Comments on: How to Tame a Feral Cat or Kitten

on 8/4/2008 If your procedure works I would say good for you, one less cat on the streets.

on 5/31/2008 I'm very encouraged by your article. I have a feral kitty I've been taking care of for about a year now - since she showed up in my front yard at about 10 weeks or so of age. Even though she knows me and allows me limited access to petting her, I have to use a trap to capture her for vet visits (spaying, vaccinations, microchip, etc.). She recently was badly injured rendering her left front leg unusable. The vet says there "may" be a possibility of repairing it (at great cost) but amputation may be called for in the end. I can't let her stay outside any longer as she can't defend herself. So, I need to bring her inside. I have her in a very large dog kennel right now as she has to stay pretty much immobilized while she recovers and adjusts to her injuries and I need to be able to administer her pain medication (mixed in her food, of course). I have some mild tranquilizers the vet gave m

on 7/9/2007 A brilliant friend taught me how to tame a feral kitten, and it worked like a charm: Once she had been to the vet and tested neg for FELV.. I isolated her for a day or two in the bathroom and got one of my sweetest cats to come in with me and I fed him treats and petted him in front of her. It was amazing - the next day she let me scratch her chin and pet her. They learn by example.. As I caught each of her littermates, it took less and less time for them to be tamed because they saw me interacting with the first kitten and overcame their fears very quickly.

on 6/20/2007 ok i have five kittens mother was are is w/ them. she was a strayuntile i started feeding her, it took awhile but she finially let me pet her and pick her up. nowhe had the kittens they are about 4 or 5 weeks old not sure i don't know much about cats i want to keep one and give the rest to paws. what can i do to get them use to me? i'm moving in two weeks and i just can't leave them.iam in a panic!

on 5/3/2007 (continued...) About a week ago I noticed that our female cat was not getting food and water. The feral cat had staked out his food dish and would not let the other cat eat, so I bagan setting out another food dish on the property for the female cat.

Yesterday when I passed the tom's food dish he attack my leg. Fortunately I was wearing blue jeans and he only manage to make two puncture marks in my legs. Here is what I have discovered. If you get too close to his food dish he is going to attack. I am now trying to figure out how to deal with this cat. I would like to keep him around because I am sure he keeps away mice and snakes, but I can't have him attacking everyone that comes near his food dish. I have thought about trapping him and taking him to the vet to have him neutered, but it would be a dangerous proposition for the vet and I don't know if it would "fix" the problem.

on 5/3/2007 About 4 months ago, a male feral cat started coming up to the house and eating our spayed female cat's food, so I made certain that there was ample food and water for both cats. After a month or two when I sat down his food, I stayed near by and gradually moved my hand closer. He sniffed my hand and reached out and took a swat at my hand and arm, leaving three nasty cuts. I thought he was telling me that "The food is good, but I don't care for the company". So I never attempted to approach him again, always giving him a wide berth when I sit his food down in the morning. He is always at the back door each morning waiting for his food. He no longer backs away when I sat down his food. Several days ago, he swatted at me again but missed me by a few inches. (continued.....)

on 1/3/2007 One of our neighbours recently moved out and left their cat. At night he comes into our home and eats our cat food, and during the day he sleeps in our garden. When he hears any sound close to him or sees anyone getting too close he runs off. My problem is that we're going to be moving in about two months, and I can't bear to leave him without food. He looks fully grown. Can I still tame him? Or should I just leave him to find his own food after we leave? I'd appreciate any help in this matter. Thank you so much!

on 8/12/2006 I began feeding a family of feral cats when they moved in to my next door neighbor's backyard. My intent was to trap them all and at least have them vet-checked, if not placed in a no-kill shelter, but before I could enact my plan the family moved, leaving behind one six-week-old kitten. I fed the kitten three times a day for weeks, until he reached the point he would come to me when I fed him, then I trapped him in a cat carrier. I put him in my second bathroom and within 20 minutes he was purring and had fallen asleep. Now he is a friendly kitten--12 weeks old--and definitely not the ferocious animal many web sites warned me that he would be if I took in any kittens over six to eight weeks of age.

I truly believe consistency in feeding (once at six a.m., once at five p.m. and once at 11 p.m.) helped forge my bond with the little guy. Three weeks of completely non-threatening behavior (never trying to grab him or hurt him, but offering food and letting him eat out of my hands) made him feel safe around me, and though he was upset when captured (I threw a blanket over the cat carrier and he calmed down immediately), his irritation didn't even last the night.

on 6/30/2006 They say that music soothes the savage breast. Well, they're right. I discovered that if I sang to my savage little feral kitten, she quit her 'wild' behaviors, like skittering away when I came in to sit with her, or overly-rambunctious play. Her favorite song she likes me to sing to her is, "Crazy" by Patsy Cline, it's a melodious tune and I do a pretty good rendition of it :) Even if you have a poor singing voice, make it soft and sweet and your savage kitten will become calm and receptive to your attention.

