How to Tame a Feral Cat - Determining if You Can Tame of a Feral Cat

1. Assess how feral the cat is. Feral cats are either totally feral (no human contact or only negative human contact), semi-feral (some positive human contact), or converted feral (abandoned house cat that becomes semi-feral).[55] Totally feral cats will be the most difficult to tame and socialize, and converted feral cats will be the easiest.[56]
- Semi-feral cats look to humans to feed them, but do not seek further human interaction. This minimal level of human interaction teaches them important social cues of the human world.[57]
- Semi-feral cats are sometimes referred to as ‘community cats.’[58]

2. Identify the feral cat’s approximate age. Having a rough estimate of the feral cat’s age can let you know how easy or difficult it may be to tame her. Feral kittens, particularly those younger than 10 to 12 weeks old, are usually easily tamable.[59][60] Older feral cats who have been feral for a long time will be most difficult to tame, if you can tame them at all.[61]
- Feral kittens should not be removed from their mothers until they are weaned, at approximately 13 weeks of age. This is very important. Puppies are okay to be separated from their mother at 8 weeks, kittens are not! To separate them to early can lead to life long behavioral and developmental issues. Experts widely agree that for kittens, 13 weeks is the appropriate time for separation.).[62]
- If you see a feral kitten with his mother, trap the mother and kitten at the same time. Keep them together inside your home until the kitten is fully weaned. Contact the local animal rescue to have the mother spayed and returned to her colony.[63]

3. Determine your ability to tame a feral cat. Taming a feral cat is difficult and comes with no guarantee that the taming will be successful. In addition to being a challenge, taming a feral cat can take a lot of time: feral kittens could be tamed in as little as two to six weeks,[64] but it could be a year or more before an adult feral cat is tamed.[65]
- Acclimating a feral cat to your home and socializing her could require several hours of your time per day, potentially for months on end.[66] Be honest with yourself if you can handle this level of daily commitment.
- Paying for the feral cat’s veterinary care will likely be expensive. Determine if you are in a financial position to pay for the feral cat’s care.

How to Tame a Feral Cat - Handling a Feral Cat

1. Spend time with the feral cat without handling her. After the feral cat has had some time to settle in, begin to interact with her to start getting her accustomed to human interaction. To prevent scratches and bites, wear long sleeves, pants, gloves, and shoes when you enter the room.[24] You may also want to have a piece of cardboard that you can hold up in case she lunges at you.[25]
- Plan to spend time with her at about the same time every day—having a routine will help her settle into your home.[26]
- Knock before you open the door, and enter slowly.[27][28]
- Talk to her quietly as you tend to her needs (e.g., cleaning her litter box, replacing her food and water.[29]
- Do not stare or make eye contact with the feral cat—she could perceive this as aggression. Instead, avert your eyes and lower your head.[30]
- As she becomes more comfortable with you, sit with her for about an hour each in the mornings and evenings. Other than talking to her, you can read a book or work quietly on your laptop.[31][32]
- Do not try to handle her at the beginning.[33] Attempts at handling her would likely result in you getting bitten, scratched, and hissed at.

2. Play with the feral cat. Playing with the feral cat will help her continue to get more comfortable with you before you handle her. Purchase some lightweight cat toys from your local pet store and let her play with those while you are in the room with her.[34] You can also make a homemade ‘kitty tease toy’: attach a small piece of cloth to a string, and attach the string to a small stick.[35]
- Do not let her play with the tease toy alone. She could swallow the string, which could lead to intestinal obstruction that would require extensive veterinary care.[36]

3. Observe the feral cat’s ‘readiness’ body language. Handling a feral cat can be fraught with danger—she may quickly put up her defenses and attack you out of fear. Observing her body language will let you know if she is comfortable with moving to the next level of human interaction. Body language that indicates she is not ready include lunging at you and growling at you with her ears laid flat against her head.[37]
- She may also hiss at you if she does not want you to handle her.
- If she seems relatively calm when you around her, that is a good clue that she may be ready to be handled.

