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).