What to expect when trying to integrate a feral?

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Traci and Boomer

Traci and Boomer

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My BF Dave has had a cat in his house now for about 1.5 months. Dave had been feeding Cruiser (young male) for about a year outside and then captured him and had him neutered and got him his shots. He's been indoors ever since. Dave doesn't have an ideal place for this type of situation. He lives with other people and there is no empty "cat room". Dave also has another rescue and youngish female Patches. Patches and Cruiser and friends but not close. They will sniff noses but they don't play together or do much together. They knew each other outside. Not sure if Cruiser knows how to play.

Anyway, the story is that Cruiser has been under the bed all this time. He only comes out at night and it's a cautious sneaking around when he thinks the humans are sleeping. He will let Dave pet him under the bed but sometimes he scratches Dave. Dave had good luck with Patches; she was a TNR cat but now she's a lap cat. Cruiser isn't as easy...he's not social and Dave doesn't know how to get him more social. He visits him but it's hard to pet him under the bed. He's been trying to play with him and Patches under the bed with the want toy. Patches plays - not sure if Cruiser does. I don't think so.

Dave called Alley Cat Allies and they told him that Cruiser should be an outdoor cat and that he's feral and being inside is stressing him out and could cause him to get an illness like respiratory disease. Dave was very upset and confused to hear this. It's VERY cold out.

What do you guys think? Should Dave be patient? Is he "harming" Cruiser by keeping him in? Should he try to take Cruiser out from under the bed? I don't know what to suggest because although all my cats have been rescues, none of them acted like this.
 
Traci,
He may need the safety of under the bed for a while and may never become a lap cat. I disagree with putting ANY cat out in the cold in the winter, especially one that's become acclimated to indoor temps. Having fur doesn't necessarily mean 'warm'. That was the person's opinion at AlleyCats...this above is mine.... :-D

HUGS
 
First let me start by saying it is NOT hurting Cruiser to keep him inside - I'm actually kind of shocked that Ally Cat would say that!! I volunteer at an animal shelter 5 days a week for many years and have worked with may ferals or semi-ferals (which it sounds like what Cruiser is). If Dave is able to pat Cruiser at all then I would call him semi feral cause if he was a complete feral you wouldn't be able to get near him. At the shelter I volunteer at we have feral cats that live in our cat adoption room and have lived there happily for years in some cases we also have a tnr program if the people that live at the house are willing to feed and recatch for shots.

1.5 months is not a long time to be working with a cat - some scardy cats can take longer than that to settle in. Sounds like he is doing everything right, I think Cruiser just needs more time. Although Cruiser may never turn into a lap cat over time he will settle in and realize that no one is gonna hurt him and start to come out more often. I would say just have Dave continue what he is doing - trying to play, pat him even if under the bed, give treats under the bed. I wouldn't suggest trying to take him out from under the bed because then he will just be even more scared and may not let Dave near him anymore.

Thanks to you and Dave for taking care of the ferals, which are the often ignored population of kittys!!

Sharon
 
Traci,

I have several former ferals here, males do seem to take longer to come around than females but they do eventually come around. Crusier may never be a lap cat but then again I have a couple here that have always lived inside that aren't really lap cats. Some cats just are and others aren't.

Dave is in no way hurting Crusier by keeping him inside, he is much more likely to become ill out in the cold than he is inside. Like the others have said sounds like Dave is doing everything right it just takes time and patience. Just take baby steps, find a treat that Cruiser really likes, start by tossing it to him under the bed, then tossing it closer and closer to the edge, everytime he gets a little closer talk softly to him and tell him what a good boy he is, and how no one wants to hurt him. Eventually he will figure out that treats come from humans and no one is going to try to hurt him or grab him. Once he will gets use to being close to you or Dave try setting the treat in your lap or in your hand. Just let him take the lead and go at his own pace.

Talk soft and move slow, and if he shows any fear let him take a step back and just keep working with him. It might also help to just hang out in the room with him, even if he is under the bed. That way he will see that you aren't a threat.

Mel, Maxwell, Musette & The Fur Gang
 
I have tamed quite a few ferral cats in my day
It takes lots of time...
all you need is patience,
one of my ferrals, Sofie, I had to let back out for a period of time as she slmost got me kicked out
but I still fed her outside and slowly talked to her everyday until I was able to catch her again
and keep her inside without howling out the window every night.
It sounds like Dave is doing a great job if he is able to pet under, even if it is under the bed
just give him lots fo time because it sounds like he will come around.
It is all about trust...as long as Dave continues to talk and feed him I think there is tons of hope
and no he is not hurting him...
Good luck
 
fwiw, Mousie lived in a small crate for the first 2 weeks after we trapped her with an injured leg out on the streets. the vet wanted to see her 2 weeks after the initial visit to assess how her torn ligament in her leg was healing and we'd "go from there". well, stupid me, i figured i could assess it so one day i opened the door on the crate. she of course would not come out. i sat back quietly and waited patiently. wellllllll, eventually she poked her head out, took a quick look to her right and sure enough, darted under the bed. i saw her once or twice over the next month or so. in the middle of the night, when she'd sneak out from under there to eat. god forbid she hear you stirring though because she would dart back under the bed.

anyhow, my point is that Mousie was on the streets for 4-5 months, got trapped by us, came into my house, lived under the bed for quite some time, and now wanders around as if she is the queen of the jungle here. no, she'll never be a lap cat but she's warm, has steady meals, and gets whatever she needs when she needs it without having to fear for her life to get it. i say keep kitty in, as long as kitty is not overly violent. he'll come around. :-)
 
Thanks everyone for your input....it's very helpful. Like I said, Dave was very put off by what the AlleyCat lady said and it made him feel guilty....almost like he was hurting Crusier by forcing him to be inside when he really wanted to be "free" outside. Dave has more patience with pets than anyone I know (certainly me! :lol: ) so he can do this but he just wanted to make sure he wasn't doing something wrong.
I'll have him read this thread.
 
