Tom cat problems

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Letch

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It's been a few weeks now and I have a question. Does playing with a unsociable cat really help? Playtime ends with the cat running off with the toy and growling insanely. Not sure if this is the best thing.
 

susanm9006

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It's been a few weeks now and I have a question. Does playing with a unsociable cat really help? Playtime ends with the cat running off with the toy and growling insanely. Not sure if this is the best thing.
Yes it helps. And the cat running off with the toy and growling is just him pretending he has caught his prey and defending his catch. Just let him have it and he will leave it in a few minutes.
 
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Letch

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"There appears a growing consensus here that the current playtime regime should continue, so I have purchased some more toys for him to destroy today. I think we are making progress but there are still a lot of bad behaviours that need moderating
 

Dave Watchman

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Since he"s been home his problems are numerous like antisocial if you put food down he will growl while eating and lay into your leg if you hang around, peeing on the old mattress in his room and laying in it . So a beginners guide to pacifying angry cats would be appreciated
I'm also trying to tame a large black Tom cat on my back deck.

I notice a couple differences between yours and mine.

Yours does look like a very handsom cat, but I would agree with this:

(most true ferals are not aggressive so he probably started life as a pet)
My Tom is probably a true feral. Mine won't play. I wave a mouse on a stick around and he just doesn't get the plan.

Your cat is laying there like a house cat. Comfortable with his legs out.

My cat won't lay like that. My cat sits at attention. As soon as he hears me open the door to come out on the deck, he's ready to run. He won't bite if i try to pet him, he just looks surprised and runs away.

My cat is not evil. But everything is a surprise for him. My cat acts like he's never been pet, never been played with and never been touched by a human.

This is after 6 months.

So I bet you just need to be patient, and give him more time.

That's what I hope with mine.

But I wonder if I tame him for me, will he be tame for the Vet when I take him to be fixed?
 
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Letch

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Hi I thought I'd better consult with the experts again. My resident cat wants to socialize with the Tom cat that I'm trying to make friends with, Is that advisable considering the size difference ? also I tried to put a leash on the Tom cat so I could walk it outside and it went nuts and bit me again.
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fionasmom

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I would skip the leash for now. It is kind of you to want to give him some outdoor time, but just don't go there now. Acclimating a cat to a leash is a completely different subject and some do not take to it as well as others. He more than likely completely misunderstood what you were doing. I am not a person who considers taking a cat out on a leash to be essential to a good life, although I have had previous cats who could be put outside on a tieout with supervision, but not for many years.

Is your little guy afraid of him or just trying to play? I would continue to supervise but nothing looks traumatic in the picture.
 

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Hi I thought I'd better consult with the experts again. My resident cat wants to socialize with the Tom cat that I'm trying to make friends with, Is that advisable considering the size difference ? also I tried to put a leash on the Tom cat so I could walk it outside and it went nuts and bit me again.View attachment 346525View attachment 346527
I'm not an expert like the people on this forum, or a cat psychologist, but they look OK to me.

The big guy does not seem to be threatened by the kitty.

His eyes look relaxed, not dilated.

I would be more worried about the psychology of the little cat.

Make sure she has a safe place to go, and a bed and food dish of her own.

I'm going through a similar thing right now.

When my wild cat gets mad, the pupils of his eyes get big and dark.

He even scares me.

I can't believe how big and muscular a true feral cat's neck can get.

I know that he drags the rabbit carcasses over to the tree line.

My feral had been on his own for two or more years in winters that can get - 20 or more degrees Celsius.

My feral is still outside on the covered deck.

For now.

Good luck.
 
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Letch

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I would skip the leash for now. It is kind of you to want to give him some outdoor time, but just don't go there now. Acclimating a cat to a leash is a completely different subject and some do not take to it as well as others. He more than likely completely misunderstood what you were doing. I am not a person who considers taking a cat out on a leash to be essential to a good life, although I have had previous cats who could be put outside on a tieout with supervision, but not for many years.

Is your little guy afraid of him or just trying to play? I would continue to supervise but nothing looks traumatic in the picture.
I wanted to take him out on a leash to get him used to the area so when I let him out on his own he was more confident.
The two cats seem to want to play sometimes the smaller cat chase's the large one around the room which is rather amusing I am glad there is no valuables in that room to be destroyed
 
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Letch

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I would be more worried about the psychology of the little cat.

Make sure she has a safe place to go, and a bed and food dish of her own.
I don't leave the cats together all-day, only when the smaller wants to go in and I'm there to monitor the cameras in the room
I am hoping to get the big guy out in the garden in the not too distant future.
 
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Letch

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MISSION SUCCESS
After many months I have successfully relocated the large ginger Tom away from the dangers of the rail line and the electrified third rail to the relative safety of my back garden. I let him out when the weather was revolting so he would come back and now he comes and goes as he pleases and eats his meals at regular times .
Only hiccups were when I first let him out he vanished for a day and last week he murdered a pigeon and a squirrel, also I had to buy covers for my outside furniture because he tends to reverse up to everything and do a wee he seems to think he is a fire engine
 
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Letch

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O... M... G.

That is one big cat. Did you... did you get him in Giant Land?
The smaller female cat is 3.4 kg I have not been able to accurately weigh the ginger Tom. BTW he's got onto the roof today I'm going to discourage that when I find out how he gets up there.
 

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You're doing a wonderful thing helping this feral kitty. It takes a long time to gain their trust. Do you have a cat tree in the room he's staying in with a window? The last time I took in a feral, a cat tree with a window view helped a lot. Also, if you are able to try to engage him in any play (wand toys, or little soft mice or balls he can bat around) that may help with some of his aggression. Even if he won't interact with you in play, he will play when you aren't around. I'm sure you already have gotten him toys, just thought I'd throw that out there. The feral cat I mentioned previously exhibited quite a bit of aggression initially which I think was mostly fear based. He still has a lot of energy and benefits from play sessions with a dangling toy and does play on his own as well. Take heart - with time and patience he will slowly begin to trust you.
 
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Letch

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Did you manage to get him neutered? Granted, neutered cats may still spray but not as much, and at least it doesn't smell quite as bad, lol.
Nope not fixed yet only vet visit was a home visit because he damaged his face in the fox trap and that was a waste of money. When the vet arrived he said "what do you expect me to do you can't get near him" then told me he would be ok with no treatment and the home service is not for animals like that, they still charged me the £100.00 call out fee for doing nothing.

Priorities were get him away from the electrified rail line and then get him out of the spare room because mother is a little scared of him and thinks he would murder her old toothless male ginger cat, so I had to move him into the spare garage with his pee pee bed. Its a nice garage heating and flap so he can come and go.


I dread taking him to the vets
 

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Can you borrow/rent/buy a live trap? If you get him into that, the vet can sedate him through the bars and everybody would be a lot less stressed.
 

richo1

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Hi I thought I'd better consult with the experts again. My resident cat wants to socialize with the Tom cat that I'm trying to make friends with, Is that advisable considering the size difference ? also I tried to put a leash on the Tom cat so I could walk it outside and it went nuts and bit me again.View attachment 346525View attachment 346527
Is that for real, not Photoshopped ?
 

Sylvia Jones

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Getting him neutered will make a world of difference He will be much happier and so will the cats and humans around him. You just need a vet that knows and can handle the situation. In the picture he looks like he wants to be friends!
 
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Letch

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Is that for real, not Photoshopped ?
It's not been "Photoshopped" you can look at the image metadata, I wish it was Photoshopped then I wouldn't have to feed him 7 +100g cat food sachets each day in fact I don't know how much to feed him because he's mega greedy and the tends to eat everything I put down.
 
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