4. Acclimate the feral cat to your hand. Still wary of more human interaction, the feral cat will need time to adjust to your hand. To begin, place your hand flat on the floor, palm side down.[38] Let her come to you, and allow her to bump into your leg, arm, or hand.[39]
- Resist the temptation to pet her. Her explorations of you are her way of testing you to see if you are a threat.[40]
- Keep your hand a small distance away from her at first. As she becomes more comfortable with your hand, move it and your body closer to her.[41]
- You must allow her to initiate the contact. She may attack if you make the first move.

5. Pet the feral cat. Petting the feral cat may feel like a moment of truth—will she welcome you or attack you? Set a toy near your hand and place your hand flat on the floor. When she approaches, sniffs, and nudges your hand, take this as your cue to slowly lift your hand and hold it at her eye level.[42]
- Briefly leave your hand at her eye level, then start petting her.[43]
- Pay attention to her body language—tensed muscles, a swishing tail, dilated pupils, and flattened ears are all signals that you should stop petting her and give her some space.[44]
- Keep the first petting session brief.[45] It is best to stop petting her before she lets you know she’s had enough.[46]

6. Pick up the feral cat. If you have a feral kitten, you can try picking her up and setting her in your lap when she becomes more comfortable with you petting her. Keeping in mind that she is still a wild animal, slowly and gently wrap her up with a towel (leaving room to scruff her) to prevent you from getting scratched or bitten.[47]
- Turn her body such that her head is facing away from you. Scruff her by firmly gripping the skin at the base of her neck.[48] Grasp the skin as close to her ears as possible, making sure not to grasp too tightly.[49]
- Gently lift the her up in the air and set her gently in your lap. If she will let you, pet her and talk to her in a soothing voice.[50]
- Although kittens are scruffed by their mothers, do not be surprised if the feral kitten does not like being scruffed by you. Read her body signals to determine if she likes or dislikes being scruffed.
- Never reach for a feral cat or kitten from its front.[51]

7. Groom the feral cat. Grooming the feral cat not only gets her more comfortable with human interaction and handling, but also helps you keep her skin and coat healthy. Brush her with a soft-bristled pet brush.[52] You can also comb her with a flea comb to remove fleas.[53]
- Combs and brushes are available at your local pet store.
- Flea infestations in feral kittens can be very dangerous, leading to potentially fatal anemia.[54] In addition to combing her with a flea comb, she will need to take a flea preventative (available through your veterinarian).

How to Tame a Feral Cat - Bringing a Feral Cat into Your Home

Feral cats have had little to no interaction with humans. Many feral cats are born in the wild, and others have been abandoned by their owners or have become lost.[1] Regardless of their origins, feral cats are generally fearful of human interaction, and will more likely scratch or bite you than snuggle up in your lap (at least at first).[2] Because of this fear, taming a feral cat can be difficult.[3] If you have your heart set on taming a feral cat, doing so will require an abundance of time and patience.

1. Prepare a room for the feral cat. The feral cat should remain in an enclosed area until she becomes more comfortable with you and her new environment. Prepare a small and quiet room, such as a bathroom, that is away from people and other pets.[4][5] Place a litterbox, a food bowl, a water bowl, and some toys in the room.[6][7]
- Make sure the room’s windows and doors are closed to prevent her from escaping. Also, check the room for any holes or cracks where she could manage to get through.[8]
- If there are shelves in the room, remove anything that she could knock over.[9]
- Create hiding places in the room (e.g., upside-down cardboard boxes with holes cut out).[10]
- For at least the first few days, use organic potting soil as litter—the feral cat will be much familiar with this than regular kitty litter.[11]
- Light the room with a nightlight, rather than turning on the overhead light. The darkness will help the feral cat feel more secure in her new environment.[12]
- To get her accustomed to human scents, place some old pieces of clothing (e.g., socks, sweatshirts) in the room.[13]
- The feral cat will need at least a few hours to allow her to settle in.[14]