Hi, Traci ~

Dave is wonderful for feeding Cruiser outdoors for so long and for having the patience to gain Cruiser's trust. And you're great, too, for trying to help Dave with Cruiser.

Four of our current six cats were unneutered male strays that appeared in our back yard over the past five years. From our experience, unneutered male cats can revert fairly quickly to a semi-feral state when abandoned outdoors as three of our four had. We've never trapped and neutered a male cat and then kept him indoors. For us, it's been a more gradual process. First, feeding the cat for awhile outside as Dave has done with Cruiser, slowy moving the feeding station closer to the back door, and after many months, propping open the back screen door and letting the cat eat in the doorway if he will. After that, we've moved the food dish farther inside the kitchen to encourage the cat to eat in the kitchen and get used to being inside for a brief period of time, going back outdoors after eating. As this process was happening, we were continuing to try to touch the cat and, over time, were able to start petting the cat. Only after the cat had become somewhat acclimated to the indoors did we move him inside and have him neutered. And even then, still not an easy process...

Butters, our sweet diabetic cat, is one of the four cats I've been talking about. We moved him indoors on Christmas Eve of 2006, a Christmas gift to ourselves, my husband and I always say :smile: . We would not have moved him in so quickly, but my husband noticed that Butters had an injured foot when he came inside to eat. My husband said we couldn't let Butters out again in the freezing, snowy weather. We took Butters to our vet for treatment of his injured foot and to discuss neutering. Our vet told us that Butters had been attacked by some animal, maybe a raccoon, and that he had a bad abscess that went all the way through one of his paws. But what made it even worse is that our vet wouldn't neuter Butters until the abscess had healed. Talk about a very stressful, yowly three weeks...Butters panicked indoors. He would throw himself against the back door trying to get out. We kept him in a room in our basement at night, and Butters would throw himself against the basement window trying to get out. My husband put a towel over the window so Butters wouldn't hurt himself trying to get out. If Butters hadn't had an injured foot, we would have released him and let him spend some time outdoors.

Butters has become one of the gentlest, dearest of cats since he's found us. He's the mediator of disputes among the other cats. He loves my husband and me, and he even grooms my husband's beard :-D . But, again, if he'd not had a badly injured paw in 2006, we would not have forced him to stay inside. We would have tried to make that a more gradual, easier transition for both Butters and ourselves.

For the past two years, we've been feeding another outdoor kitty that we call Papaya. Even though we keep trying, we cannot pet or handle Papaya. We will not trap and neuter him, even though we do worry about his spending our frigid Chicago area winters outdoors. We have two insulated outdoor cat houses, outdoor heating pads, and heated feeding bowls for Papaya and any other outdoor strays that come our way.

Traci, I guess what I'm respectfully and gently saying is that Dave may make the decision to let Cruiser spend some time outdoors...if that becomes the best option for the two of them. If Dave does, that could still work out well for him and Cruiser. Now that Cruiser has been neutered and has a strong bond with Dave, he'll hang around and stay with Dave.

Take care,
Eva
 
Hi Eva-

Thank you so much for your story! You write so well...I was engrossed.

You've had some great successes with your cats. Thank you for saving them all.

Dave did some of the stuff you mentioned with Patches....feeding at the door, heated beds, insulated houses outside. She took to all of it and eventually came in. Cruiser never used any of it. He'd eat and take off, hence the name Cruiser. Dave will try anything. Since it had been about a year (or more) and winter was coming Dave decided to trap him because he didn't want Cruiser to be outside for another figid winter. Dave knew that in order to have Cruiser inside that he'd have to be fixed. Dave's got a vet friend who did everything for a very reduced fee. Since being in the house Cruiser has sat in the windows and Dave thinks he does want to get out, but he hasn't done anything like throw himself against the window. We had heard that some cats do that and I am so glad that didn't happen! How sad that must be to see!!!

Maybe when winter is over and if things haven't gotten better Dave may consider letting him out again. Dave's very nervous of losing Cruiser and never seeing him again. I'll bet that won't happen but you never know.
 
Hi, Traci ~

Another thing that I forgot to mention is that it's taken from three to four months for our male cats to settle down after being neutered. Butters would attack a couple of our other cats if we didn't watch him carefully. But that stopped after a few months. Maybe Cruiser will adapt to being indoors better in a couple more months, too. It just takes time...something Dave so beautifully has the patience to give!

Keep us updated, Traci. I'd love to hear how things are going with Dave and Cruiser.

Eva

P.S. Butters has no desire to go outside at all anymore. A couple of our others escape every chance they get :smile: (which isn't often and they're microchipped). Wish we had an enclosed area so we could let our cats outside in the spring and summer.
 
HI Traci
I love Dave. I hope you both get married!

