One Of My Ferals Let Me Pet Him Last Night!!

[kmbishop111]

Y'all know how few and far between these moments are!! I was over the moon when Hollister at first got extremely close to me at feeding time, so I thought what the heck. I'll give it a try! And here is what happened: Ok so it won't let me download the actual video I took but here are some screenshots.

I was just in amazement. Let's here y'alls stories of actually getting to pet one of your ferals!!

 

[aliceneko]

Aw, so sweet! I'll bet it's an amazing experience. My two were semi-feral and they'd let me pet them initially but refused to sit on laps. Now they love sitting on laps and you wouldn't think that they had been semi-ferals at the start. I'm still in awe.

 

[maggiedemi]

Awesome! But how about that last pic, was he getting ready to strike?

 

[Kat0121]

Good job!! He is so handsome and you can see that he was enjoying it too!! He does love you, you can see it in the way he looks at you.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

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kmbishop111 - That's fantastic news - and great photos too!

I have eight ex-ferals with me currently, and I can remember the first time I touched each and every one of them, just like it was yesterday. Few things in Life exceed the thrill of being trusted enough by a feral cat for them to allow physical interaction. I remember the first time I held every one of them as well, and each individual reaction, from Black Friday's, "okay, okay - put me down now," to White Tip's reaching up to bunt me tentatively, and then scent-marking every inch of my face, saying, "okay - I get it now - Love really does conquer all."

It does, you know. The greatest man made structures decay and give out eventually; the earth's tectonic plates move and shift, allowing the continents to drift apart like chips on the stream; even the orbits of planets eventually succumb, sending them crashing into their stars. Only one thing remains unmoving and unshaken - that, "star to ev'ry wand'ring bark."

Congratulations!
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[kmbishop111]

Awesome! But how about that last pic, was he getting ready to strike?

He was done with pettings at that point. lol He didn't show any aggression but I pulled away when I noticed his body language. This captured that moment. I really wish I could upload the video......

 

[kmbishop111]

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kmbishop111 - That's fantastic news - and great photos too!

I have eight ex-ferals with me currently, and I can remember the first time I touched each and every one of them, just like it was yesterday. Few things in Life exceed the thrill of being trusted enough by a feral cat for them to allow physical interaction. I remember the first time I held every one of them as well, and each individual reaction, from Black Friday's, "okay, okay - put me down now," to White Tip's reaching up to bunt me tentatively, and then scent-marking every inch of my face, saying, "okay - I get it now - Love really does conquer all."

It does, you know. The greatest man made structures decay and give out eventually; the earth's tectonic plates move and shift, allowing the continents to drift apart like chips on the stream; even the orbits of planets eventually succumb, sending them crashing into their stars. Only one thing remains unmoving and unshaken - that, "star to ev'ry wand'ring bark."

Congratulations!
.

You have captured it so well!! Eight? Wow! That is very impressive! It is such a game of patience and the truest unconditional love I can ever imagine.

 

[orange&white]

That really is wonderful! Thank you for sharing the photos.

It seems like I worked on Misfit forever, but I did have the luxury of building up her trust in my own backyard. I got her eating on the patio, then eating on the patio with me sitting at the opposite corner in a folding chair. After that I started moving the food closer and closer to my chair until she was eating at my feet. One day, I just reached down and gave her a couple pets on the back of the head. She ran, but not far since she still hadn't finished her food, so she came back. That day felt like a real triumph!

 

[Buddies mom]

This is Smokey, a feral that I have been feeding for about three months now. I can sit close to him while he eats. He has hit my hand, no claw, just being scared. He will sit in the window and watch me have my coffee, watch my other cat Buddy. I love him already, it is just a matter of time and he will give me his heart.

 

[kmbishop111]

Awwww! Smokey is just lovely!! It looks like he is already one paw in the door.

 

[Buddies mom]

Awwww! Smokey is just lovely!! It looks like he is already one paw in the door.

I know, he wants to be loved so badly, he just doesn't understand how it all works. He just rubs on my door and wants to live my Buddy already, I'm not sure how well it would be like in person. Just taking it a day at a time.

