Can you befriend a cat that keeps running away?

[MislaidMyBrain]

My dd is desperate to befriend a cat that keeps coming into our garden but it keeps running away - almost as soon as it sees her. Poor dd is v sad about this. She’s 8 so not some crazy toddler trying to run after it.
Can she befriend the thing or will it be impossible?

My neighbour's cat owns my garden. She used to run away if she sees us, but now acts like she couldn't careless.
Few days ago, I was in my garden watering the plants, she came in, drunk some water from the bird bath and started to have a nap under a tree.

So, it may take time, but if she doesn't scare her away, she may start not to run away. Though some cats who comes into my garden are already friendly from the start and come right to me from the first time, so maybe their personality maybe a big factor.

You can, but you shouldn't!

Get your own cat 🐈

As @HardAsSnails says you shouldn't do this. It very probably is someone else’s much-loved pet.

If your dd wants a cat then there are more appropriate ways of getting one.

The more she stares at the cat or tries to approach it, the less likely it will come near her. Cats don’t like being stared at. Whatever you do, don’t feed it I’d let it into your home, as that’s not fair on its owners. It already has a family.

Ignoring them completely seems to work for me.

We don’t want it in our home. She just wants to stroke it. We often see cats in the street that are happy to be stroked.

I’ll tell her to ignore it

It’s probably afraid but it’s good for cats to run from people as they’re less likely to end up in the wrong hands. I agree with the other posters saying not to encourage it. Cats pick their owners and they may lose their cat to your dd long term. If she’s happy to watch the cat from a distance they love catnip which you can plant in your garden, but I wouldn’t advise feeding it.

We really don’t want to nick someone else’s cat for a pet
We’d get our own if that was the case. It’s just in our garden a lot so she just wants to stroke it like a couple of cats we see on the way to school. It’s no big deal. Just would be nice for her.

As someone who has recently lost a cat to people who keep feeding it, giving it attention and generally being better than us I guess.. Please don't. Its meant my two young children are devastated and keep asking why their cat doesn't love them anymore and doesn't want to live with us now

Some cats are timid and don't like getting too near to people other than those they live with. I doubt the cat will change.

Please don’t.
Friendly cats who approach people are at bigger risk from awful people who might try to hurt it or steal it.
Leave the cat alone and get your own.

Please don't feed it or encourage it as it will have a loving family. Just admire from afar. I am having problems with a neighbour who simply won't leave my cat alone despite me telling her to stay away from him. It's annoying as my cat will be sick from overeating too much , go missing for days etc as she lets in him in. My boy is too friendly and I worry so much about him sometimes but to keep him in now would be cruel. Please don't as the cat will have an owner.