Here are photos of the feral named Stripe, which I am socializing currently.She allowed me to pet her outside for a few months before I started inviting her inside. She always squirmed, meowed and purred with delight while being pet outside!
In the beginning, she was scared to come into our Arizona sun room. I left the door open a little so she could come in and out as she wished, taking it at her own pace. Now she seems to love to come in and stay for a while. She does not mind if I close the door - does not freak out like she did in the beginning. It took about three days to get to this point (just spending time morning and evening). I was quite surprised it did not take longer. And I did not need to use food to lure her inside as I did for other cats I have socialized.
As soon as she enters, she starts crying for me to brush and pet her. If I stop for a bit, she starts crying incessantly until I connect with her physically again! She will not let me put her on my lap yet (I get the claw treatment). But she lets me pick her up and put her on a chair so it is easier to pet her. She has quite a unique personality (perhaps they all do). I have been giving her allot of attention so that she would start feeling comfortable in the room. Now, she seems to want unrelenting attention. I may have created a monster! When she is done eating, if I am not engaged in play with her using a toy, or petting or brushing her, she cries to go out again. Eventually, I hope she will come to like staying inside as I wean her off the continual attention.
I imagine that, by the time the weather starts to get cold at night, she will learn to be contented staying inside all night as the others did.
I make special efforts to give equal attention to Panther and Samantha to reduce possibilities of jealousy. (We give shelter in our sun room to these special needs cats who are domesticated/abandoned ). Sometimes, I catch one of my inside cats peeking through a window, looking a bit sad, perhaps from being neglected temporarily. So eventually I give that one some extra attention. Our inside cats must have some insecurities since one was abandoned (Tabatha) and the other began as a feral who was later attacked by three dogs (Tiger Lily - see prior post).
So if you want to socialize a feral and you do not have a back room, be mindful that your inside cats may react differently to the feral one being inside as opposed to outside.
When I supervised Stripe with the back door open, it was a bit of a chore keeping some of the neighborhood cats out who have a home already but seem to want to adopt me. But overall, it can be quite delightful socializing a feral cat who is as willing to learn to be loved as this sweet, tortie we call Stripe.
I make special efforts to give equal attention to Panther and Samantha to reduce possibilities of jealousy. (We give shelter in our sun room to these special needs cats who are domesticated/abandoned ). Sometimes, I catch one of my inside cats peeking through a window, looking a bit sad, perhaps from being neglected temporarily. So eventually I give that one some extra attention. Our inside cats must have some insecurities since one was abandoned (Tabatha) and the other began as a feral who was later attacked by three dogs (Tiger Lily - see prior post).
So if you want to socialize a feral and you do not have a back room, be mindful that your inside cats may react differently to the feral one being inside as opposed to outside.
When I supervised Stripe with the back door open, it was a bit of a chore keeping some of the neighborhood cats out who have a home already but seem to want to adopt me. But overall, it can be quite delightful socializing a feral cat who is as willing to learn to be loved as this sweet, tortie we call Stripe.
Please send thoughts and prayers for me to be able to find a forever home for Stripe when she is ready.
Thanks for reading my post - leave a comment if you like. I plan to share more about my experiences and what I have learned from managing this homeless colony. Please let your friends know about my blog.
I would be extremely grateful if you feel inclined to donate to the management of this feral/abandoned colony, using the PayPal button on the sidebar.
I would be extremely grateful if you feel inclined to donate to the management of this feral/abandoned colony, using the PayPal button on the sidebar.
Debby Taylor
7 comments:
We hope that Stripe continues to do so well and will learnt to love being in doors through the night.
Interesting post! Thanks for dropping by. Our broadband is so sloooooow that we'll wait till Monday to add your link to ours. Hopefully it will be better then. We blog Tuesdays and Fridays.
Good luck with Stripe! She seems to be adjusting well. Some ferals take much longer to come inside and be comfortable. I have had to work hard to socialize a couple of mine and yet ones that I thought would be difficult adjusted quickly. I think they realize they are warm and safe inside! Thanks for doing what you do!
As formerly homeless cats, we are happy to see Stripe receiving good care and much love. She's a pretty tortie and we're glad she trusts you.
Gee, we can't imagine where Stripe got her name. :) She is quite pretty.
She is such a pretty kitty - I hope she begins to like being inside more without all the attention. I am sure she will be able to find a home once she is socalized - she is too pretty to pass up!
Stripe is so pretty! I'm sure she'll find a furever home as soon as she's ready! Thank you for helping her!
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