Feral Kitty Question

[Cachoo]

So a couple of months ago there was a large, white cat after the Carolina wrens in my backyard. I decided to feed said cat and started putting food out for it. Oddly enough I never saw the cat again. When I spied the food area on my front porch there was a little, black kitten eating it. It was and is feral and dashes away when I open the door. It is growing but is still pretty small. I call him/her Boo Radley. I worry about black cats and I would like to bring Boo Radley inside. Is this a bad idea? I've always had dogs but my dogs were solitary, one owner loners (kind of like me.) Now it is just me. Boo Radley arrives every morning at 5am to be fed. To those with cats: What is your advice?

 

[Jenny]

If you have access to a vet, see if you can get him in a carrier (or any box) and take him to be checked out for fleas, worms etc, and if he's clear, I think you can take him in.

Even cats who have lived their lives outdoors can adapt to indoor living, and sounds like you need each other

 

[sk8pics]

Definitely take the cat to the vet if you can. Feral cats can adapt, but it’s better done when they are young. He/she might become very sweet and loving (like myBradley, but he wasn’t truly feral and had lived in a house prior to be dumped) or might just coexist with you and not be up for any cuddling. You can still have a satisfying relationship in that case, but it just might be different from what you hope for. That happened to the daughter of a friend of mine, who found a feral kitten. The cat will sometimes let them pet her but sometimes not.

 

[Cachoo]

Thanks for advice. I will see what I can do about Boo.

 

[Garden Kitty]

My parents had a pregnant cat in their backyard. All of the kittens were able to adapt to being inside cats, but Mom-cat never did, even though she lived on the porch and my parents fed her every day.

My current cat was a feral cat who gradually got more friendly and comfortable coming inside. It took a few months before he would come inside, but scream to go out again after his nap.. He wasn't content to stay inside permanently until he got injured and spent a few weeks recovering indoors. He's now been a happy indoor cat for 19 years. My first cat was an outdoor stray too, but she was eager to be an indoor cat from day one.

 

[MacMadame]

Kittens are much easier to de-feralize than old cats so it's important to act quickly.

 

[Badams]

The cat in my profile pic was absolutely feral when I brought her in. the vet even had her listed as very feral on all of her records. She was the best cat ever. She loved me and was absolutely loyal to me. It took about 2 months for her to really trust me, and she did a lot of hiding in the beginning. She lived under my dresser in my bedroom for about a month, only coming out to eat and use the litter box late at night. One day I woke up to her curled up by my head. She followed me all through the upstairs for a long time until she had the courage to venture further. She always had trust issues with other people. She absolutely hated men. She hid on new people for a long time before showing herself to them. And she sat with very few of us. But she loved me. She lived to almost 17. I miss her everyday. It takes time and effort, but it will be totally worth it.

 

[DFJ]

I've had 7 feral cats over the years (all of them black BTW). You need to be very patient but ultimately they learn to trust. Mine have all gone now and I still miss them.

If your guy is getting older he or she should be spayed/neutered. Check with your local animal shelter. Many of them have traps they will lend out for you to catch the little guy. I know that sounds awful but it's really not. One of my strays (aka Stray Kitty) turned into the most loving creature and I had him for 16 wonderful years.

Good luck to you. You're doing a good thing.

 

[canbelto]

Definitely get boo spayed and neutered and then bring him in. I found Pumpkin as a kitten and have no idea if she is feral or not. She doesn't like being held, although petting is okay. Good luck!

 

[Winnipeg]

I adopted a feral cat last June (2019!!)

I saw the cat living under a porch and started to feed it. After several attempts to talk to the kitty adn ask it to come to me, I called a vet for advice.

I ended up buying a trap, yes, a trap. The kitten had several meals without tripping it but eventually I caught the kitten!!!). The kitten was mad but I immediately took the kitten to the HUmane Society for 2 reasons:

1. Do have it checked out and spayed/neutered, etc.
and 2. to see if it had an owner tattoo or chip

I made sure to tell the Humane Society I wanted the kitten if they could not locate an owner and that I would pay for all vet services.

The kitten was returned to me the next day after it had the neutering surgery.

I have a large area in the basement that is warm, safe, and separate from my other cats. I bought a little "tent" and there is a large cat stand by the window. I kept the kitten in that room and spent time with it every day for about 2 months. It initially hissed and tried to scratch but after 2 months was calmed down. I left the door open one day when I was home to see how it would interact with my other cats.

No problem!! Now my little baby "Gandalf the Grey" is a loved member of our family and ws certainly one of the best things in 2019. He fits in so well and is such a wonderful cat, pet, friend, you name it. He is great.

I wish you luck. It is definitely worth the time and effort!!!!

 

[Japanfan]

No problem!! Now my little baby "Gandalf the Grey" is a loved member of our family and ws certainly one of the best things in 2019. He fits in so well and is such a wonderful cat, pet, friend, you name it. He is great.