Well I know nothing about ferals but have had a variety of fosters including one very growly-scratchy-hissy Abyssinian whom I saved from death row at the shelter. He's failed 4 interviews because of his growling and hissing every time someone has come to meet him. The first month he was under the bed or in the closet and only snuck out to eat or use the litter. The second month he came out on occasion to socialize--sort of. Still growly, etc. Now, the thrid month, he's made friends with one of my cats and now his hangout spot is the couch. I do pick him up and kiss his head as often as I can--to force a little love on him and get him used to it and not feel threatened by it. But I still get the occasional attack for my efforts! But with kitty growls, bites and scratches I find they are never actually vicious, only defnesive and they never really are trying to kill your or anything, so I don't get mad, hurt upset or yell at him when he does these things. I'm just gentle back to him. I have a feeling his former owner who dumped him at the shelter WAS mean to him, or someone in the household was because a raised hand to pet him would provoke his striking out and hissing. Now, not so much...so this isn't a feral,and I'm sure a feral is a longer challenge, but sounds like Dave is doing the exact right thing, and this kitty is absolutely better off being indoors even if it takes a really long time for him to adapt. Once he does he'll get to feel warm, cozy, safe, secure and if he'll accept it--LOVED. We all know that this is what makes kitties happy.

good luck!
Martica
 
Just wanted to tell you all that your posts really inspired Dave to keep at it with Cruiser. Dave said that he does go in the window and paw at it sometimes and it makes Dave very sad....but....given that it is absolutely frigid here Dave has decided that there is no way Cruiser is going out in the winter.

Patches and Cruiser are Dave's first cats, btw. He's a dog guy (with no dogs at the moment) so he's learning about cats from Merlin, Trinket and Patches and Cruiser. My cats told the animal communicator that they look forward to him coming over. He's very good about playing with them. This is Cruiser the day he got trapped - 11-26-2011....so it's only been a little over a month!

 
Martica and Fred said:
HI Traci
I love Dave. I hope you both get married!
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Awww....me too!! :lol:

Good story about your Aby. Very nice of you to foster cats. I'd like to do that myself someday when I have a bigger place again.

Is your avitar Fred? He's gorgeous. Is he a meezer? Lilac? Tell me more about him.
I was told Trinket's a lilac point-she's really a mix of blue and maybe lilac. She has pink and gray paw pads and blue points have gray pads....she's very sweet, one of the nicest cats I've ever had.
 
My avatar is my baby Fred. I've never loved anyone or anything more, or felt more loved. He was 20 when he died last Oct 2010. I know I was lucky but even 6 more months would have been better. But oh well....now I have new cats, none of them are Fred. My I'm now saving baby kitties so that makes me feel good. Fred was a Blue Burmese, a purebred. I got him before I knew how important it was to get rescues. I didn't get him from a breeder though, but from a woman in the neighborhood who purposely got her cat pregnant with a breeders purebred and then kept 3 of the babies and I took 2. Fred's brother, Artichoke died at 14, way too young.

It sounds like there is def. hope for this under the bed kitty!
 
Traci -- "This is Cruiser the day he got trapped - 11-26-2011....so it's only been a little over a month!" -- Oh, what a love bunny Cruiser looks like, Traci. With Dave's love and patience, I just have a good feeling that Cruiser will come around to being indoors. It does take time...and "a little over a month" is a very short time. Will be looking forward to hearing how Dave and Cruiser are doing two months from now. Dave is a very special man, and a dog guy at that, to take in two dear, but challenging, kitties like Patches and Cruiser. Traci, please thank Dave from all of us.

Martica -- Something you wrote reminded me of an evening with Butters when he was still wild and outdoors. "But with kitty growls, bites and scratches I find they are never actually vicious, only defnesive and they never really are trying to kill your or anything" -- One night I was outside spending time with Butters, petting him a little when he'd let me. There was some event going on in the neighborhood with lots of cars parked near our house and many people walking up and down the sidewalk by our house. Butters freaked out and attacked me. He grabbed onto and hung on my arms with his claws. He was biting and scratching at me. But I knew he wasn't really attacking me...he was attacking whatever he was afraid of around him at the time. I also knew that I couldn't throw him off me. I just had to be still until Butters calmed down and let go, or we'd have a real setback in how far we'd come with him. My arm was pretty messed up, nothing serious though, and Butters was fairly quickly back to his usual gentler self. Oh, what we go through with those kitties, but it's SO worth it. And Martica, thank you for taking in little Sebastian (formerly known as Shane), and I'm so sorry for your loss of your furbabies, Fred and Artichoke.

Hope you have a good day,
Eva
 
Martica-

Fred is a stunning cat. Artichoke is such a funny name!
I'm really impressed that Fred lived to be 20. Gosh-I hope I get lucky with my cats. My last two passed at age 3 and the oldest cat I've ever had was about 12 or 13.
 
Hi all, this is Dave here. Thank you all so much for the kind words and words of encouragement and advice, they are well heeded. :razz: I am sure we will have updates on Cruiser and Patches for you. I rescued Patches who was a TNR (clipped ear) and now she is a great lil Calico house cat that has the option to go outside and come back in, she is a real challenge to get back inside during the summer, but now that it is winter she stays out about two minutes and comes back in.

