by Vonda J. Sines

Created on: January 11, 2011

For many people, the temptation to take in a feral cat that looks underfed and lonely can be overwhelming.  If you’ve made the decision to help one of these unfortunate balls of fur, you’ll need to socialize the cat first and to do so safely.  Safety in this case applies to any human beings involved as well as to the feral cat and to any pets already in your home.

 Should you intervene?

As a car rescuer, I get lots of panicky calls from local residents who have seen feral cats that apparently need help.  They want me to come to their home and help them take in the cat.  Before doing so, I try to help them explore the idea by asking if they plan to keep it, who will socialize it, if they have a safe place for it to live and how any other pets in the home might react.  I also ask about how much initial vet care they intend to provide. I need to know what they will do if the feral cat can’t be sufficiently socialized to live indoors or how they plan to get the animal adopted.  If the has really considered all these options and still wants help, we begin to explore options to safely socialize the feral cat.

Safety first

Whether your objective is to bring a feral cat into your home to find it a permanent home elsewhere, the first step is getting your hands on it safely, then discerning if it can be socialized and to getting it to the vet.  Whether it’s a kitten or a cat, the process takes time and patience.  Generally, the younger the cat, the faster it will socialize, according to the Stanford Cat Network.

 Here are some tips for accomplishing the process:

Routine.  You need to interact with the cat at the same time every day.  Whether it is in sight or not, put out food and water at the same time each day.  Feral cats compete with other animals for food and are therefore very fearful.  They need to feel they can predict what will happen.  The cat needs to be able to both hear and see you. 

Touching the cat.  You will probably sense when you can touch the cat.  Typically, a feral will either come and stand beside you or even brush against your legs.  For safety, avoid the impulse to pick up the cat the first few times this happens.  Merely talk to the animal in a low voice.  When you sense it is safe to touch the cat, lower your body from the knees very slowly and just lightly touch the fur as many times as the cat will tolerate. 

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