Stray cat, how to gain its trust?

Anominity

Anominity

Anominity

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8 Nov 2005
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Hey guys,

We have a stray cat that likes to sleep under our awning at home, and with the weather how it is I am feeling really bad for it. It sleeps in the corner about 2 metres away from all the snow, and its absolutely freezing outside. #

Whenever I try and approach it, no matter how slowly or quietly it just bolts. I left a few pieces of ham for it near its hidey hole, and it has eaten those, but anything other than that and its off.

Any ideas how I can gain the poor critters trust before it freezes to death?
 
Get a bowl of cat food or treats and walk towards him holding it out infront of you, he should be interested and come towards you, then you can attempt to pick him up and put him inside so he can **** & **** everywhere to mark his territory and keep warm.
 
Leave food and water next to your back door, let it get used to the fact that food is provided for it, and then over time leave the door open with the food inside. Building on that, leave the door open, food inside, and you sat still in the room. After that you could try sitting on the floor in the room, still, with food next to you, and take it from there.
 
Try to not approach it as such, just sit a while back whilst it decides it wants to eat some nibbles you can hold out for it. Chuck it some cat treats.
 
Maybe just hang around outside where it can see you but make no effort to approach it for a good amount of time, busying yourself in the garden or something, then start talking to it in a soothing voice and then taking single steps towards it.
Apart from that I don't know, it's going to be pretty hard to get it into your house if it doesn't want to :p cats can be very stubborn sometimes.
 
I did try that, platy, but any closer than about 4 metres and its off, any further and it just looks at you for a second and then it puts its head down and goes back to sleep.
 
First, find a wheelie bin


/edit, cats are usually far more cautious than dogs, could take weeks for you to gain its trust

Build a little shelter for it and put an old towel in there, give it some cat food. No milk though, that'll just give it the runs
 
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If you get no luck with gaining the moggy's trust then call the RSPCA or cat protection league for advice. Someone may come and collect / home it.
 
Anominity said:
I did try that, platy, but any closer than about 4 metres and its off, any further and it just looks at you for a second and then it puts its head down and goes back to sleep.
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Hmm, just leave it a saucer of water and some food outside then. It'll take time :).
 
Makhaira said:
Leave food and water next to your back door, let it get used to the fact that food is provided for it, and then over time leave the door open with the food inside. Building on that, leave the door open, food inside, and you sat still in the room. After that you could try sitting on the floor in the room, still, with food next to you, and take it from there.
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..and by then winter will be over so you won't have to worry about the cat anymore!
 
We have a stray who has taken to sleeping in the shed now it's cold. Dad made a box for it filled with straw, looks happy enough in there.
 
Makhaira said:
Leave food and water next to your back door, let it get used to the fact that food is provided for it, and then over time leave the door open with the food inside. Building on that, leave the door open, food inside, and you sat still in the room. After that you could try sitting on the floor in the room, still, with food next to you, and take it from there.
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This but I wouldn't waste much time in waiting to leave the door open. With this weather I’d leave the second bowl inside
 
There's not much you can do, it sounds like this particular cat has reason to be very cautious of humans, but lets not go there shall we?
Be assured it isn't likely to freeze to death, especially if it's being fed, so keep putting food out for it. It takes months to break that kind of fear in a cat, cat's generally adopt this caution due to events and trauma and it takes a lot to break it, but it can only be reduced dramatically, once they're struck with this kind of fear, it never goes away completely.
Phoning one of the charirties arc@css mentioned is a very good idea and will give better advice than a forum, most likely.
Good on you for caring :)
 
Get a bunch of ham in a bowl, gently throw a piece at it and hopefully it laps it up, throw some more to gain a little trust then every piece after that throw a little closer to you, with any luck eventually it will be eating pretty close to you and after whats in the bowl, thats when you try and grab it.

Then the real problem begins, you have a wild cat in your house peeing everywhere and scratching all your stuffz!
 
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