My little feral princess

LovingaFeral

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Hello! I am the proud mom of a 6 y.o. feral cat named Jane. I adopted this sweet girl 5 months ago, today, from a local rescue. She'd been trapped and spayed as a kitten, but not released. All but one of her siblings were socialized and adopted out. My goal, at the time, was to find an elderly cat in need of affection, preferably one that'd been overlooked. I came across this sweet girl by accident and inquired about her story. She's lived most of her life in a large cage, located in an outbuilding. I knew, in my heart, this was meant to be, though she wasn't elderly.

Jane spent the first couple of months in a small room on the second floor of my house. Though I heard what sounded like elephants in the room, after the first week (I may have given her too many toys?), she always hid when I entered the room. That was expected, of course. After those two months, I opened the entire second floor to her, left one litter box in that room, put the other in my office, and moved the food/water to my bedroom.

To make a long story short, my little princess has adapted so well in such a short time. She is understandably still very nocturnal. The elephants tear through the second floor for hours at night and she naps most of the day. She even plays on my bed while I'm in it. She loves the laser pointer! When I leave the house, I find her peering out at me from one of her towers in the window or my office desk in another. When I return, she is waiting; when I enter the house, she runs to the top of the stairs to greet me.

She communicates beautifully with me. If she calls out from another room and I respond, she'll come running. The other day I presented her with a favorite toy and she said, "Mrrrt." My heart melted, of course.

I still cannot touch her and that's okay. I have no expectations other than making sure she is happy and safe. Petting her would just be a bonus for me.

The only quandary I have is that all this progress (eating, drinking, playing with toys, bathing, lounging, etc.) in my presence only happens if I am on my bed. The minute my toes hit the floor, she panics and hides. It appears my bed is Switzerland since she'll get up on it with me.

Any suggestions are more than welcome!

Photo: too tired to stay awake while waiting for Mama to return b/c the elephants were up ALL night.
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maggiemay

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Just be patient with her. I adopted a Maine Coon through Maine Coon Rescue who was half-feral. He had been neutered via TNR. He then was fed and apparently taken into the home of a lady who developed Alzheimer’s. When he was rescued, they had no way of knowing when the animals in the house had been fed last. They put them in crates in the garage as they were moving them to the rescue organization. Bikky escaped his crate. It took three months to trap him, so he lived on the streets for those three months. When I got him, all he would do was hide. All I could do was put out food and water and talk to him as he hid. Getting near him was out of the question, much less touching him. About two weeks after adopting him, I no longer restricted him to the master suite, he was given the run of the house. He finally allowed an occasional touch, but was very skittish. And then he got sick, a blocked urethra. He felt so bad I was able to put him in a carrier and rush him to the vet, where he stayed for the next five days. He came home with a bandage on his leg where the I.V. had been. I was to remove it in one hour. The minute he stepped out of the carrier, I thought what have I done? How am I going to catch him to remove that bandage? He was shut into a room with me, and I had fixed him a little bed beside the sofa. When it was time, I leaned over the arm of the sofa and told him I needed to remove the bandage so he could walk normally, that he was much better and would be completely well, but he had to help me and the first thing we had to do was remove the bandage. He gazed into my eyes as I talked, and then he raised that paw! I removed the bandage, and that was the turning point for us, he became such a mama’s boy. It took two years before I was allowed to put more than one hand on him at a time. Two more years before I could pick him up, He allows my husband to pet him occasionally, but I am his person. He lolls next to me on his back with his tummy exposed, he loves being brushed and petted, we have long conversations, and he uses that extensive Maine Coon vocabulary. He loves his brothers and sisters, plays alot, and has a happy life. He has never been sick again. So good things come with time. Just talk to Jane a lot, give her the time and space she needs and let her determine the pace of your relationship. It literally may take years, but trust will develop if you are consistent. And it will be 100% worth it. Lucky Jane!
 
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LovingaFeral

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Thank you! I do spend lots of time with her, talking and reading to her. It's just so strange that on my bed she's a completely different cat altogether, minus touching her. I leave t-shirts on it, and she'll roll/lie on them, exposing her belly to me, so I know she trusts me to an extent. Maybe one day, I'll be able to get out of bed? ;) The last feral I had was more consistent--nowhere was safe! It took her about a year. We'll just keep plodding along. Jane's happy and healthy; those are the most important things to me.

What a handsome fella you have there. My daughter's cat, also a Maine coon, went through the same procedure. That was rough, but he's living his best life now. Bikky's lucky to have you!
 

maggiemay

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My avatar is Maggie, who died from complications of diabetes 9 years ago. This is Bikky, see his little ear where it was clipped for TNR? Jane feels like she’s alot faster than you when you’re in bed, Funny girl!
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LovingaFeral

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He's nearly identical to my daughter's cat! Big ol' orange Maine coon. They're so mellow. :)
 

Tobermory

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What a lovely story, L LovingaFeral ! Jane is a lucky girl. :redheartpump: She sounds like she’s so close to letting you much closer.

I, too, adopted a feral: Mocha. It was months before I could pet her. She didn’t get on the bed, but I spent a lot of time on the floor with her, holding my hand out with the back of it to her. I didn’t move my hand, just held it out. (Not easy, by the way! :lol:) She gradually came closer and closer, and I didn’t move. She finally, delicately, rubbed her face on my hand. This took weeks. I learned that I couldn’t reach out; she’d skitter away. I couldn’t raise my hand above her. But I could brush the back of it softly down her side when she came close enough.

