Taming Ferals

I feed about a dozen young feral kitties. These are true ferals, not
strays. They were born outside in the brush and have never been handled
by humans. I would like to bring a couple of them in and have them join
the family, but they are quite wary.

I can talk to them, and they talk back, and they know when feeding time
is and are always there, but when I take the food out, I can't get any
closer than about three feet or they will scatter.

Some of them seem real curious and friendly and will meow and roll
around on the ground, but if I try to approach they take off.

I have had pretty good luck befriending and adopting strays. It takes a
while, but I can usually get their trust. One stray, Fluffy, even moved
in and is now Queen of the house. But, she had lived with humans before
unlike these ferals who have never had and direct human contact.

Jo Firey...

Get hold of whatever group rescues and adopts cats out at the local PetCo
and Petsmart. That is how we got Molly. She already had a litter in the
oven when they trapped her so it was homes needed for five instead of just
one. Yes she is a true feral. She does her thing and we provide food and
shelter and a couple of grandsons that she loves to bits. Us she ignores
unless it is really cold and the boys aren't here. Then she will get up on
our bed after we go to sleep and get back up if we start to stir.

She will tap my face if the food bowl gets low.

The rescue groups will tell you how to trap them and where to get veterinary
care for them. Some feral are placed in homes. Others get their shots and
surgery and are released without being able to add to their population..

I think we got Molly thru Cat Moms

glsummer...

All I can tell you is that I took in and worked with a former feral,
Brando, who is now a loving lap cat of some 15 lbs. :-)

Check out Alley Cat Allies website, for one.

What I did was trap Brando with a Hav-A-Heart trap, keep him in cages
for awhile (this may sound cruel, but they actually feel safer this
way), fed him off a spoon and then my hand, and slowly, he started
associating me with "good things" (i.e., food), and eventually, he
allowed me to pet him, followed by starting to purr. It was one of
the most rewarding things I've ever done, and I am so happy I did.

Best of luck to you.

Ginger-lyn

Home Pages:
Animals in Movies Website)

polonca12000...

I would like to thank each and everyone who is doing such a great job
taking in the ferals; it requires a lot of patience and perseverance.

Steve Touchstone...

Yes, loads of patience, but definitely worth it. Rocky provided me
with lots of joy with his first leap into my lap, first real purrs,
learning to play with toys, etc - heck even learning what a litterbox
was and turning finicky at the food bowl. That's not to say he was
completely socialised. When he crossed the Bridge he had not yet
learned not to use his claws when kneading, and still looked sort of
like a horse being picked up by a helicopter - all stiff legged and
bug eyed.

Best wishes,
Polonca and Soncek (semi-feral)

Jo Firey...

We really did it as kind of a compromise. Charlie is bound and determined to
allow our cats out. Adult ferals often object strenuously to being kept in.
So Molly is happy and he is happy. She gets good food, love shelter and
vet care. I don't feel as guilty as I would letting a tame kitten out to
defend itself.