2. Place a pet carrier in the room with the trap. You will need to take the feral cat to the veterinarian to receive some much-needed veterinary care (e.g., vaccinations, dewormings, FeLV and FIV testing).[15] It will probably be easier to transport the feral cat in the carrier, rather than the trap.[16]
- Leave the carrier door open and place some blankets and treats in the carrier to make it more comfortable for her.
- Place a towel over the trap and carrier to create another safe hiding place.[17]

3. Catch the feral cat. Don’t be surprised if the feral cat bolts if you try to get near her.[18] Setting a humane live animal trap will be the only safe way for you to catch her and bring her into your home. A live animal humane trap is designed such that the door will close behind the feral cat when she steps on a panel at the bottom of the trap.[19]
- To entice her into the trap, place some tasty morsels of the food at the back of the trap.
- She may be frightened at the sound of the door closing when she steps on the panel. However, she will not be injured.[20]
- Live human traps are available online. Consider contacting your local animal shelter or animal control to inquire about borrowing a trap.[21]
- Place some comfortable bedding (towels or blankets) in the trap.

4. Feed the feral cat outdoors. Taming a feral cat should be done inside your home. However, the feral cat’s fear of human interaction presents a problem with bringing her into your home.[22] Feeding the feral cat outdoors can help her at least begin to trust you,[23] or at least trust that you will feed her.
- Feed her at the same time each day.

How to Stop Your Cat's Diarrhea - Changing Your Cat's Diet

1. Consider any changes to the cat's food. If the diarrhea happened within a day or so of changing cat foods or introducing a new food, it could be the new diet. Go back to the old food that was not causing problems and the stool may go back to normal. When the stool is firmed up, try changing the diet very gradually, a little new food at a time.

2. Consider if your cat has food allergies. If you suspect your cat is allergic to her food, try changing her diet. Food sensitivities (allergies) do occur in cats and may cause diarrhea. So, when changing the diet, make sure the new food has very different ingredients than the old food, otherwise, there may not be much difference to the cat at all.
- Your veterinarian can also discuss with you trying a high fiber diet for your cat. This may include the use of a prescription diet available only through veterinary channels, and not found on the pet store shelves. Royal Canin, Hill’s Prescription Diets and Purina pet food companies have a veterinary-only subset of diets created for special medical conditions.

3. Gradually introduce a new diet. For some pets, you might slowly introduce a new food. A good ratio might be 90 percent current food and 10 percent new food. Gradually increase the amount until you reach all new food in about 10 days. Let your kitty tell you how fast you can switch to the new diet.
- Other cats may prefer adding 10% new food and remaining at that ratio for 3-5 days before adding in 10% more. There is no hard and fast rule and it is not a race.

4. Use Metamucil. Adding half a teaspoon of unflavored Metamucil into your cat's food once or twice a day for 5-7 days may help firm things up. Canned plain pumpkin may do the same thing. Both Metamucil and canned pumpkin are high in fiber.

5. Add probiotics to your cat’s diet. Probiotics add good intestinal “bugs” back into the gastrointestinal system to help rebalance a system that is out of sorts with the diarrhea.[4] An easy and tasty option is FortiFlora for cats, an over the counter (OTC) Purina product.

6. Offer plenty of water. Water loss can be significant with ongoing diarrhea and your pet can get dehydrated. To detect dehydration, gently pinch the normally loose skin at the back of the neck. When a cat is normally hydrated, the skin snaps right back down. If the pinched skin smooths out slowly, or remains tented, the cat is dehydrated. If the cat appears to be dehydrated, take her to the vet right away.

How to Stop Your Cat's Diarrhea - Treating Your Cat's Diarrhea With Medication

All cats have digestive troubles from time to time, and diarrhea is not uncommon. Usually, diarrhea lasts a day or so and clears up on its own. Other times, it may last for several days and cause dehydration, weight loss and lethargy. When your cat shows these signs, you'll most likely need to treat her with medication and reconsider her diet.