As for Cruiser, his body language outside was hyper-viginlant; ears always turning, eyes looking everywhere. He was very wary of me but as Traci said, I got to the point where I could hand feed him deli turkey. So luckily I got him TN'd by my friend, she actually let me sit in on the procedure which was very intriguing. It took a boatload of anasthaesia to put him under. I got him the works: rabies plus other vaccines and full bloodwork, all negative. Anyway fast forward to present, he stays under the bed during the day on a blanket. He is eating, drinking and using the LB. He and Patches are amicable though not very interactive together. When she is around he makes this strange chirp noise, I have never heard it before, but it is a type of greeting I believe. When I go in there I always bring Patches in to ease him and she goes under the bed but not for very long. At first, Cruiser would take my petting but then he didn't really take it and would hiss and swat at me, my hand is a bit scarred right now. :o But now he is not as nervous with my hand, he won't take the petting usually but he will back off or just swat me but not as badly. He is not hyper-vigilant like he was outside. When I lay next to the bed he will either stay there or move a bit away from me. Sometimes he will go out from under the bed on the opposite side from me and got to the LB or go up on a night-stand and paw at the window. But if I get up from laying down, <whoosh>, back under the bed he goes. He is pretty active at night, I do stuff on the computer, and I can tell he is walking around b/c I have one of those cheap driveway infrared detectors that tells me he is active. But for the most part I don't know what he is doing, I don't actually see him and if he sees me or hears me, <whoosh>, back to the safe spot. So he is definitely a "scaredy cat" right now. I guess, as some of you suggest, that it will take some time, encouragement, patience, and re-programming. As Traci had mentioned I spoke with ACA and they recommended a short re-introduction period to outside and then releasing him. They said he could get respiratory distress from being under stress indoors. But, releasing him right now is not gonna happen on my watch; it is dead winter and there are predators around. He is safe, warm, and not hyper-vigilant. Anyways, thanks again for your encouragement and reading this long thread! :-D
 
Cruiser may wind up a satellite cat - around you, but not on you.

Best Friends wrote the linked PDF - Socializing Very Shy or Fearful Cats.pdf - there may be some ideas in there you could use. I've followed some of them with Moppet, the poorly socialized half sister of my civvie Tux. A friend of mine took her after we trapped them at 4 months and had them altered. She thought Moppet was pretty ... but didn't keep working with her, so Moppet remained semi-feral. Tux, however, is momma's lap cat any time the lap is available.

When my friend was going to move, she couldn't handle Moppet and was going to take her to the Humane society ... where she would have been euthanized. The local no kill group is always full. And while a neighbor was still feeding the strays on the street, after 5 years absence, Moppet being dumped back out would likely have been killed by other cats. Sooo... I said I found someone to work with her, then took her in and began working with her. Its been a couple years and now Moppet sleeps on my bed. She hates to be picked up, but won't maul me if I do it for a minute or two.
 
BJ,
Thank you so much for this attachment. This is by far the best advice/guidance I have received from any forum or cat group. Being a dog guy, I should have known best where to look first.....Best Friends!
Thanks again,
Dave
 
You have gotten good advice already on this thread. Unfortunately, ACA would be right IF!! IF!! Cruiser was hurting himself trying to get out, or was running around hissing and growling and yowling etc.. but it sounds like hes tamed down quite a bit.

Now, the under the bed thing.. When my shelter adopts out former feral kittens, we always advise the first room be one without a bed, or a bed that they cant get under, or any furniture where getting them out would be hard. Not always possible I know. Mainly this is because you want to work on socializing them, but its very hard to see what the body language is under the bed. Are they about to swat/bite? Do they enjoy petting?

The older the cat is when you start socializing, the slower it will go/harder it will be. for a kitten, I would say yes, pull him out from under the bed.. but at Cruisers age, that will probably backfire.

Petting.. ok if he is still swatting sometimes, try petting him with a back scratcher. We use wooden dowels with fuzzy balls (you find at arts and crafts stores) glued to the end (non toxic glue) They get used to the feeling of petting and gradually you can replace it with your hand. I would also mention that the swatting may not be directly related to being feral, but be something like overstimulation ie: too much petting at once. Its also known as petting aggression. I have observed that former feral kittens, and adults seem to have more issues with overstimulation. I attribute this to the fact that they have less experience with being petted and when they get worked up they dont know what to do with that feeling. Any cat can overstimulate..I just find it more common among former ferals.

Pair the petting sessions with a treat of something good, a lick of babyfood, a fishy treat. Feral cats sometimes do not know how to play, so keep playing with Patches, he may figure it out. Find smaller less threatening toys for Cruiser. They make smaller wand toys with feathers, but try to find a wand with smaller feathers or a small object on the end. Do more "floor" work, not so much over the head with toy.

Make mental notes about the petting. When is the swatting likely.. after a certain time? After a certain place is touched? Some scared/shy cats prefer "drive bys" where they walk past for a pet and then go to their hiding place. Make sure you allow him to leave you to go to a safe space, like under the bed if he wants.
You done Good Dave!!!
 
Thank you Lisa- I just saw your comments and copied and pasted them into an email for Dave. He's been watching videos in the room Cruiser is in and trying to interact with him more. There is literally no room without "stuff" in it where he lives. If/when we get a place together I will make sure there is a room for this purpose!
 
Sometimes bribery works - I just tried low sodium cooked turkey breast with civvie Mason (trapped on my patio around October-ish) and he came out of his crate to snatch bites while I held the turkey!! Let the socializing begin!
 
Hi, Traci ~

How are Dave and Cruiser doing now? Has Cruiser settled in a little more? Please let Dave know that I've been thinking about them.

Eva
 
HI there - just wanted to say "Thank you" to Dave for taking Cruiser in and working with him. My hubby was also mostly dog person but he switched teams after moving in with me. He is now a confirmed cat guy - he says he finds dogs completely "uncivilized" LOL. As far as lap cat - Cruiser may never be that. My cat, Emma, has been indoors all her life and we've had her since she was 8 weeks old - she has never been a lap cat. She'll lay next to my hubby's leg or arm but never the lap. Jan
 
Eva & Butters & 5 Others said:
Hi, Traci ~

How are Dave and Cruiser doing now? Has Cruiser settled in a little more? Please let Dave know that I've been thinking about them.