We had a Gandalf the Grey as well. But my nextdoor neighbour and Gandalf fell in love, so he moved in with her. He is about 17 or 18 now, and we still see him out and about.

My neighbours also had Precious (Pekingese) and Frodo (Shi Tsu).

 

[Former Lurve Goddess]

Does your area have a cat rescue organization? I've rescued a few ferals with the special traps that my local cat rescue org lent to me. I also managed to catch one just by distracting her with food. Depending on their ages, ferals can be socialized but often will only bond with one or two special people and be otherwise wary of most other humans.

 

[viennese]

My cats were born wild. A rescue group trapped them when they were really little, but they weren't able to trap their wily mother cat. They are extremely healthy and loving.

 

[Winnipeg]

Gandalf is very wary of strangers but is very friendly with us. All our cats are indoor cats only.

 

[Cachoo]

Boo Radley update: I have not brought Boo Radley inside. But Boo did allow me to scratch/rub his/her head and ears over the weekend. And then today Boo allowed me actually pick him/her up and feel the purring before wanting to be free of me. This cat is still an adolescent--not yet a year old and I suspect not over six or seven months. I wonder if Boo is feral.

 

[Garden Kitty]

Little steps with cats can be good and you're making nice progress getting kitty to get comfortable with you

 

[Winnipeg]

Keep trying!

 

[Cachoo]

I am happy to report that Boo Radley has moved in with me. Boo has the option to go outdoors but refuses most of the time. This is one mellow kitty; I thought I might get bit when I was trying to figure out Boo’s gender but Boo was chill. And I still have no idea. I will make a vet appt for Boo. We are being lazy together today.

 

[PRlady]

Kittens are much easier to de-feralize than old cats so it's important to act quickly.

My Spinoza was a feral kitten rescued at about a month old and given to a foster mom. And oh my he is a people cat, having been bottle-fed he thinks all good things come from humans.

He would love to be an outdoor cat though and adores the balcony. Sorry kid, we are city people.

 

[Finnice]

Our Magnus was found feral with his mommy & siblings. He is purring to my ear right now. The former kitties Tauno and Miutsi were feral, too, but grew to be very friendly.
So happy for Boo!

 

[Garden Kitty]

Boo sounds like a very smart kitty!

 

[canbelto]

Congratulations on the kitty rescue? Now you have to show us pictures!

 

[Aussie Willy]

So glad it has worked out.

I fostered a few kittens from the local cat shelter this year. Two have been fails. The must not have had good start to life as they were all quite shy and timid and needed quite a lot of handling to make them adoptable.

The first one Pearl with her brother were very shy and timid. After about 3 days they became more friendly. She is now very affectionate and loves sleeping on my lap. You would not believe that she was a very frightened kitten.

My second fail Jasmine was less shy but her brothers were very skittish. They gradually became quite friendly. Jasmine is a really sweetie though, very affectionate and loves being with me.

 

[Cachoo]

Congratulations on the kitty rescue? Now you have to show us pictures!

I know; I am trying to get a good one. Boo’s eyes are more olive than emerald so I need to get the light right so you can see them.

 

[MacMadame]

I don't know if any of my cats were ferals. But Tabitha was found living under a dumpster with her mom and siblings. So it's possible her mom was. I think they were taking into fostering around 6-7 weeks. Her foster mom said that they were there for a while being fed by another resident before she intervened and got them all sterilized and into homes.

Purr$ace was found at 4 weeks living in a car at the school's auto shop. It's possible her mom was feral too. It's also possible her mom wasn't but her family didn't want the kittens and abandoned them somewhere. Our vet didn't think she was feral because she let us handle her immediately. But I figured having been handled by multiple humans for at least a week while very young had gotten her used to it.

Both of those cats are on the skittish side.

We have no idea what Salem's story is. But that cat is totally chill. So I'd be surprised if she was feral.

 

[Winnipeg]

 

[Colleen]

Reading this thread made me happy - so nice that Boo decided to turn in his feral card!

When I first decided to get a cat - many years ago - I went down to the SPCA. They had names of the cats on their cages - one said 'feral' which I thought was a really odd name for a cat. I went up closer for a look and the poor cat turned into a Tasmanian devil. Somehow despite four years of university I had never heard the term feral - but I soon figured it out that day! I did get a cute little kitten, the first in a line of kittens I've adopted from the SPCA.

 

[BittyBug]

Congratulations @Cachoo. Our most recent two cats were feral kitten rescues and despite very shy beginnings they became the most loving, docile and affectionate cats.

 

[Cachoo]

Ok...so Boo Radley likes to play in the middle of the night. She runs back and forth over my tummy until I wake up. Usually she is affectionate and likes to sit with me (or on me.) I make her wait until a reasonable hour to play. Is this happening because she is a playful, young adult? Do you think I am doing something wrong?

 

[Wyliefan]

This is what cats do. I don't own a cat myself, but according to my sister, my neighbor, and other cat owners I know, this is what cats do.