1. Know when to go to the veterinarian. If your cat has diarrhea that lasts more than a few days, if she's also vomiting, or if she also seems lethargic (more tired than usual) she needs veterinary attention. Call your vet and ask if you should bring a sample of the feces with you in case your veterinarian wants to do an analysis of the specimen.

2. Take your cat to the veterinarian. Bring a fresh fecal sample that's less than 12 hours old. Small amounts of red blood in the stool may be a minor issue. If the stool appears black and sticky (or “tarry”), it may mean that digested blood is coming from the stomach and that a stomach ulcer may have formed. Your veterinarian will probably do some tests (blood work, fecal analysis for internal parasites, x-rays, ultrasound) and prescribe a medication.
- If your veterinarian finds intestinal parasites in your cat’s stool, the appropriate medication will be prescribed. If it's not an intestinal parasite, the veterinarian may prescribe a medication to slow down the diarrhea, such as Metronidazole, Prednisolone or Tylosin.

3. Give your cat the prescribed medication. Bring your cat into a small room and shut the door. Hold your cat firmly in your left arm (if you're right-handed) and wrap her in a towel like a cocoon if she will let you. Give the medicine using a syringe (or eyedropper) at the side of the cat’s mouth and administer a little at a time.
- Make sure the cat is swallowing the medicine and not just letting it drip out. Your veterinarian should include a syringe or eyedropper when they dispense liquid medications. It never hurts to ask for a second one just in case you need a back up.
- You may want to give your cat a second syringe with a small amount of room temperature water to swallow: this will help clear the medicine taste from his mouth.

4. Observe whether the cat improves. Be sure to ask your vet how soon you should see improvement. Some chronic conditions, like inflammatory bowel disease, may need medication for months, perhaps for life.[1][2][3] If the treatment plan is working for your cat, the diarrhea should improve or be resolved completely.
- Signs of Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are: weight loss, dehydration, vomiting, and diarrhea. Your veterinarian will need to run tests to determine if your cat has IBD, chronic diarrhea related to intestinal cancer, or regular diarrhea.

How to Have Multiple Cats - Providing Good Care for Multiple Cats

1. Feed your cats separately as much as possible. Your cats will have different requirements in terms of how much they should eat and, possibly, what kind of food they need to eat.[17]
- Feed your cats in different rooms, closing the doors for the twenty minutes or so that they need to finish their meals.
- Separate feeding also helps to prevent fights from breaking out between cats at mealtimes.
- Make sure water is freely available throughout your home.

2. Offer plenty of exercise.[18] It’s not always easy for indoor cats to get sufficient exercise to keep them healthy. While your cats might play with each other, you should also make sure that you have provided plenty of opportunities for exercise and fun.
- Give your cats toys, and rotate them so that your cats always have something new to play with. If an older toy has lost favor, put it in a cupboard for a few months and then re-introduce it.
- Play with your cats. Throw lightweight balls or toy mice for them, or dangle strings for them to catch.

3. Get regular veterinary care for all of your cats. Getting routine immunizations and check-ups will ensure that your cats do not spread disease to one another.
- Feline infectious peritonitis can be spread via feces and saliva between cats and is almost always fatal.[19]
- Feline leukemia can be spread by mutual grooming and, less often, through shared litter boxes and food dishes.[20]
- Relatively few diseases can be spread between cats and humans. However, cat scratches and bites can become infected and should be carefully cleaned and monitored for any signs of infection such as prolonged redness, pain, and swelling.[21]

4. Neuter or spay your cats.[22] Without fail, get every single cat you have spayed or neutered. Every year, there are far more kittens born than good homes to take them.
- Spaying and neutering reduces the chance that your cats will mark territory with urine.
- Spaying and neutering also reduces conflicts enormously.

