But please, for God's sake, don't take an outdoor kitty from outdoors, then put inside your (prison) home for your selfish convenience.

Sincerely and Best Wishes for All,

AlphaKitty
 

surya

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 23, 2010
Messages
2,479
Purraise
3,894
Location
Houston
I disagree about the taking cats from the outdoors and bring them in is cruel. I have done it myself and given my formerly outdoor cat a very good life. I wish he could go outside, but I live in an apartment and he would be dead if I did. Being dead is not freedom.
 

maggiedemi

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Mar 26, 2017
Messages
17,104
Purraise
44,385
It is not selfish to bring a feral cat indoors. I have two roads in front of my house and coyotes in the woods. Before I brought them inside for good, I would often have to run out and get my cats out of the road. They would probably be dead by now if I hadn't made them indoor cats.
 

elflingskitten

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
5
Purraise
6
I understand your concern.

As for keeping an outdoors cat indoors, well I gotta tell you, its outright cruel in my opinion. When the kitties have imprinted a specific behavior, it is emotionally extremely harmful to them to forcibly counter the imprinting. You are not doing the cat a favor, but rather you are salving YOUR SELFISH NEED (Kharma generation). As for socializing the cat, well that is a mixed bag. My mother was successful with a few fully adult cats, but some cats will not or can not (depending on neurological sufficiencies...how the brain developed) be socialized. I also have some experience in this area. Aside from having expended many years associating with these wonderful little characters as well as studying them, I am also an active member of the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) community. Currently, I have four indoor kitties, all of which were adults when I trapped them and that I socialized. Three of them are short-hair blacks and one is a short hair brendle (my good looking little diva). I also have, feed and care for (in my large back yard) a community of 9 ferral short-hair black cats. I have successfully socialized four of them. I can pet and pick them up and they come when I call them by the names I've assigned to them. The fifth is beginning to trust me, I call him spunky, as he always strikes me when I offer my index finger for him to sniff (my way of saying 'hi'). But now he meows for dinner, and rubs on me, and frequently gives me a little tail. So things are moving along!! Old Mom, the mommy of ALL the kitties except Brendie, the brendle kitty, I can't get close to her. Been trying to socialize her for three years. Nr. 3 after several years of working with him, I am now beginning to see positive behavior changes. I have my fingers crossed.

Kitties are fascinating little guys and they never cease to amaze me regarding their intellect.

Ad rem...back to socializing your semi-ferral kitty. As others have stated, it takes patience, the feedbag and something that's fairly obvious with those who expend time working with these little skunkrats, and that is playing with them. The more one socializes with kitties in a manner that kitties recognize as being 'social', friendly, the more acceptable and less fearsome they become of us. Playing with them Remember that cats LOVE challenges, so challenge them, and allow them win, but make ramp the challenge up occassionally to keep things interesting to them. At some point, the little character will forget the fear, and begin to treat you as a kitty!! Heh heh heh, its true. It works. Judicious application of Love, attention and the feedbag is majikkal.

As for moving kitties around, that also can be achieved with outdoor imprinted kitties. But that takes careful management for about six months to be sucessful or the character will take off, searching for the privious home location, and likely to never be seen again, although I have seen that happen, but its rare. If interested, I'll detail how I have been successfull in moving an outdoor ferral community to another state. And they are still residing outdoors happily with me at my home.

But please, for God's sake, don't take an outdoor kitty from outdoors, then put inside your (prison) home for your selfish convenience.

Sincerely and Best Wishes for All,

AlphaKitty

Seriously, selfish? I do my animal rescue work on the streets, where most people couldn't give a half a crap about an animal in distress! Seriously, are you branding this person, who is clearly going to extreme measures to rescue cats despite their living situation, as selfish? If they were selfish they wouldn't do anything at all! I deal with cats thrown out of car windows, cats thrown down stairs, etc. What planet are you from?
 