And speaking of brushing, we discovered that she LOVED to be brushed. So I’d hold that out, and she’d rub her face on it. We finally graduated to full-on brushing.

Reaching out seems to trigger their flight mode. Try just holding your hand out and seeing if she’ll eventually approach.
 
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LovingaFeral

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Ha! You sound like me. I've slept on the hard floor just to get her used to me. She approached me once when she thought I was sleeping. She sniffed and licked my hand and forearm, but that was months ago and, though the opportunities have been there, she's not made further attempts. I will try the brush, though. Thanks! I've held my hand out with treats for hours at a time (for weeks) until my hand went numb; she went to sleep every single time. Thank goodness for audiobooks and earbuds. lol She's a stinker! If only I could stay in bed and never leave; she'd be perfectly happy.
 
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LovingaFeral

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(5.5 months into our journey) Good news! Jane is out of hiding completely. She plays more during the day and sleeps a little more at night. When not running around chasing her toys and hiding them in my laundry, this is where I find her: in the princess' chair.

I'm still working on her accepting treats from my hand and we are getting close. She was just about to take one the other day, after licking my finger, when one of the dogs barked and startled her. We'll keep working on it.

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35 year catdad

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I've been on sabbatical here after losing my 19 yr old last December 2020
Regarding taming ferals

I had 2 adult cats and no intention of more while fixing up my home to sell.
My friend had me over for my birthday gift (shes an artist so i figured a painting)
instead under the chair was a 4 week old adorable- beyond -belief calico-my avatar. Precious
Amy left for a minute and I put my face down to the kitten and she rubbed my cheek with hers!
Thats was it shes mine for life... This is a feral kitten BTW
This has not happened since! It was a skit they worked out- also they played patty cakes and that never happened again....

Later I took her two very feral sisters out of a dangerous place and they were as wild as any cat could be.
Two weeks later, after almost full time taming and care, they were in my arms purring. Then to a new indoor only home with a single gal.
To get them tame
I talked softly to them constantly, was in their private room 4-6 times a day visiting, pet them while they ate, and would get them chasing the laser and then park it on top of my foot.
Then they would look up...hmmmmm maybe he isn't gonna kill us after all!
 

Tobermory

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(5.5 months into our journey) Good news! Jane is out of hiding completely. She plays more during the day and sleeps a little more at night. When not running around chasing her toys and hiding them in my laundry, this is where I find her: in the princess' chair.

I'm still working on her accepting treats from my hand and we are getting close. She was just about to take one the other day, after licking my finger, when one of the dogs barked and startled her. We'll keep working on it.

View attachment 392645View attachment 392646
What a gorgeous girl she is! So sweet looking. Weird thing about taking treats: Mocha did it once very early on…and never again. If I put the treat on the floor and leave my fingers on it, she’ll rub all over my hand and try to get the treat out from under my fingers. But if I hold it out to her, she just stares at it. Silly girl.
 
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LovingaFeral

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Thank you! Jane does the same thing, just stares, oh, and licks her chops, but won't take it. I'm impressed by her self-control. The longest I've held my hand out with a treat in it is two hours; she could have kept going. lol
 
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LovingaFeral

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UPDATE on Jane:
As I've mentioned above, Jane will jump onto my bed only if she thinks I am asleep, and she doesn't stay long, just long enough to eat a treat or check me out. Then she's gone. Oh, and, of course, the room has to be completely dark. Well, last night, my little princess jumped up on the bed to visit. A light was on and I was sitting up, reading a book on my computer! If that didn't shock me enough, this morning she ate from my hand and allowed me to rub her cheek in the process. That was the first time I touched my sweet fur baby!! I think we've turned a corner.
I admit to having happy tears. :happycat:
 

35 year catdad

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Wow she is gorgeous! My 14 yr old big grey/white boy Martin would love another girlcat besides his 4 yr old Calico terror who plays way too rough. Soon she will be in your arms purring like crazy. Nothing more rewarding than turning a feral into a people lover.
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LovingaFeral

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Wow she is gorgeous! My 14 yr old big grey/white boy Martin would love another girlcat besides his 4 yr old Calico terror who plays way too rough. Soon she will be in your arms purring like crazy. Nothing more rewarding than turning a feral into a people lover.
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Ooooh, what pretty kitties!!
 

MackerelTabbyStripes

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She's beautiful! What a lovely girl, and so glad she has a safe home to enjoy.

My kitties also love that kind of crinkle toy. Great birthday present!
 
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LovingaFeral

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Thank you! She is spoiled rotten. She actually got the Ripple Rug (her current cave) and a cozy princess chair for her birthday. My human kids are grown and I won't have grandkids to spoil, so Jane is reaping the rewards. :lol:
 
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LovingaFeral

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Another update so soon!
October 10th will mark 7 months since I became a feral mom. It feels like a switch flipped because things have rapidly changed with Jane in the last two weeks. Less than a week ago, she started eating treats from my hand. Today, while she ate, she allowed me to scratch her cheek area. It was a wet food snack, so she'd take a couple licks and then lean into my hand so I could scratch. She repeated this many times. She took the initiative, so I think my sweet girl is trusting me more and wanted to get her scent on me. I just have to say she's as soft as a cotton ball. :redheartpump:
 
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