Feral

[clarazabel]

For years I've been feeding a feral cat, he's a proper fatty and I buy him his own favourite food - comes for his breakfast and tea....At this time of year he likes to warm his tail in the house after he's eaten but he will not tolerate having the front door shut. Like an idiot I'm sat here with the front door open AGAIN while he lounges around in the kitchen. I've done my best to get him used to me but he's not having it and wobbles out of the door if I get near. I hate to kick him out into the cold but am I wasting my time trying to get him tame enough to stay in and use the cat flap after all this time? My own cat is happy enough having him around - it's just people that he hates. Is he beyond ever being even half a house cat? Does anyone else have experience of this?

He certainly knows what he wants! I was going to suggest a cat flap, but you've already got one of those. You're very good to sit with your front door open. Does he go crazy if you close the front door? Do you have a shed he could camp out in during the winter, obviously after he's eaten in your restaurant? Can we see a pic of him?

Has he got testicles?.

Normally, when you have a cat flap, then that sort of cat will gradually start to come in more and more, and stay in for longer, as they know they can always escape.

Has he ever used the cat flap? If not then I suspect he doesn't know what it is. The best thing to do (when the weather permits you to have a gaping hole in your door) would be to remove the door of the cat flap for a while so he gets used to coming in and out through it. Then when the door is back on he should get the hang of it. And gradually he should start to relax inside and will, to all intents and purposes, become like a normal pet cat, although he maybe will never want to be stroked.

And of course he needs neutering if he hasn't been done already.

Would that kind of cat start using a littertray or would they know to pee outside?

Play with him..start with a long piece of wool. He'll associate you with fun as well as food then and will gain his trust even more. That's how I tamed all my cats through the years. If he doesn't know how to play; persist.. He'll work it out.. try different types of toys/textures (feather toys etc), but cheapest is to go with long piece if wool as a starting point.

My parents took in two feral females. First we fed them outside; then we left the shed open for them to sleep in and gradually we got them to eat in the kitchen - wide eyed with terror at the ceiling initially. Finally, became two soppy house cats! Took months/years!

Hi. I lost my password and couldn't read your replies. No, he doesn't have testicles and he's not a very manly tom cat. I think he is probably happy eating in my restaurant as you say. He has used the cat flap to escape a couple of times when I didn't see him hiding near the radiator and shut the door on him but he was so terrified (or acting that way) that I don't want to shut him in again. He's never come in the house through it, just waits patiently until I prop open the door. I haven't tried playing with him but I'll give it a go. I'm sure if I go near he'll just bolt though.

Would he come in through a propped open cat flap? Or window?