How to get a stray that's now in my home to trust me further?

[Ceh122]

Back in late December somebody dropped off between 6-8 cats I'm assuming on the side of the road. Eventually all of these cats made a home under my home and we began to take care of them. They were all different colors and ages but I could tell they were all the same family. There was this little cat that was solid grey that I couldn't help but take in. I set up a pressure plate trap and was able to capture him fairly quickly. As expected at first he was very scared of the situation and would hiss anytime I came near him. After a few weeks he became used to his new room and stopped being in hiding. Now this kitty has been living with me for 4 months and I can tell he wasn't feral because he meows and now he eats food right out of my hand, he sleeps on the end of my bed and comes right to me whenever he knows it is feeding time and is also litter box trained. The only problem I am having is gaining his further trust. He sometimes still hisses at me whenever I walk into the room, it's a 50/50 split whether he hisses or meows when I walk in. His siblings that I mentioned earlier all became socialized and now let us pet them and they now have homes. I was just wondering how I could make it so this cat would give me the opportunity to pet him and have him trust me more. After all his siblings who are all the same age let us pet them.

 

[Ceh122]

He also is not afraid to sit right next to me, and does not run away if I were to get up move somewhere. He is just immensely scared of being touched.

 

[Kieka]

Time. Keep doing what you are doing and give him time. Be the source of good things, feed him and talk to him while he eats. Hold out your hand and let him decide if he wants pets. Talk to him when you walk into the room to make sure you don't startle him.

My girl was feral for the first 3-4 months of her life and it took a good year to get her comfortable in the house. Even now 5 years later I have to be mindful with her because she startles easily and holds onto bad things for a while. Shoot, I accidentally hit her the other day when she ran under my hand as I pat the bed (I was patting for my boy to jump up and she decided she wanted to be pet her instead but I didn't see her dart under my hand since I was laying with my eyes closed). Not even hard but enough to startle her and it took a good 24 hours for her to relax. Some cats are just more tightly wound then others and need a little more time.

 

[Ceh122]

Time. Keep doing what you are doing and give him time. Be the source of good things, feed him and talk to him while he eats. Hold out your hand and let him decide if he wants pets. Talk to him when you walk into the room to make sure you don't startle him.

My girl was feral for the first 3-4 months of her life and it took a good year to get her comfortable in the house. Even now 5 years later I have to be mindful with her because she startles easily and holds onto bad things for a while. Shoot, I accidentally hit her the other day when she ran under my hand as I pat the bed (I was patting for my boy to jump up and she decided she wanted to be pet her instead but I didn't see her dart under my hand since I was laying with my eyes closed). Not even hard but enough to startle her and it took a good 24 hours for her to relax. Some cats are just more tightly wound then others and need a little more time.

Thank you very much for the reply and I’m never going to give up on that cat so time is no problem at all.

 

[fionasmom]

I have recently taken two ferals into my house. They have been on my property for about 2 years and I have "known" them from birth. They are both affectionate and have integrated themselves into the household very easily but I have found that they startle very easily. If anything happens, a dish falls, someone walks too quickly in the hall, they scatter....sometimes it is funny as they do the Bug Bunny running in place routine until they can get traction on the wood floors and hide. One will still hiss if she is unsure what is going on but will also spend time rubbing and asking to be brushed. To survive as a feral, or even an outdoor cat, you have to be hypervigilant and I think that is what causes those reactions.

 

[Smokey1987]

A cat I rescued off the street used to grrrrrowl when anyone would get close to her while eating. I assumed it was from fending off other bigger cats on the street.

I would pet/caress her on her neck every time she would eat. She just got used to no one taking her food.
By the time I had to give her away , she was purring while eating. It's a matter of trust, I think

 

[NY cat man]

Our situation is somewhat different, but what Kieka says still applies. We were able to win the trust of our first 5 feral kittens to the point where they just followed us inside, but even with that it took time before they became comfortable with their new home. With our most recent adoptee, she hung around for over a year before we bowed to the inevitable and let her, a TNR, come inside to stay. Each of ours adapted at a different rate, and while some are real lap cats, others are not, but that's okay.