Eva
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Hi Eva-

You are so sweet! Dave emailed me today saying that he was able to get Cruiser to play with the wand toy I gave him Monday. This makes Dave feel like maybe Cruiser is happy and that he has a fun side. Dave still feels bad (I think) that Cruiser isn't able to be free outside. The temps here are getting colder though we've had a mild winter. Dave continues to work with him. He's got a TON of patience and will not give up on him! Thanks for asking.
 
nwnews said:
HI there - just wanted to say "Thank you" to Dave for taking Cruiser in and working with him. My hubby was also mostly dog person but he switched teams after moving in with me. He is now a confirmed cat guy - he says he finds dogs completely "uncivilized" LOL. As far as lap cat - Cruiser may never be that. My cat, Emma, has been indoors all her life and we've had her since she was 8 weeks old - she has never been a lap cat. She'll lay next to my hubby's leg or arm but never the lap. Jan
Click to expand...

I emailed Dave to show him your post and Eva's. I don't know that Dave will ever be a confirmed cat guy :lol: but I'd sure like it. He likes my cats and his but I think dogs are his true loves. I personally have never owned a dog and when I met Dave's dogs (both GA now) they were very old and cranky. Maybe someday we'll get a drooler together who likes cats!
 
I've worked with many feral and semi-feral cats in the past--in fact all but one of my five cats was a feral kitten that I took in. I have mixed feelings about taming ferals. On a personal level, I have done it successfully and would do it again in a slow, gentle way if a cat came my way who wanted to be tamed . . . So, I applaud your dedication, Dave, and say, yes, go for it if your heart tells you to.

Here's why I have mixed feelings though. I was the care-taker of a feral colony for many years with the help of a local volunteer rescue group. When we could capture the kittens at a very young age, we took them in and tamed them -- most became very adoptable and were adopted--but it took a long time and so many of us burned out in the process. Our adoption rates were dismal, also. It was such a long hard process to find homes for our shy kitties (thus, my five cats). We also sometimes took in the semi-feral adults with the same results. After many years, we decided that it wasn't a good use of our rescue groups resources. Taming took so long and so much energy and so much money. We decided after some agonizing discussions that we could help more cats in need with fewer resources if we restricted our work with ferals to TNR and our fostering/adoption work with the friendliest, cutest cats imaginable that were scheduled to be PTS at the local shelter. Our adoption rates have sky-rocketed and the euthanasia rate at the local shelter has gone down significantly. We help so many more kitties with so much less effort. Our adoptee and adopters are very happy and so are our growing ranks of volunteers. Our group is thriving and we are helping a lot more kitties.

Alley Cats is a great organization, but they sometimes forget the difference between their fixed, fed and sheltered feral colonies and the reality of life as a feral for so many. Ferals that are healthy and well-fed in a colony and have access to good shelter are happier staying outside even in the cold weather. I would never try to tame one. Why, when the cat is happy and other very friendly, healthy cats who need my help are being PTS every minute? Semi-feral kitties are a different story. They may be happier outdoors or inside with you . . . that's a tough call. In this case, I let the animal make the decision. If he keeps getting closer to me and eventually allows me to pet him, I pet him. I make sure he has good shelter and good food. I trap him and get him fixed. Every cat that I have done this for has eventually become a lap cat and was adopted. On the other hand, ferals that do not have adequate food or shelter often lead miserable lives. Bringing them inside replaces one misery with another, but the difference is the cat may eventually settle down and be quite happy living inside. Cruiser sounds like he's semi-feral. He may be stressed but eventually you will probably have a happy to be inside cat on your hands. Also, if he didn't have adequate shelter or food outside, a semi-feral is probably best coming inside.

This is a personal call. Don't let Alley Cats make it for you. Do what you think is best for this cat and just do your best. It will be good enough.
 
Hi Heidi-

Wow. Thank you for taking the time to write. Thanks also for all your hard work for our feline friends out there who need help. Neither Dave nor I have experience with this so it's great to get these posts. I will email it to him tonight.

He's a little down because he thinks Cruiser "has a long way to go" but he is making progress. He had never played before and he is now. The thing is that he stays mostly under the bed all day. That's gotta suck. Because of Dav'es living arrangements there really is no other way.

He's considered putting Cruiser in a crate in his bedroom so that he could get used to seeing more people. I though inclosing him at this point might be a bad idea. Is it better to keep him in a room that has no foot traffic or a crate? It's a tough call.
 
I had to move and was feeding 3 semi ferals outside for a couple of years. So, I took them with me. They were tough to trap for the 2nd time, but they were moving too!
Now 2 of them , blended in rather smoothly with my other three cats.
I remember the first snow storm after they had come inside, I was so happy they weren't outside.

Momma cat was a toughie. She hid, she ran when I walked into a room. It did take a long time for her to stop doing that. But if Dave continues to work with Cruiser it shouldn't be long before he comes around.
Now Momma cat gives me bellies!
P.S. Momma still sleeps under a chair where she used to hide.
I wouldn't crate him, he might feel like he is in jail. Just my thoughts.
Momma also was under things alot, I put in a few floor to ceiling cat trees and a window perch and she loves them.
Good luck! Cruiser is a lucky man!!
 
Hi Traci! I've been AWOL from FDMB for a while, and just happened upon your post today. Please tell Dave that he has another person who thinks that he is awesome for helping little Cruiser out!