CAUTION: not all music works...whistling a tune has adverse affects.

on 12/9/2005 I have saved three feral cats and managed to tame them enough to be able to give them medicine and receive purrs and head butts in exchange for scratched and rubs. What I did was I caught them in a humane trap, kept them in a dog crate (21 x 30 inches) then got them spayed. When they came home from the hospital, they were still fairly weak and groggy, so I took the opportunity to hold them and love them. Make sure that you always wear thick gloves and a long sleeved thick sweater and don't try this if the cat seems aggressive at all. A good way to tell is to take a glove and extend the fingers into the cage while there is no hand in it. If the cat accepts being touched with the glove for a while, then it might be safe to try it with a hand in it. Remember, the cat letting you touch it is a good sign. However, if a cat is still very aggressive after 7 - 14 days of keeping it, I would recommend putting it in a shower where the top has been blocked off with cardboard or releasing it because it is cruel to keep them in a cage for too long. A tip to clean the litter box and lining of the cage is to take some planks of wood cut to fit between the bars and create a wall, thus blocking the cat off into one half of the cage. Clean the half that you can, then using a piece of wood, gently coax the cat into the other half and block it off again so you can clean the rest of the cage. This takes longer but it helps to keep the smell down and makes the cat healthier because they won't have to sit in filth.

on 11/22/2005 Food and play are two things a cat just can't resist. Put some dry food on the ground; they never have eaten out of a bowl, so the ground is fine. Put a bowl of fresh water out, too. Let the cat(s) get used to eating the food you put out every day for a week or so, then sit in a chair a good distance from the food, keeping very still and quiet. Do this for about a week. Then introduce a toy, like a string with a paper clip tied on the end of it. Put it near the food, then wait till they're almost done eating, and very slowly pull the string toward you. They may not play the first time you try this, but after a few days, they'll realize you're not trying to harm them and should begin pouncing on this toy! Pull the string a little closer to you each day and soon you'll have them jumping into your lap when you pull the string across your legs. Once they get comfortable being that close to you, pet them and speak softly as you do. The tone of your voice should be reassuring to them, as long as you make no sudden moves toward them. Let them get close to you before you attempt to get close to them. I've befriended probably 20 or more feral cats using this technique, and one of them now lives with me and has been my companion for 6 years. She's given me more love than most human companions ever could and she knows I love her, too!

on 11/22/2005 It is important for those who feed feral cats to remember that they are indeed wild, even if they may come up to you when you feed them. If you try to catch them with the hope of taming them or getting them spayed and neutered (good for you!), contact your local feral cat coalition and they can give you advice on how to safely trap feral cats. Do not attempt to pick them up. Avoid the technique of luring them into your garage or house with food and closing the door on them. Their apparent friendliness or trust of you may dissolve in an instant and they may panic to such an extent that they injure themselves, or you, while trying to get away.

on 11/22/2005 I've been caring for two semi-feral cats, for a vacationing neighbor. At first, they stayed under the bed, period. Bit by bit, they've been coaxed out. They came out because I tricked them!

I was determined to meet them early on. My routine is to come in, sing to the cats, turn on the lights, make a little noise, and open the curtains in the morning (so the house isn't dark and sad). After changing the litter box, giving them fresh water and dispensing their food, I settle into the chair by the front door and wait, quietly. Soon after I settle in, and just when I think it's impossible, a cat appears! She is transfixed, aghast at my boldness, but inextricably charmed; she must explore the person who is just sitting there in her living room. The larger black cat tentatively approaches me. She sniffs my trousers, sniffs my shoes, and she rubs her head on my shoe. She stares up at me with her wide green eyes, as if to ask, "Who are you, strange woman?" I say hello, and she skitters away into the kitchen. She settles in with a raspy lick, consuming all the juices from the canned food. She then eats a teeth cleaning treat. Satisfied, she sneaks back into the living room and takes up her throne; behind me, on the window sill. She allows me to brush her rump with a soft brush. To do this, I lift the curtain slightly and brush very gently.

I have another routine. In the morning, I set out the food and the fresh water, and I wait. This time in the kitchen, next to the fresh food. Soon, two cats come out. Softly, stealthily, they appear. They both stare at me, unblinking for the longest time, like statues. They both yawn and stretch. I don't move. The larger cat doesn't care too much, she'll eat the food while I'm with her. The smaller cat remains unassured and goes off to the living room, where she waits. She reappears in the hall, and daunted by my presence she scurries back to the bedroom; to her dark, safe place, in the furthest reaches under a bed.

The cats come out every day, discover me, and proceed to go about their cat business. They are losing their fear of me. I am now part of the familiar landscape. I am tolerated, but not completely accepted. I imagine they will eventually lighten up and learn to play with me. All of this takes a little more time than simply putting the food out. It's definitely worth the effort for these two gorgeous, sentient beings who are full of secrets and mystery! The cats play while the people are away. Every day they move the little mice around, and the cat boxes get moved too! A foot to several feet! Interesting. Poor kitties, they must be bored.

I'm hooked. I catch myself thinking about making them a carpeted cat tree house, from floor to ceiling. When we wandered PetsMart (on our biweekly jaunt), my spouse literally ripped all of the cat stuff out of my hands, so I couldn't buy it. One more week and the cats will revert back to their normal lifestyle, and I back to mine; a dog owner with two happy, boisterous dogs.

on 11/22/2005 I help tame and care for kittens and what I do is get a blanket and a box and sit a kitten inside of the box and cover it with the blanket. Then I pet it (they like to be scratched under the chin). I do this almost every day. Then after he/she gets used to that, take a step forward and try and pet it without holding it (if that doesn't work, go back to the regular thing for a while). Then after that, it should start coming to you.

on 11/22/2005 We had some kittens that were born in our upstairs, and one of them was a little bit scared all the time. I would just sit up there and play with the other kittens all the time and eventually she just got used to me and started coming out. She's an indoors cat now, BUT she only likes to be around me, and she's scared of everyone else.

Also, I would suggest setting some food out, and sitting by the food. Eventually the kitten will come to eat the food. When they do that, just gently pet the kitten. After a while, the kitten should get used to you.