Most “stray” cats, when they first come to RAPS cat sanctuary are hissing, spitting demons who definitely don’t welcome human contact. The ones who quickly transform into sweet little kitties were obviously someone’s cherished pet not so long ago but, for those who’ve had only limited human contact (semi-feral) or “lived wild” their whole lives (feral), such a transformation may never happen. Some of them may eventually allow a quick pet in passing, and some may even become downright affectionate, but many never get past their distrust. Whatever a cat’s history, sanctuary staff and volunteers (some brave visitors, too!) patiently and gently try to convince them that we’re not a threat. There’s always a big celebration whenever we see a glimmer of success. Here’s how we’re doing with a few of them.
Success Stories:
Audrey came to the cat sanctuary as a young feral many years ago. For several years, she didn’t allow any friendly contact, hissing at anyone passing below her favourite high perch. Then one day, she joined a few other cats who were enjoying a petting session and allowed herself to be petted! She’s come a long way since then, rubbing up against legs looking for some loving and even sitting on a lap now and then.
Howie also came to us as a hissy and unapproachable cat and he stayed that way until a gorgeous new cat, Mario, arrived on the scene. Like many other cats, Howie adored Mario and allowed himself to be petted when Mario was nearby. Now, he’s quite happy to get some human loving and lap time, even when Mario’s not around. Don’t know how you did it, Mario, but thanks for the good work!
Princess was one of several cats, most of them feral, who’d been looked after by someone who had to move from her property. Despite some contact with this one person, pretty Princess was still semi-feral when she came to our sanctuary. Unlike Audrey and Howie, Princess didn’t hiss at anyone – she just ran as far away as she could. Gradually, her curiosity overcame her fear and she’s now almost completely tame, although just a bit shy.
Harry continued to behave adamantly feral for many years with us. Then, the cute little guy required some cage rest after a dental procedure. Since he couldn’t scoot far away from us inside the cage, he decided to give in and put up with some petting. In fact, he liked the attention so much, he even allowed tummy rubs and head butts! Now, no longer in a cage, he’s still a little shy but, with very little encouragement, he’ll head over for a pet and more tummy rubs.
Works in Progress:Huckle lived under someone’s porch until a RAPS volunteer arranged for her to come to our sanctuary. For several years, she hissed at and cowered away from anyone who came near. Then, one day, while taking part in a feeding frenzy of cats chowing down on kitty treats, she allowed a volunteer to sneak in a quick pet. To everyone’s surprise, including hers, little Huckle enjoyed that touch. Although still very shy, if approached slowly, she welcomes lots of petting and even tolerates being picked up for short periods.
Little orange and white Tricia came to us as a young feral cat who’d already had a litter of kittens, which explains why she never gained full size herself. She and her two equally feral sisters wanted nothing to do with people and huddled together in the back of their cage. Once released, all three disappeared into the many hiding places in the back courtyard, until about a year later when Tricia began making “guest appearances” in the tea room during volunteers’ coffee breaks. We found that, if approached slowly and gently, she loves being petted, welcomes a few tummy rubs and even produces a few little purrs.
Orlean, another cute little orange girl, showed faint signs of interest in people early on in her stay at the sanctuary. She’d come close, then scoot away. Claire Fossey, who writes the wonderful Neko Files about the shelter cats, set out to convert little Orlean and has had great success. She’s now able to pick Orlean up and give her a good cuddle and Orlean is even okay with a few others doing the same thing. Thanks to Claire’s efforts, little Orlean is well on her way to becoming completely tame and loving it.
Gypsy’s been living in one of the big outdoor pens at the sanctuary for years, along with several other inhospitable (to say the least) feral cats. A regular visitor to the sanctuary, determined to befriend this crabby little group of felines, has spent hours sitting with them, talking gently to them and handing out treats. She was able to convince grey-and-white Gypsy that humans were all right and that getting petted was a good thing. Although no one else has gained as much of her trust as her original friend, Gypsy now allows the rest of us to get in a quick pet occasionally.
Forever Feral?
Combo is probably the best known of this group because he hangs out in full sight in the tea room, snarling from a lower shelf at any human who dares to invade his space. He’s not nearly as bad as he was – he used to hiss and spit from clear across the room. Now, he’s even been known to sniff a finger to get at some tuna or treat being offered, so maybe there’s some hope. Should he ever become tame, I promise I’ll devote an entire article to him.
Big orange Pumpkin has lived in the FIV (feline AIDS) building for many years. Despite the determined efforts of more than one volunteer to bring him onside, he’ll have none of that. Plenty of hissing and spitting is his response to any attempted contact. One long-time volunteer still insists that she’ll get a kiss from Pumpkin some day. Good luck with that, Maija!
Cute little black-and-white Dekka has long been my own personal challenge among our feral cats. When I first started volunteering over nine years ago, she offered me nothing but hisses and spits. After about six years, and a few dozen pounds of canned tuna, she would lick my tuna-laden fingers and even allow a little head-to-head contact but only if I kept my hands to myself. I haven’t made any progress since then, so have accepted the fact that I’ll never get to pet her or pick her up and that she, like many others, will stay forever feral.
For more stories and beautiful photos of these and many other feral and semi-feral cats at RAPS’ cat sanctuary, see
The Neko Files by Claire Fossey.