There are a few semi-ferels in my neighborhood and my neighbor has been taking care of them. They usually won't come in my yard because of the drooler, but occasionally one will run across the deck really fast, lol. Of course there was that odd one who happened to make his way into my garage one day last winter (sometime in February), and refused to come out.

I just so happened to realize that I had a cat somewhere in there because one day, I opened up the garage door and there was the evidence right behind my car....a pile of poo. You can imagine the look on my face when I saw this. Of course I didn't realize it was cat poo at the time, I thought that maybe a racoon had gotten into the garage some how (I don't know what racoon poo looks like, but hey, that to me was more logical than cat poo, lol). So, I searched and searched and found not entry/exit from the garage and just shook my head and went about my business. The next day....well there in almost the same spot, was another pile of poo. The mystery began...and I once again started to search for entry/exit ways...but no, there was none, never was. The next day I noticed that the baggies of dog food I usually kept in the garage for when I took the drooler down to the dog park were laying on the garage floor, chewed open and half gone. Ah ha moment....whatever was in there is still in there. But there was no noise no nothing...couldn't see anything....hummmmmmmmmm.
Then that night when I was coming home from, I saw this shadow of what appeared to be a cat running from one side of the garage to the other...Another ah ha moment....there is a cat in here...hummmmmmm, what to do, what to do......So, I promptly went into the house, got a dish of kitty food, a bowl of water, and a litter box and put it in the garage. I figured he could stay in the garage for the winter, he seemed to be pretty relaxed and comfortable there because he didn't try to get out. I decided to put the food dish by the back door of the garage where I could peak through the window to see what the kitty looked like. I didn't peak for about two weeks. I thought that would give the kitty some time to get used to going to that particular place to eat and drink and feel comfortable. Then one day, I snuck around the back of the garage and peaked through the window and there he was, the cutest little orinch kitty! I was very still, just watching him. I could tell he was nervous about being out in the open because he kept looking to the left and to the right, making sure nothing was sneaking up on him. He did that for about 3 minutes and then looked up and saw me looking at him...then whoosh...away he ran. Oh, well, I thought...I'll check on him in another day or two. He must have known when I was there because I could see him peaking from under my mom's car and he wouldn't come out to eat, so I just left him alone for a while. Eventually, I went back again. Still he wouldn't come out if I was there, so I decided one day to just feed him in the evening (he was eating twice a day at that time), just for that one day, maybe he'll be hungry enough to come out. Well, that worked! So I did this for about another week and he became comfortable with me watching him (I then put him back on his twice a day feeding schedule).

At the May, I made plans to do a TNR an dborrowed a trap from Marjorie (and Tigger), got him trapped and off he went. When I went to pick him up, the informed me that I had to keep him calm and quiet for at least two days....so I decided that my car would be parked in the drive way and I got a table and my droolers first crate and put it on top of the table. I set it up nice with food/water/litterbox and left the cat go. Wellllll, let me tell you...he was trying to get out of that kennel any way he could...I almost cried because I didn't want him to hurt himself, but he was banging and banging against the bars, so I put a cover over the kennel and he quieted down. I left him alone for the majority of the day, just checking by peaking under the cover and he seemed quiet and wasn't trying to escape. The next day I went into the garage and just started to talk to him w/o touching the kennel. I did this for a little bit and then took the cover off just enough so that he could see out the front and I could reach in and change his litter and give frest water/food. Well, to make a long story short.....I decided that I wanted to keep this little orinch cat that I named GeeCee (G for garage C for cat, lol) and began a slow slow process of trying to get him used to me. I would go into the garage at least twice a day, sit in front of the kennel and talk to him, or read a book, just so he could get used to seeing me. I then moved the chair closer to the kennel. It took me a while for him to come out of the back corner and come to to wiggling fingers to rub his head. I did this probably for about two months.....I kept him in the kennel so that he wouldn't run and hide whereever his hiding place was. I wanted him to get used to me before I opened the door. We eventually worked up to me opening the kennel door and he would come out and sit on my lap. He never tried to jump down and run. One day I did put him on the floor and he just stood there and jumped back into my lap. Then one day I put him down and he ran to where I realized was his hidey hole. Since he was used to me, I didn't have a hard time getting him from the hole.

At the beginning of July I was going on a cruise and I was having a friend of mine house/pet sit for me. It was also very very hot outside and inside that garage, so I decided to take him into the house. I have a spare room on the lower level, so I put him in a carrier and took him down there. He promptly ran and hid under the bed. I could not get him out and I didn't want to stress him out either. So I went to the garage, got the table and the kennel and set him up downstairs. I covered him up and he seemed to be ok. He was like that until I got home from my cruise and then I started to just open up the kennel door to let him come and go as he pleased. Did this for a few weeks, then took out the table and kennel. He stayed mostly under the bed, but I would still spend as much time w/him and play with some of his toys. I noticed that he liked playing with his toys :). Eventually I opened up the bedroom door and gave him free range of the lower level for a few weeks, then he became one of the family when he decided he no longer wanted to stay downstair by himself.

He has adjusted well from being a ferel to a semi ferel to a garage cat to a house cat. He plays with the other cats and he just loves the drooler. Every chance he gets he goes and rubs on her and tries to get her to play with him (she's not very open to playing with a cat, lol, but she will give him a few seconds of her time like a good sister should). He is "my" cat...doesn't go much for visitors or my mom. Some nights he sleeps between my feet, others he sleeps on my recliner. He purrs, he plays, he's happy.

