# Not sure about this



## carolsclan (Jun 28, 2006)

2 months ago I started fostering vats through our local rescue group , I love cats and thought this was the perfect solution , im also at home all day ... my ideal was to take in kittens to sozilize them properly but as it happened I landed up with 3, 5 month old ferals ....and they were very very wild.

I put them into my large spare room , and would sit with them and chat to them , it didnt take long and two of them would come and eat while I was sitting there , they wouldnt let me touch them tho .... I didnt worry overly much , at least they are fed and safe.

I then hurt my back ( a magic story) and I was laid up for a while ... I decided to start letting them investigate the house and getting to know my friendlier cats (only one of my cats has issues) the rest are very friendly with anything. This worked beautifully and in the evenings I close up , put my dogs away , and let them roam around .. they behave like wary house cats and it wasnt long and they started playing with magic and the kittens.

(they are all vaccinated BTW)

I decided it was time to return them to the shelter , because they are due to start coming into season , and the lady at the shelter begged me to keep them because they dont have room.

No problem .... NOW these cats know exactly where they are safe .. as soon as there is a loud noise or something that scares them they run straight to their "room" they are fairly friendly , they play with me , but still dont want to be touched.

Im thinking , after they have been "fixed" why dont I let them get used to the yard slowly and then they can can also run around and chase insects and climb trees... we will make sure they can get to their room for food shelter and their heater.

I dont like confining cats , its my pet peeve , and here its safe ... there are no dogs to chase them , and big trees to play in , there arent any busy roads ..and the staff on the farm all know my cats .... I will just issue a bulletin that there are more .. thats what I love about this place all 200 odd staff members out here are all animal lovers.

How do i get them tamer tho ??


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## Sweetvegan74 (Jun 18, 2005)

In my opinion I would not let my house cats free to roam. They are only allowed in my cat proof fenced yard. You never know what is out there. If you cannot touch the cats they are semiferal. Have them fix and keep them in the house. Keep interacting with them. As soon as you can touch them get other people to interact with them but slowly. 

Since they are 5 months they will take longer to tame. It is not impossible as I have tamed cats as old as a 1 year. But alot of older kittens tend to bond only with their tamer. So if you are not keeping them please have other family and friends interact with the cats.

BTW if you still wish to let the "fixed" kittens outside do not do it unless you can pick them up. If outside and spooked you may never get them in or they might revert back to their feral personas.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

I believe it's unsafe for any cat to be allowed outside. Dogs, other cats, disease, and cars are only some of the dangers. However, there is a great alternative. You can build an outside shelter with a kitty door, so that they can go in and out safely. One of these can be built for less than $100 worth of materials. I hope you'll consider this.  

http://www.animalnetwork.com/cats/enclosure.asp


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## carolsclan (Jun 28, 2006)

thanks for the advice , I have always let my cats out and have only ever lost a cat because it wasnt fixed. And that is my fault.

We live on a 20 000 sugar cane estate and its safe .

The trouble is here it gets so hot and we dont have aircon that the thought of keeping doors and windows closed is yuck. Our Summer temps avr 40 C 

The other thing is that the 7 cats who arent confined sit in a row at their cat flap in disgust if its raining.

I will consider the kitty cage tho , its going to be far more expensive here .


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

40 degrees centigrade is really HOT! Could you get a used window air conditioner for one room, the living room, perhaps? 

Getting them tame is a very slow process, and requires a lot of patience. Here's a link that might be helpful! 

http://muttcats.com/articles/taming_ferals.htm


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## carolsclan (Jun 28, 2006)

Jeannie the buggers are getting tamer , when its meal time I have to open the door very slowly and I first kneel on the floor in front of the door and put my hand in , and two of them come and sniff my fingers , I have managed to stroke blue the silver tabby a few times now , he hisses at me but doesnt move.

For some very weird reason they show no fear of my dogs ... maybe they have picked up their friendly scent when we let them out into the house. BTW when we let them walk around the house the one comes and sits straight in front of the heater and plays with my other cats , of course they get given tinned food as a treat everytime they show friendliness.

They are lovely kitties and are going to make super pets.


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## carolsclan (Jun 28, 2006)

Me again , I have just read that link.

I have had these kitties about 2 months now and they have actually come along better than I thought (after reading that article) when I brought them home they were completly wild and I sat with them for weeks with titbits.  slow progess but seems standard ?


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Yes, it takes time, and you have more than one to tame! What about the second hand air conditioner. Lots of people sell theirs because they're getting whole house air conditioning.  I love summer, but you must be roasing!


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## carolsclan (Jun 28, 2006)

hehhe its winter now and our temps are freezing at about 20C sorry couldnt resist ... ill get hubs to make a "cage type affair" outside "their' room . Feeding 10 cats , 2 dogs is bankrupting me.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

> hehhe its winter now and our temps are freezing at about 20C


Of course! (  Smacks self upside the head! :lol: ) The Southern Hemisphere! You get to see the Southern Cross constellation. I imagine it's lovely.


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