Domesticating A Feral Cat?

Discussion in 'Pets and Animals' started by Eavesdrop, Aug 30, 2017.

  1. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    I'm going to trap the feral cat I feed and take her with me when I move. Does anyone here have any experience with something like this?
     
  2. GLENGLEN

    GLENGLEN Banned

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    Can't Say Iv'e Ever Tried That......But I Think The Secret To Success Is What You Have Planned

    For Your New Place......Is It On A Busy Road...??..Or In A Quiet Place Where You Can Bond

    And Hopefully Each Accept The Other......Good Luck With That...... :)



    Cheers Glen.
     
  3. Tyrsonswood

    Tyrsonswood Senior Moment Lifetime Supporter

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    If you are feeding it the cat is not really "feral"... I have some actual feral cats around here and they are just as wild as a Lynx or a Bobcat. There's no way of even getting close to them, if you are lucky enough to even see them.... If you did get near them they would likely rip you a new asshole.

    In your situation the cat will likely try to return to the location it knows, outdoor cats do this most of the time if moved. Sorry to say I don't think it's a great idea unless it's much more tame than you are eluding to by calling it "feral".
     
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  4. His Eden

    His Eden Queen of Mean

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    This site has some great tips: http://www.theluckyfew.org/index.html

    Thank you for giving the cat a chance, and taking it with you to your new home. If it has not been spayed/neutered, there may be a group in your area that will help you get the cat to the vet safely (for you and the cat) if needed. Some will also cover part/all of the cost, or will let you know which veterinarians offer reduced fees for altering and vaccinations. Many clinics that work with feral cats will do a blood draw to test the cat for any infectious diseases that could potentially pose a health risk. The simple tests will help keep any cats you have, or cats in your new neighborhood, safe from potentially harmful illnesses (feline leukemia, feline HIV, parasites etc)

    If for any reason you are unable to catch the cat, you can contact a local feral cat organization (if there is one in your area) to let them know about the cat's situation.

    Best of luck to you.
     
  5. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    It is right around the block from where I live now so if she tries to return, she can probably find her way back and I live in an apartment complex now so she's used to watching for cars. I'll have a backyard tho where we're moving to and it is a lot quieter than what she's used to. I'm moving in with my mother tho and she has a little dog and the cat and the dog don't like each other. When the dog comes to my house he barks like crazy at the cat and she runs away.
     
  6. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    Right but I was going to keep it in the house for a few weeks so it will develop a homing instinct. Also, it won't be too far from where she came from so if she tries to return she can probably get back there without too much trouble. I can't leave her because she meows really loudly at my door when she wants food and she rattles my sliding screen door and if the neighbors complain about her, the management will happily call in animal control. This is, btw, an apartment complex.
     
  7. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    Thanks. She has been spayed but only after leaving 9 kittens, literally on my doorstep.
     
  8. Asmodean

    Asmodean Slo motion rider

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    It's like dating a guy with bad habits and staying with him with the idea of changing him for the better :-D
     
  9. People not using pets to full potential
     
  10. Tyrsonswood

    Tyrsonswood Senior Moment Lifetime Supporter

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    So this is more an outdoor city cat... She might relocate okay.
     
  11. MthrNatrQn17

    MthrNatrQn17 Members

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    I took in a feral cat.he was part feral.meaning he was wild,but had minor experience with humans.scratching and biting as much as he could.if the cat is really feral,you have to have ALOT of patience.teach him/her slowly that they can trust you.but it will take time.when we first got the cat,we could barely go near him without him spitting and hissing.i had LOTS of scratches all over.we had to give him his space,but every day,little by little,let him smell us,put our hand on the floor right in front of him,so he knew our scent.then we would try to play with him with toys.let me just say it was a process.weve had him 8 months.hes 1 and a half yrs old.hes a loving cat.loves to play but every once in a while,he will try to bite,but it's nowhere near how he was in the beginning. seems it's more playfully.not only was he partly feral,but the humans house that he was hanging around at were mean to him,so he was probably abused too.i am a huge cat lover and wanted to give him a chance at a good life.ive never taken care of such a wild cat before him,but I'm glad I did.please have patience and if he isn't used to being around other " house cats or dogs"it may be extra rough.he/she will need lots of attention.good luck to you;)
     
  12. Spectacles

    Spectacles My life is a tapestry Lifetime Supporter

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    Once my sister bought a house that came with a cat. She kept putting it outside and it came right back in (through a hole in the basement door). Ultimately the cat (Daisy) won. When my sister moved from there she took Daisy with her to their new home.

    Daisy was not feral.
     
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  13. Spectacles

    Spectacles My life is a tapestry Lifetime Supporter

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    I have had cats and dogs living in my space for decades now BUT they have always gotten along. If the dog and cat don't like each other how do you plan to handle that situation?
     
  14. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    She'll probably just hide from him or scratch him. He's smaller than her.
     
  15. MthrNatrQn17

    MthrNatrQn17 Members

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    well thats not good. you dont want the animals to fight, especially since its already the dogs territory. the cat coming in scratching.?no...that just sounds like itll be more work then it should be. if its really feral, being around new animals and people will be way too much for it to handle, and the other animals to handle.
     
