# semi-feral cat



## little_miss_kitty (Dec 1, 2008)

I'm looking after a kitten for a friend for a few months. He found without his mother when he was tiny living behind a shed with his sister and was taken to the cats protection. He's always been a very nervous cat and not sure of humans although he did get comfortable being picked up and cuddled by his owners eventually.


He's been with us about 2 weeks now and gets more confident around us each day (i think having Winston here helps as he tends to copy what he does). He'll now eat in front of us, eat food from my hand and let me stroke him when he is sleepy but my question is...can a semi-feral cat (one who has had no human contact or lived in a home for the first 8 weeks of his life) ever become a confident adult cat?


----------



## mckitty (Jan 11, 2009)

i think so, bracken came to us at nine weeks and hid in the spare room for two days, absolutely terrified, a week later he was letting us pick him up and stroke him

i was amazed by his transformation, every cat is different though and it does take a lot of patience and time, hell come to you when hes ready, hes already learnt your the food provider

keep talking to him softly and try some cat toys, the ones you can drag along the ground and he can follow and chase it maybe


----------



## little_miss_kitty (Dec 1, 2008)

Thanks. He'll play with toys etc he's just not sure about being picked up for stroked...(unless he's sleepy..he'll let me stroke him then  )

He seems to prefer Winstons company to ours and follows him everywhere


----------



## PoisonGirl (Oct 24, 2008)

My nana took in a feral kitten from cats protection. She would hiss, scratch and bite if you tried to pick her up at first! She was quite nasty.
Over the few weeks she has had her she has calmed down alot. 

It is only since the kitten got spayed last week she has come to like human company, my nana was that worried about her not feeling like eating after the op that she went out and bought every kind of expensive cat food.. Sophie turnded her nose up at them all! So she went and bought some cooked chicken and some cat milk. Sophie has been her best friend since I think needing my nana afoter her op has made them bond 

x


----------



## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

little_miss_kitty said:


> I'm looking after a kitten for a friend for a few months. He found without his mother when he was tiny living behind a shed with his sister and was taken to the cats protection. He's always been a very nervous cat and not sure of humans although he did get comfortable being picked up and cuddled by his owners eventually.
> 
> He's been with us about 2 weeks now and gets more confident around us each day (i think having Winston here helps as he tends to copy what he does). He'll now eat in front of us, eat food from my hand and let me stroke him when he is sleepy but my question is...can a semi-feral cat (one who has had no human contact or lived in a home for the first 8 weeks of his life) ever become a confident adult cat?


Most definitely yes, they can become confident adult cats. My Gizmo was found in a barn with just a sibling and no mum. I've had him since he was six weeks old. He is now a 5year old, adorable lump of black fur! He is still only friendly on his own terms and doesn't like to be in very much but my two sons can do what they like with him. He isn't a lap cat but he will come to us for a rub when he wants one. Mai Tai adores him and follows him round the house but he still hisses at her to leave him alone when he's had enough of her.
Good luck with looking after this kitten. it must be hard for him if he has been moved from home to home in his short life.


----------



## Siamese Kelly (Jan 6, 2008)

Agree with Lyn LMK,we found our Noodles locked in a shed with his mother gone and 3 dead siblings,am guessing he was around 6-8 wks old at best and much like Lyn's Gizmo,he has become a very calm and confident old man,though he's not greatly confident with other cats but any human could cuddle/play with him though they may get purred to death,he can't mew but has the loudest rattling purrr,so yes and from everything you say,it sounds like he's well on his way to becoming a confident young lad,well done


----------