Last edited:

elflingskitten

TCS Member
Kitten
Joined
Jul 29, 2015
Messages
5
Purraise
6
I have been feeding her for 2 years. She has already had one litter of kittens. I have a trap out for her, and she is now going half-way into the trap to eat her food. So I should eventually be able to get her to go all the way in. She is basically MY cat. I trapped her and her three siblings 2 years ago where I work. I brought them home to my garage to get them out of the cold, but she escaped. If I do catch her, what is the best way to socialize her. Keep this in mind: I refuse to release her back into the wild. She is MY cat, and I am a renter. I'll be darned if I am going to move from her, and leave her behind. So once I catch her, she is done being outdoors. But I just don't know how to socialize her. I can't put her in the garage because there are strays that sleep in my garage, and the strays have 24/7 access to the outdoors via a pet door. I can hardly keep her in my apartment because I already have 3 cats of my own living indoors, and recently took on a roommate who is not a cat lover. He tolerates them. But never interacts with him or shows any interest. About the only thing I can think of is to put her in a large kennel inside my bedroom, but that doesn't seem right. Is there any other options? She is about 2 1/2 years old. Thanks.

I have been feeding her for 2 years. She has already had one litter of kittens. I have a trap out for her, and she is now going half-way into the trap to eat her food. So I should eventually be able to get her to go all the way in. She is basically MY cat. I trapped her and her three siblings 2 years ago where I work. I brought them home to my garage to get them out of the cold, but she escaped. If I do catch her, what is the best way to socialize her. Keep this in mind: I refuse to release her back into the wild. She is MY cat, and I am a renter. I'll be darned if I am going to move from her, and leave her behind. So once I catch her, she is done being outdoors. But I just don't know how to socialize her. I can't put her in the garage because there are strays that sleep in my garage, and the strays have 24/7 access to the outdoors via a pet door. I can hardly keep her in my apartment because I already have 3 cats of my own living indoors, and recently took on a roommate who is not a cat lover. He tolerates them. But never interacts with him or shows any interest. About the only thing I can think of is to put her in a large kennel inside my bedroom, but that doesn't seem right. Is there any other options? She is about 2 1/2 years old. Thanks.

Hi myfamily,
first off I would like to say thank you, so much, for what you are doing. Over many years I have found myself in your same situation several times before, and it's terribly stressful. A few times I have been forced to bring outdoor cats inside or they would have been killed. Many on this site may not understand that sometimes the solution that works is less than ideal, and that the cat may be unhappy for a short time but often it is vastly better than the alternative. That being said, sometimes bringing the cat indoors just doesn't work. You may find that despite all your best efforts the cat is so miserable indoors that it becomes an unkindness to keep them so, and that situation is not always untenable. I have cared for several cats around my home that were honestly, truly happier outdoors, provided they received the same love and attention I gave to my indoor cats.

As to bringing her in, the most important step of all is that initially she has to have a place all her own where she feels safe, preferably a large bathroom or other small area. She will hide from you for a while; make sure she has someplace in the room to hide, a large covered box or lower cabinet. Don't seek her out; she'll see it as pursuit. Remember: when she's first confined, EVERYTHING is the enemy, even you. Each time you bring her food, sit cross-legged on the floor to spoon the food out, and speak calmly to her in the same voice you used when she was outside. After awhile she should venture out, and you can pet and reassure her. Temptations cat treats are a powerful motivator at times like these, lol.

I have used several methods introducing a new cat to the population, with varying success. The most important thing is that it is done gradually. Even a used screen door attained from Craigslist, wedged into a doorway as a separator as they get acquainted has been helpful.

Again, I am so grateful to you for what you are doing. Never forget that you are all that may stand between what could be a sweet, loving, grateful cat and starvation, cold, and loneliness.
 
Last edited:

Norachan

Moderator
Staff Member
Moderator
Joined
May 27, 2013
Messages
32,668
Purraise
32,854
Location
Mount Fuji, Japan
I think you're doing a wonderful thing by bringing this cat indoors. Even older adult feral cats can be socialised and made quite comfortable inside. Almost all of my cats were feral rescues. One of them was at least 10 years old by the time I got him neutered and brought him in.

It can take a long time, but as this cat is already used to you as her primary care-giver I think you have an advantage.

There is nothing selfish or cruel about what you are doing, quite the opposite. She is going to be so much happier and safer inside.

Please keep us updated on how everything goes.
 
Top