🚀 go-pugleaf

Kudzu wrote:
> 
> <snip>

> Anyway, given the above, I'd kind of like to try to
> get it across to this cat that he/she has a home with me.
> Does anybody have any advice on how to 'adopt'
> a feral animal?  I'd really appreciate any feedback.....
> 
> k.

Being softhearted (headed) my wife and I "adopted at least a dozen feral
cats and had them sitting in our laps getting petted (not all of them). 
We picked a brand of dry catfood, added a little canned and set it out
near THEIR area.  Each time we fed them, we rattled the dish and made
enough noise to let them know we were there.  Also put out fresh water
daily.  (industial area-no homes near)

when they were used to eating in THEIR area we move the food to OUR area
using the same calling and food dish rattling.  They got the idea.  Once
in OUR area.  We would sit quietly and flip canned food toward them
using a spoon as the launcher.  this Slowly got them closer to us.  Also
when evening came they'd show up waiting to be fed.  We'd set the food
out then sit a few feet away from the dish.  Slowly we moved closer. 
Always sitting very still and quiet.  Finally the cats were eating next
to us, but would run if we put our hand toward them.  Be cagey.  Hold
your hand up above them then lower your hand from above and touch them. 
We had 3 or 4 at the dish at a time and a rub from my hand wasn't found
out--they thought it was just the cat next to them.  Then I started
rubbing thier heads.  Slowly this tamed them down.  As time went by I
could pick up 3 of the dozen vagrants and pet them.  

Also we trapped about 8 of them and had them spayed and neutered.  Then
we released them back as ferals.  

Once one newbie at the edge of the group had a collar, but was still
skittish and we couldn't touch it.  We did the spoon fling thing and
slowly got it's trust.  We adopted her as an indoor cat.  She was the
quickest to tame and somewhat friendly, thus her name Friendly.  The
talkingest cat I've ever had.

g=girl b=boy
We had Shafok (g) (ringed tailed like a safoka ring tailed lemur);
Fluffy (g), the big grey fluff ball and tamest; the twins Lepeord (d)
and Snow Lepeord (g) Both had lepeord patterns, the sister also had
white on her; Garfield (b) the BIG organge cat, very muscular;
Chocholate (b) chocholate tip siamese big brute who tore apart and out
of the cat trap (never got him neutured); Trouble (b) always hissing and
batting at the others at the food dish; Little Trouble second in command
at hissing and causing trouble; Slinky (b) an all black cat the crawled
low to the ground slinking when he approached. Little (?) slinky who
followed slinky in but then disappeared after a while. Little Boy the
kitten, renamed Flat Cat as he got flattened on the road:-(  
-- 

Bob

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