Strays start allowing touch after a full year!

[Azcruiser]

I have several stories but I will speak for Ginger. She was a feral that like all of our stray/ferals that have come into our lives lived outside for quite a while. I noticed when I first saw her she was quite thin and is a rather skinny cat to begin with. She would never come near us and would only eat when we were gone. Several weeks go by and she would feed while we were outside. Thats when I noticed she was pregnant. Great, more kittens. She didn't show for some time until one day my wife noticed her and her kittens all of about 2 months old.

I could write volumes on these cats but let me say this ALL of them are in the house now and Ginger after a year is sleeping peacefully on the arm of the love seat and goes out of her way to have me pet her. She chatters and rubs on my legs as I stroke her back, chin and tug her tail. Her offspring, One is under the bed one on top and one in the mancave. All is well.

[Straysmommy]

Awww, thanks for sharing and most of all for adopting this family!!

[Whaler]

great to hear of yet another feral transitioning to to the good life.

[shan841]

Very touching stories. Thank you!

[Carmel]

That's wonderful! You really have to work to gain their trust, and it makes it all so worthwhile when they finally start to trust you.

Blacky took a year as well until she'd let me close enough to pet her, it was all slowly a lowering of defences from there (after that initial one) , and perseverance, and not giving up the first... Many, many... Times she bit me and kicked me when I'd do something she didn't like. I love that cat, taming her was just slight trial and error along the way to future years of countless kitty cuddles.

[Goldtanker]

You guys know more about cats than I do. I have never actually owned one that lived in the house. I have only encountered and provided for them over the past 35 years of living out here in the sticks. Strays that have wandered through might have been dropped off or made the trek from some other area. In any event they have all suffered from some trauma/abuse. I mentioned before that I fed one under the porch for 8 years and he never let me touch him or stayed in the house I provided. I'm sure he had a story to tell about humans.

This is the third Winter for Midnight, the wild cat. It has taken a while, (including numerous frantic claw attacks, and a trip to the emergency room for intravenous antibiotics from a nasty bite) for him to trust me. But now I can pick him up, pet him (he purrs and slobbers ) and I think he feels safe in his house in the garage (which he is using almost every night now that it is cold). I know he doesn't like brooms (not hard to figure out how that happened). He is also afraid the lady that lives on the next place down the road. She takes in strays also, but she must remind him of someone in his past.

My rule is simple - hurting children and animals is not tolerated.