5. Keep toxic plants and chemicals out of your cats’ reach. Ask your vet if you are bringing a plant or cut flowers home and aren't sure if it is toxic to your cats. Keep cleaner and chemicals in a closed cupboard.
- Common plants toxic to cats include lilies, tulip bulbs, chrysanthemums, and amaryllis.
- Signs of poisoning include difficulty breathing, vomiting, difficulty swallowing, drooling, diarrhea, and irregular heartbeat.[23]

How to Have Multiple Cats - Preventing and Dealing with Problem Behaviors

1. Rule out physical causes of “bad” behavior. If your cat develops a new behavior, take her to the vet to rule out illness that might be causing this behavior.
- For example, urination outside the litter box can be a sign of a urinary tract infection, kidney stones, or other problems.[7]
- If you are not sure which cat is urinating outside of the box, ask your vet for fluorescein, a harmless dye that will cause the cat’s urine to glow in ultra-violet light for about twenty-four hours.[8] Administer this product to just one cat each day, and then find and examine fresh urine in the problem areas. Eventually, you will identify the culprit.

2. Use a pheromone product to reduce tension. These products are designed to mimic cats’ own facial pheromones. They are meant to help cats to feel calm and can reduce aggression in multi-cat households.[9] They can also reduce problem scratching and some problem spraying.[10]
- Pheromones can be distributed using sprays, collars, wipes, or diffusers.

3. Make sure your cats can find places to retreat and be alone. Cats are territorial, and it’s important that you have enough space for the number of cats that you have.[11] They appreciate privacy and may feel more secure if they can hide sometimes.
- Take advantage of vertical space your home. Clear off a space on top of upper cabinets, for example, or leave part of an upper shelf open.[12]
- A very shy cat or a cat showing problem behaviors might prefer their own room, at least for a while. Provide their own litter box, food, and water.

4. Defuse misdirected aggression. If a cat gets angry about something, she might misdirect that anger into aggression toward another cat who is merely an innocent bystander. [13] If one of your cats is getting upset, direct his focus away from other cats.
- For example, if you have a cat who hates getting her medicine, plan to administer it when she is the only cat in the room.

5. Provide plenty of things to scratch. Scratching is an important behavior for cats. It helps them to mark territory as well as maintain their claws.[14] If you want to discourage your cats from scratching things they shouldn’t, like your furniture, you need to provide attractive alternatives.
- Scratching posts should be stable. Your cat should be able to lean into scratching without overturning the post. You can use weights of five or ten pounds to stabilize a small post.
- Provide a variety of textures. Many cats like the feel of sisal rope, while others like plain wood.
- Sprinkle some catnip on a new scratching surface to attract initial interest.
- Discourage inappropriate scratching using scents such as mint or lemon that cats dislike. You can also tape aluminum foil over a vulnerable piece of furniture to deter your cats.[15]

6. Use rewards to encourage good behavior. Although not as easily trained as dogs, cats learn to repeat good behavior if it associated with rewards. Use treats to teach your cat how to behave, being careful to not inadvertently reward behavior you dislike.
- For example, give your cat a small treat every time they use the scratching post.
- If necessary, you can discourage bad behavior by spray water near them. Use spray bottles, and don’t aim directly at the cat, but next to them. Use this method to break up a stand-off between cats.
- You can also use spray bottles to deter cats from counters, Christmas trees, or other places you don’t want them.

7. Introduce new cats slowly. When you get a new cat, don’t just dump them into the mix. A gradual, careful introduction process can prevent problems from developing.[16]
- Keep the new cat in a separate room at first. Allow your cats to smell the newcomer’s scent.
- Feed the cats on opposite sides of a door, to build positive associations and a sense of trust.
- Allow the cats to see one another through a screen door or stacked baby gates before proceeding with the full introduction.

8. Monitor your cats’ interactions with other animals and people. Never leave a cat unattended with animals that are its natural prey, such as fish, birds or rodents. Make sure that your cats can escape unwanted attention from dogs, children, and guests.