Two feral cats are desperate to come in the house

[Swifey40]

Hi there, we have two feral cats who have adopted us, and are desperate to come in to the house. We have a little terrier who is blind, who takes no notice of them outside and who sleeps in the kitchen.
The cats could sleep in the utility room if we put a cat flap in. So firstly, how do I totally them to use the cat flap? They are very tentatively letting us touch them buy not much. If I st on the floor of the utility room with the back door open then the most confident one likes to lie near me, but just outside. I did this last night a he stopped crying and just lay down. So cute. Also once they are coming in, do I put a litter tray down (I'd rather not but will do if needs must) ?

They might not need a tray. They learn how to use flaps but often decide getting the human to pin the flap open or open the door 200 times a day. In some countries they just cut a hole in the main door, the cat figures it out.

They are beautiful cats. Are they definitely feral and not just stray cats? Looks like they've been neutered from the missing tips of their ear.

All of my cats have been strays, some confident and others not, but they've all used the cat flap, no problem. If you're thinking of installing a microchip cat flap, you'll have to get close to them to register the chip. The cat flap scans the microchip and then registers it. You'll have get them microchipped first, of course

If you don't lock the cat flap, they'll probably continue to toilet outside. But it's always useful to have basic litter trays available, for the times when you might want to keep them inside.

I'm really glad you're taking them in and giving them a home😺

If you put a cat flap in, just keep it propped open until they get the hang of it. They'll soon figure it out.
Thank you for looking out for them

Are they definitely feral - they look very well kept!

Feral cats tend to keep well away from humans, like above pp's have said , they could be straying. Have you had them.scanned to see if they are micro chipped?

Not necessarily I could easily stroke a couple of my ferals now. I just wouldnt dare pick them up😃 surely the ear tipping shows that they are feral? Thank you for doing this. Mine use the catflap no problem but i keep the house door shut.

Ear tipping can just mean stray as well.

It is probably wise to check that they are genuinely not owned which means checking for a microchip. You can buy a microchip scanner on Amazon for about £30 which I think is better than going to a veterinarian to check because it would be difficult if they are genuine feral cats.

However, if they are amenable to be placed in a cat carrier and taken to a vet, it might be useful because when checking for a microchip you can also ask the vet to check their health briefly for any obvious signs of injury or illness.

If they pass that test, once you let them into your utility room and feed them and look after them you will have two more cats for the life of the cats which is a big responsibility but it seems that it is one that you are prepared to take on.

I think you can train them to use the cat flap quite easily by leaving it open and putting food on the other side of it. And then after a while you close the cat flap and they will be motivated to get through it in the usual way.

As they are outdoor cats, I don't think you need to put down a litter tray at the moment. And if when you adopt them, they are indoor/outdoor cats, once again, you, strictly speaking, don't need to have a litter tray for them.

Although, it is said that a litter tray is useful in being able to check cat poop which allows you to diagnose some potential health problems as they develop. But that's a fairly minor advantage to set against the disadvantages of cat litter which are environmental and cost for example. Also, cat litter can be dangerous to cats because of the dust that they kick up and ingest.

Good luck and well done by the way for being so concerned about them. That's very good of you.

Postscript. I have an afterthought. If you have a cat or cats already the adoption of two new cat into your home of course will cause potential problems. Sometimes resident cat dislike this tremendously because strange cats are coming onto their territory, their home range. Just an afterthought which came to me a moment after I published my comment.

Very unlikely to he feral. Before you consider feeding them or adopting them get them checked for a microchips.

I had someone ring the door bell concerned about the welfare of the "starving" "feral" cat in my front garden. She was none too plussed when I told her that if he wanted to come in he could through the cat flap or indeed walk through the front door now. I did then also point out that her son off for feeding the cat ham and white bread sandwich was a really bad thing for him to do🙄🙄🙄

I'm always amazed at why people think a cat is feral

To my mind, a genuinely feral cat is to all intents and purposes a completely wild animal, and like other wild animals, will run away at high speed at the very sight of a human. Strays and semi-feral ones tend to hang around looking hopeful. 😂