 

[kmbishop111]

Something very odd occurred at this same colony this afternoon. As Hollister approached, he had Barron and Candy with him. All three cats almost circled me, then remained very close. Hollister took the lead and approached and allowed me to give him a brief couple of strokes to the back.

This is not normal behavior for this colony, so it got me to thinking -- if I didn't know better -- I would almost think that Candy and Barron are somewhat intrigued at the interaction Hollister and I shared yesterday?? Is this normal behavior once you make a break through with one cat in a colony?

It feels as if a huge wall has been toppled over and maybe they see me as something other than the woman in the big black SUV that brings them food everyday.

Here's a pic of the lovely Candy this afternoon, she's such a girly girl.....

 

[maggiedemi]

Ha, it sounds like he told his cat friends that you are okay. Great news! Candy is so pretty. She looks so clean for a white feral cat.

 

[orange&white]

Candy is a strikingly beautiful cat!

Yes, I think they communicate and learn from each other. I owe a lot of the speed of socializing the feral cats I've adopted as indoor cats to having an older laid-back friendly domestic cat "show them the way".

Even Misfit, who still goes out as she wishes gets amazed and curious stares from other feral cats in the yard when she rubs against me and they see me petting her. She is the only one I feed though, so I don't expect others to warm to me. (Several people leave food out for the large colony of ferals around here, so they aren't starving.)

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

Something very odd occurred at this same colony this afternoon. As Hollister approached, he had Barron and Candy with him. All three cats almost circled me, then remained very close. Hollister took the lead and approached and allowed me to give him a brief couple of strokes to the back.

This is not normal behavior for this colony, so it got me to thinking -- if I didn't know better -- I would almost think that Candy and Barron are somewhat intrigued at the interaction Hollister and I shared yesterday?? Is this normal behavior once you make a break through with one cat in a colony?View attachment 223445

It feels as if a huge wall has been toppled over and maybe they see me as something other than the woman in the big black SUV that brings them food everyday.

Here's a pic of the lovely Candy this afternoon, she's such a girly girl.....

kmbishop111 - M maggiedemi and orange&white are spot on here; not only does interaction with one cat in a colony engender curiosity amongst the others, but it likewise sets the whole remainder of the colony more at their ease, and you'll probably find that your progress will be markédly accelerated.

In either situation - both while still outside, and once they come inside as well - the more social cats teach the less social, and we can learn from this as well. When new cats have come into the main house here, I've always made it a point to pick up and hold another cat where the newcomers can see the interaction (usually through the French doors which divide the front receiving rooms and sun porch from the rest of the downstairs rooms), as cats do learn by observation. Watching another cat interact favourably with an Human will make even the most feral kitty more assured, and will speed their socialisation progress considerably.

The effects of your interaction with Hollister will almost doubtless be more far-reaching than you might have initially thought. Again, congratulations on your breakthrough.
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[kmbishop111]

M maggiedemi Candy has always been meticulous in her cleaning. I've seen her looking ragged very few times over the past couple of years. I have noticed her coat has a nicer sheen to it once I switched to grain free with the colonies!
M maggiedemi orange&white 1CatOverTheLine maybe I should refrain from further interaction hands on with this colony. It is a double edged sword and I certainly don't want them letting their guard down around other humans. After all, that fear has kept them safe this long? Still, it was such a nice feeling of love and trust to experience.

 

[orange&white]

That's a tough call. I've read that ferals often bond with one person only, their primary caregiver. I also worry about Misfit though. I've spent a lot of hours getting her to trust me, but I do fear that she'll trust some other human who may not have good intentions.

 

[maggiedemi]

I would keep petting them and showing them love. After almost 4 years, my 2 former ferals are still terrified of all strangers. They wouldn't go up to anyone and I don't think anybody would spend weeks trying to pet them. If someone wanted to hurt a feral, they would just grab them or trap them, they wouldn't waste time trying to pet them.

 

[kmbishop111]

orange&white and M maggiedemi So very true! I've already had a 30 sec petting session with Hollister again tonight anyway. Lol Ramon watched from a great distance with a very strange expression on his face. It really is something to almost see their brains and thought processes working. He was really, really putting some thought into what was happening before his very eyes. Lol I wish I could load a video. Grrrr....

 

[duckpond]

Very pretty cats! im glad they have you taking care of them!