This whole process took at least 7 months. It takes patience and perserveriance. Sounds like Dave has those, so he will be able to bring the Cruiser around!
Keep us informed on the progress, I'll make sure I drop into FDMB to check up on you guys! Good Luck!!!

ps...sorry this was so long, but it's 7 months experience in a "nutshell", lol
 
Hi Peggy-

I responded to you but it never got posted. angry(2)_cat
It's awesome that you moved your ferals with you. Lucky cats. I'm so glad Momma Cat came around. It'a a lot of work but very gratifying to have saved them all!!! Good work.
 
You might want to put a crate under the bed for him. Many ferals like the comfort they get from a tight spot. But I wouldn't actually crate him and force him to see people. Much better to let him make the choice slowly as he's ready.
My three best tricks:
Close him in a room with a happy, friendly playful cat who will give him company and eventually entice him out from under the bed to play. Cruiser is much more likely to come out in the middle of a romp and chase with another young cat than by himself and any brief, safe excursion out from under the bed will help the taming process. Also, you other cat will model behavior. Sit on the floor with your friendly kitty and give him a love fest where Cruiser is sure to see it from his safe spot under the bed.

Play with your kitty in front of Cruiser using a string. Let your kitty chase it, then occasionally dangle it closer and closer to Cruiser (as long as he doesn't seem traumatized by this). Eventually he will pounce. Then he will freak out and get even further under the bed, but you're a step closer!

Once you feel like he's had time to get used to your room (2-3 weeks) start the tough love feeding routine. Put the food down and walk across to the other side of the room. Sit there as quietly as possible and wait for him to come out and eat. If he doesn't, remove about 50- 75% of the food, leave the water, and leave the room. Do this again at the next feeding and the next. Try some really yummy treat! You aren't completely starving him. He's still getting some food, but eventually he will be hungry enough and trusting enough to know that you are the one bringing the food and you sit still and don't come to close. Once he comes out and eats, don't move. Let him eat. After you are sure he's eaten well for three or four meals, slowly start coming closer. This process can take weeks or months. Eventually he will let you close enough to him to pet him while he eats. He may purr and really enjoy it. He will still run back under the bed and may not let you near him again for awhile--but each positive encounter builds on the next.

Hope one of these works for you.
Heidi and former feral, Frodo
(with his other formal feral friends, Charlie, Merry and Sampson, and then that pesky stray kitten, Pippin, that demanded to be picked up now and taken inside for some food--then let it be known he was staying!)
 
Okay - more food for thought. I'll tell him he's got another post on his thread!!!
I will have him come on and post an update this weekend!
 
Okay - more food for thought. I'll tell him he's got another post on his thread!!!
I will have him come on and post an update this weekend!
 
Here's a little update I got from Dave about Cruiser:

"I spent some solid time in there with Cruiser and Patches. He is much more comfortable with her in there than just me. He will sit on the hamper for quite a while as long as he can see her. He seems to be getting used to the idea that she is not afraid of me, I hope anyway. For some weird reason he is not eating tuna, or deli turkey or beef broth from a roast. It's kinda wierd. Sometimes he will eat the turkey if I leave it for a while."

Cruiser used to gobble down deli turkey....he loved it. Now he doesn't seem enthused any more. At night Cruiser will explore the house when everyone (but Dave) is sleeping. I told him to try to play with Patches and lavish attention on her in front of Cruiser to entice him.

Dave will be over here tomorrow and I'll have him use my login to post to this thread. Thanks everyone for your help. He's amazed at the response. And I said "See? I told you" :lol:
 
Sounds like some progress! Wonder why the deli turkey isn't working for him now...Maybe he's a little nervous and that is showing in his appetite. Is Cruiser eating at all, not just nibbling?
 
Dave playing with Patches with Cruiser watching WILL likely help. I couldn't ever pet Peanut (GA) - 13 years I tried to touch/pet that baby, she'd have NONE of it. When baby kitten Lilly showed up, announced she didn't WANT to be wild and she was adopting us, we integrated her with Peanut. Peanut watched Lilly get pets and attention and play - within a couple of months, I could pet Peanut on the head, she'd quit running so quickly. She never got past that point before we lost her but that was ONLY because of Lilly!

I just love this whole story as it's unfolding....makes my heart warm...
 
Dave's done a terrific job with Cruiser! It's going to take awhile, but it sounds like he's already made a lot of progress in the short time he's had Cruiser.

When I first rescued Shess he was pretty feral, although I don't think he was a true feral. He wouldn't let anyone near him but he was able to charm some people in the neighborhood into feeding him, including me. I trapped Shess on a freezing Jan night when wind chill was around -10-15 below. The poor guy had frostbitten ears, and the tips of his ears eventually fell off. I know we've had a mild winter here in Mass, and today in particular was a nice balmy 49F in Worc County, but if I were in Dave's shoes I would not let Cruiser outside at this time.

I kept Shess in a crate for the first four weeks I had him because he was pretty hostile and aggressive and I was afraid of him. He had been vetted and neutered the next day after I rescued him, so during the time while he was in the crate he slowly started to calm down. During his time with me he went through many milestones; I still remember the first time I gave him a kiss and Shess almost jumped out of his skin with fright. Later on he occasionally gave me[/i] similar kisses (he put his face up to mine and touched his "lips" to my cheek, or my lips). He was never a lap cat, but he used to sit on the bed near me and I would pet him and adore him and I'd call it "cuddling." (One time I had an AC session with Dawn and she told me that Shess "loves cuddling....but it isn't really cuddling." That was so true!!) Eventually Shess did start to really cuddle with me but it took a looooooong time. Years.

