- Joined
- Feb 6, 2014
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Several years ago I took in a stray female cat who has worked out amazingly well, but she was lonely in the house all day while I was at work. So when she brought home a feral friend (who I suspect might be her son/brother) I started feeding him, although I didn't hold out too much hope of taming him because he was completely wild at the time. After 3 years, and endless patience, he's made it to what I'd call skittish friendly. He's been neutered, gets his shots every year, comes inside for breakfast and dinner most days, and has his own little house on the porch. They hang out together all the time in the good weather, and he will spend time very contentedly with me in the garden. Inside the house he's ok with me picking him up for short periods, and will allow me to pet him almost endlessly. He's never been forced to stay in the house, nothing bad has ever happened inside, and he's always allowed to leave on demand. I have no expectation that he'll ever choose to live inside, but he's always anxious, can't settle long enough to nap or bathe, and when not playing with his toys or being patted will wander around howling for no apparent reason. Sometimes he actually wants to leave, but more often he just wants to look outside. Ideally he'd like me to leave the door open so he can sit in the doorway--not an option in sub-zero weather. What I'm wondering is if anyone has ever successfully gotten a feral cat past this kind of anxiety? And how?