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  16. Lynnbrown

    Lynnbrown Firecracker

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    I think you seriously have the best of intentions. However, I'd give that living situation a bit more thought. It seems the cat is always outdoors...you are talking about taking the "feral" cat away from its home and putting it inside with an animal it has never met! That actually sounds like a recipe for disaster. I guess I'm thinking that if it gets all traumatized to start with, he might never want to come around...and maybe there is a way not to traumatize him too much to start with. As far as this cat is concerned, it is excellent you aren't moving far!

    Perhaps try letting it in your place for just a little while before taking to a whole new place with a new person and a DOG! I don't care if the dog is smaller or not....according to the type of dog it is, such as chihuahuas...they are very aggressive and territorial and that would be bad bad bad. I seriously doubt the cat would EVER be able to stand living with a small territorial dog, particularly if it is just tossed into that situation real quick. They really should slowly be around each other, to start with. Seriously. Unless the dog is old and blind and that kind of thing. I LOVE dogs, don't get me wrong...I'm just saying an aged dog that isn't excitable (not much) wouldn't bother the cat. It might even interest him.

    As they said above, dealing successfully with taming a maybe semi-feral cat takes some time. (I think it is only perhaps semi-feral...but definitely NOT feral as I understand the word. I've also known wild cats, as Ty described up there, and you would never ever be able to feed one of them, nor would they ever EVER meow at you to let you know it was feeding time. lol) I do think you've done very well to be feeding it and it letting you know when it wants to eat. Y'all have a relationship that it recognizes...and that is excellent! (I wish we still had thumbs up emoticons.)

    Tonight, and every single night until you move...when you go to feed this cat, why not try to get him/her to come inside. At least the cat will have that experience with you under its belt if/when you decide to relocate it.

    Very recently (this summer) a wild as hell little bitty kitten appeared when I took the huge and heavy tarp off of my lawnmower. It would NOT let me near it no matter what. I would put wet food out for it, and there is always a bowl of fresh water back there where it was. I believe this kitten was dumped near here, and it was able to smell its way here since I have cats...only it went into hiding, and had apparently had no human interaction except for being dumped. :-(

    At any rate...with me talking softly to it, and giving it food it took at least a month for the little girl cat to let me near, even though it knew full well I was the one giving it food. Now things are fine and she is a family member, inside/outside cat...but this is a wee kitten (her name is Lassie...as in wee Lassie lol) that was hungry and loved my inside/outside cats from the beginning. But this was not an easy task, and I've been around cats my whole life.

    I truly wish you the best of luck. Didn't you say there was a fence where you are going? If so...why not when you take the cat with you, let him out in the fence to start with...and put his Very Favorite food in a certain place that you plan to always put only his food in, or better yet already have his favorite food out there. You could (and really should if you want him to consider this home) have a little bed or house for him outside. I keep a big, enclosed dog crate in the back yard for their "lounging pleasure" :D But people have set up large plastic containers...

    Check out Aerianne's thread in this forum about Abandoned and Feral cats... and you'll see examples of "cat houses". It wouldn't necessarily be expensive.

    Bless you for wanting to give this boy food, home and shelter.
     
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  17. MikeE

    MikeE Hip Forums Supporter HipForums Supporter

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    Where does your cat get its food.

    I took in a semi-feral cat. (For over 10 years, it had been fed and watered by someone.)
    It had to move (construction), so I took it into my house with 2 cats plus dog.

    It got its own room, but remains un-curious about the other side of the door.
    The surprising thing is that feral cats get to be old feral cats by being good at running away. And not aggressive.

    Two and 1/2 years later, the resident cats aren't aggressive towards the new cat any more. (Jill (resident) won't cross the threshold, Jack (resident) is a stinker when it comes to respecting the physical boundaries, but he doesn't attack Petruci, then new cat.)
    The dog wants to be friends with the new cat. The new cat sometimes tolerates it.

    Wouldn't want to try that in an apartment.
     
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  18. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    I feed her.

    I contacted a cage-free no kill shelter but so far haven't heard back from them. If they won't take her maybe I can figure out a way to section off part of the house for her.
     
  19. His Eden

    His Eden Queen of Mean

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    There is a "no-kill" shelter close to where I live that has a large cat room (cage free). They also have a higher euthanasia rate than any other animal shelter in the area. They justify it by telling people the animal was sick, in pain, or excessively aggressive. That would be understandable if it were always the case, but they have been fined (multiple times) for their practices. They've made the local news several times, and each time they claimed there had been an outbreak (but give no details) and that they had to euthanize most (over 75% the last time) of the animals in their care. They have since lost all government funding, but somehow remain open.

    I am not suggesting the people you called are dishonest, but please make sure they are in fact a no-kill shelter, and what their policies are (how long they hold an animal, are they transferred if they cannot find a home, etc.) before they catch the cat. Where I am no organization will trap a feral cat, except to spay/neuter it. The practice is to trap it, spay/neuter and give any vaccines it needs, and then return it to where it was trapped.

    I hope you can find a good solution for the cat. If there are any farms or ranches near you, they might be willing to take it. At least the cat would have shelter, and be away from city traffic.
     
  20. Eavesdrop

    Eavesdrop Member

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    @His Eden I went and talked to them in person and I talked to someone who does cat rescue who knows about them and as far as I know they are legit. The problem is that from what I've heard, it is near impossible to get them to accept your cat. They reject almost all of the applications so I'm certainly not going to assume they'll take her.
     

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