# Tuxie, the Shy Feral



## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Just want to share Tuxie's pic, a shy feral that I regularly fed. He is still timid and runs away when I get too close. The past few days however he's been showing up closer, staying around longer, and patiently waiting for food. He eats a lot, maybe because of the colder temperature.


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## cat owner again (Dec 14, 2012)

Tuxie is a handsome fellow. Maybe this will lead to something. Your white cat is beautiful!


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

What a sweet, handsome boy. He is no fool, he knows he is getting some good "noms" in his belly. I'm sure he will warm up to you very soon.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

He's been around regularly since 2013 summer. I think he will eventually warm up to human! Angelo and Ponyo are so jealous of him getting all the yummy Friskies... while they HAVE to eat the healthier kitty food. Tuxie only eats cheaper brands. He turns his nose up to better brands. What a Diva! 

Built him a winter shelter, but I don't think he uses it. He prefers to be sunbathing on top of the hot tub during the day or sleeping under the deck at night. Oh well. 

I think he is fixed already, his right ear looks tipped. He is young and seems healthy. Eventually, I will take him to the vet for health check etc and hopefully keep him inside.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

Oooh a tuxy! I bet he/she is on the cusp of deciding to trust you. Bless you for feeding Tuxy wet food. They need more calories to keep warm in the winter. Wish Tuxy would use that house. Stinker!


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Thank you for the responses guys . I was worried about Tuxie when it was really cold last week. Even had three different types of boxes with blankets at different locations out back.... but not sure if he even use any of them. Obviously he is ok  it was interesting to see he ate so much by instinct (3 to almost 4 cans of 5.5 oz per day). He needed it to be warm. Now the weather here warmed up, I can tell he is not that hungry anymore we are down to 2.5. Wish we have this temperature all year long *sigh* I'm not sure how old he is. He looks young to me maybe around 2.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

Last year I made all sorts of warm places for Arwen to sleep, and then my neighbor across the street said was sleeping underneath their barn/shed, they would watch her every night at the same time, she would come over and crawl in this space she had made, way underneath it. This winter, I have been lucky enough to get her to sleep in my garage at night. In fact, she is liking it so much, she sticks around all morning in the garage until the sun is really up and shining and then she mews to be let out. It's not even cold right now (I'm in FL) but she is still sleeping in here, and it makes me so happy.

BTW, she will NOT eat the healthy food either. I feed the good stuff to my cats, and she won't even consider it. She will turn her nose up at ANYTHING except fancy feast  And only certain ones, she will not touch any of the beef ones, and there is a short list of ones she does like. She will eat people food though, I always give her some raw hamburger or steak if we have that for dinner, or some leftover chicken. I feel just awful giving her that stuff, the fancy feast, but I figure it is better than the garbage cans she ate from her whole life before that. 

Your tuxie is adorable. I am sure he will be trusting you more in no time and wanting to come inside


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

He is so handsome! Does he let you approach him at all? I've been working with one of mine for the past couple of months, and it's definitely a slow process, but when they make huge steps (like coming to you to get petted before they eat), it's so rewarding. 

My ferals eat a TON when it's cold too. The little bitty orange one usually inhales a 5.5 oz can in the morning, and another in the evening, plus some dry food. Lately, he's been eating three cans. He should be huge at the rate he eats, but he's not. Fortunately, neither of mine are the least bit picky. They will literally eat ANYTHING I put out.


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

I can't wait to be able to pet him.  He was comfy enough to stretch out in front of me earlier. Love progress! 

We have special code for feeding time. I tap the spoon against the plate and made some noises. He comes running towards me but not close enough for petting. He just wants the food...for now. It's okay with me. Just want to make sure he is healthy and safe. 

The shelter I built him is obviously not up to his standard. Lol. Oh well. 

There was another "feral" that comes in from time to time. He is the reason I don't leave any food out at night anymore. I thought he was a feral until I freaked out when saw his pointy nose and bald tail. He is a possum! First time in my life.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

LOL on the possum!!! Yeah, one funny looking cat! We get those in our yard sometimes, and my doberman has chased quite a few. She has even caught a few, but dropped them right away when we yelled at her to, and we thought they were dead.....oh no. THey were "playing possum", and got up and waddled off about 5-10 minutes later. 

When I feed Arwen outside, I always sit and wait for her to finish. Last year a big orange cat was trying to eat her food and peeing all over my front porch. So I got in the habit of staying with her while she eats, since she eats pretty quickly anyway. She now likes me to pet her back while she is eating, and this is something I NEVER thought would be possible. 

I'm sure this kitty will warm up pretty quickly, since he is getting close to you. The first time Arwen let me pet her, I cried, I was so happy. It started with her doing the head butt to my leg and then I would reach down and pet her tail, and as long as she didn't see my hand going toward her, she was cool with that. It was funny though, she would not let us pet her back for probably over a year. Now we can pet her all over, scratch her chin, do just about anything but pick her up, that is still a no no. But we have come such a long way. I think it is awesome to see this whole trust relationship develop with a feral.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Ugh, yeah, I have a possum who comes by sometimes and it always freaks me out. I heard something one night tapping on my front door (I have a glass storm door outside my regular door), and opened the door and saw this huge possum! I guess the light from inside/glare from the door kind of blinded her because she didn't even flinch, but kept tapping the door looking for food. Scout was not at all happy to see her and got all puffy. 

Have you tried sitting with him while he eats? You could try with him several feet away, then gradually shorten that distance so he gets used to you more. And definitely talk to him as much as possible so he gets used to your voice. Just let him make all of the first moves, he'll get there!


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## NOLAKitties (May 30, 2013)

Thanks for the suggestion. I might try that method. Sitting with him while he eats when the weather starts to warm up . I usually put the food close to the backdoor, then go inside. He usually waits patiently until I disappear from his view.


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## emilyatl (Sep 9, 2013)

Mine used to do that too. Now he'll come right up next to me for some pets while I put his food out. You'll probably get the stink eye for a little while, but he'll get used to you soon enough.


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## howsefrau32 (Mar 6, 2013)

I have made Arwen rotten. She now expects me to pet her while she is eating. If I just put the food down and stand there, she just stops and stares at me. Then as soon as I start petting her, she eats. She is now very friendly with my husband too, but he was a little unsure about petting her while she eats, and then he went to feed her recently, and she just stood there staring at him and wouldn't eat until he started petting her. Yeah, I think we created a little spoiled monster.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

You have a lot of patience! With ferals, this is a good thing!


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