I have another cat, a civvie named Honey. He was a rescue too and he's always been a semi-feral. It took a loooong time for him to learn to trust me, but he became very close to the other cats right away. In time Honey bonded to me, but it seemed like I would ruin all the work I had made with him by doing something (putting ear cleaner in his ears, even simply picking him up would freak him out) and I would have to work hard again at gaining his trust. I've had him now for 9 years I think and he just[/i] started to cuddle with me in bed in the last month. He'd sleep in bed with me before, with the other cats, but he would never sleep next to me. He's been cuddling with civvie Ronan since almost the beginning, but it's taken this long for me.

Keep us updated on Cruiser. I agree with all the advice that others have given. I hope that Dave has continued success with Cruiser. Congrats!!
 
Just wanted to tell you that I spoke to Dave tonight about Cruiser and it seems like his consistant playing with him and Patches is helping - he's coming out to play. He will go into the joining bathroom and also sit on the hamper in the bedroom sometimes. Dave says that sometimes when he sits in the window he does paw at the glass and makes a little noise. :sad:
There was a time that Cruiser wouldn't even stay on the porch outside if he saw me in the window - so this is a big difference!
 
Hi folks, this is Dave again. Thanks for all the posts, I am glad that you enjoy the unfolding saga, so to speak :smile: . So here is the update on Cruiser. He is still very attached to his safe place under the bed. I don't know if he comes out during the day when I am not there, but I don't think so. His little safe spot is at the mid spot at the head of the bed, against the wall on a small, tripled up blanket on the hardwood floor. I now have a daily "session" or two with Cruiser and Patches. Patches is not exactly endearing to him but they get along and he trusts her so I use her as a training tool, as some of you suggest. Whenever I go in the room, I put Patches under the bed and I can hear these little chirp noises from Cruiser, recognition and welcome (I think). He is more at ease and more likely to come out if Patches is in there. I have gotten Cruiser to play with wand toys on the opposite side of the bed from me. He will actually play with feather toys or a mouse on a string wand or a crochet wand toy. All of these toys are looooong so they reach across the other side of the bed, he seems to need that safe separation distance. He doesn't come up on the bed but sometimes I can see his head peak over the edge of the bed in attempt to get a toy. When he is in play mode going after a toy, I can definitely hear his paws digging into and out of the comforter, so it is a good sign that he knows how to play. Patches will play sometimes too, on the bed or on the floor. But she doesn't play with him, she is just playing with the toys or the toy's string. Cruiser will also go into the bathroom and use the LB when I am on the opposite side of the bed. Sometimes he will go up on a hamper and look out the window or paw at it. I can be kneeling or laying on the opposite side of the bed from him and he is good with that. But if I stand up or get up to leave, he runs under the bed. I am hoping, as some of you suggest, that he is learning something from my petting and playing with Patches on the bed, he does watch from the hamper at the window. As for touching him, the best I can do right now is to dip my finger in food and let him lick it. But he only takes that for a very short time before he gets defensive. I don't know why but he just is not into the treat foods as he was initially. He IS eating deli turkey again but not while I am there. Strangely he will not eat much of anything while I am there. Anyway, thanks for the support and suggestions, I will update as progress is made. He is a very shy cat :shock: and it is going to take a LOT of time and patience, as some of you have experienced @-) .
Dave
 
You might try clicker training to help encourage positive behaviors.

First, you click & treat several times during the day. This is called "loading the clicker" and the animal learns that hearing the click = a treat.

Then you begin clicking & treating when 1 specific behavior, or steps towards that 1 specific behavior, are performed. Focus on 1 behavior at a time, and if necessary, break it down into small steps.

See how it works and let us know!
 
Hi Dave & Traci,

I think you're doing a great job! I rescued a semi-feral also, Midnight. He was about 3 yrs old and had never lived inside so it was tough teaching him to use a kl box. I had started taming him by feeding on the deck, then put an igloo out for him but finally when the winter got bitter and the raccoons wouldn't leave him alone and he was getting into fights I brought him in against his will. In a way it was a little easier because he already trusted me enough to let me pet him since he had been hanging out since the summer eating on my deck. But still It was a long hard battle, but eventually he did become a lap cat. :lol: He was abscessed from a bite and a mess when I brought him in and must have really been hurting because he let me clean him up really well & stick some neosporin on him until I could get him to the vet, but the litter box was the hardest part. He ran to the door & scratched like crazy every time he had to go and I had to teach him by putting him in a box the other cats had used and moving his paws in it to cover it up, then putting him in his own clean box and doing it again with his paws. This went on for about 15 hours before he finally used the box! Every day I had to remind him for at least a month but he got the hang of it and every day was better.

Then of course, there was introducing him to the girls, who liked him fine as long as he stayed outside but the queen Calli wasn't too happy about him being indoors on her territory. He had his own room for a while but with the door open so he could join us when he was ready. Amazingly there were no fights, just arguments and in a few months it was like he had always been there, an indoor cat. It just takes lots of good humor and patience and especially love. You have to build a bond. Poor Midnight died young from terrible intestinal problems from all his time living outdoors but at least the last 5 years of his life were spent in a loving, warm and safe environment so I also appreciate the work Alley Cat does but most cats don't have a community yet unfortunately. I wish they did. I think you did the right thing. Good luck. You've been given great advice here and I also would not put him in a crate at this point. I would give him some time and maybe force him to come out to eat by moving his food farther and farther every couple of days and try some of the playing tricks that Best Friends suggested too.

Melanie
 
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