How can I get a wild cat to live with me?

Question

I have a wild cat that visits my house nearly every day. It always runs when I get near it. Is there a way I can get it to live with my other cats?

Answer 1

Depends on a couple things. First... how old is the cat? Second... is it WILD or just scared? If its an adult and actually wild (feral), chances are slim. If it's young, you might have a chance.

Feral cats, unfortunately, almost never tame down. You're no more likely to tame it than you are to tame a bobcat. That said... it can still benefit from being fed and talked to calmly. It will probably eventually let you get CLOSE... but whether or not it ever lets you touch it is a gamble. I have one that's lived at my house for 9yrs. I feed her and she has a warm, dry place to sleep. She meows at me if she runs out of food... but she won't let me get within 6 feet of her.

Talk to a local shelter and see if you can borrow a live trap. That way you can trap her and make sure she's fixed (many shelters will fix her for free if you'll take care of her, since most don't have anyplace to put ferals). That way there won't be a million babies out there with her. :)

Answer 2

It takes time but it can be done. I have two wild (feral) cats living in my house and they are the best pets. Feed it in the same spot at the same time every day. Eventually it will trust you. It may not let you pet it right away. I would get in contact with a local feral cat group. They can help you set up a trap to catch the cat and get the cat spayed/neutered. The amout of wild (feral) cats is sad. Most of these cats started out as pets that were dumped or offspring of those pets. If you want anymore info just ask. I have been dealing with feral cats in my yard for the last 3 years!!

Answer 3

I'm assuming by wild, you mean the domestic cat only feral and wild and not a breed of wild cat like the Lynx...

It all depends. Feeding it and trying to stick around when it's eating helps. Slowly get closer every day as it eats. Try to pat it as it eats or slowly put your hands closer to it. (be careful as some animal freak out if you do this!) Keep at it, it will take a very long time. Just try and show it you it can trust you.

This how I tamed 2 of the 4 feral cats who were hanging around my house. However, what do you mean by wild cats? As in feral, stray or really wild? Some cats who have been feral all their loves will not be tamed and some will take a longer time. If you do manage to tame it and take it in, I would not put it anywhere near your other cats before you get it vet checked (and desexed!)

We were only able to tame 2 of the cats, as the other 2 were both fully grown males. They hung around and allowed us to pat them and even pick them up, but we had to move before we could tame them enough to take them in and get the desexed. This was a huge improvement as when we started they would not even let us go near them or even stand too close when they were eating.

Also, where do you live? In Australia we don't have rabies or anything, so you don't have to be too worried about deadly diseases but in other countries you might have to.

I would really encourage you to try and take this animal in simply because feral cats are pests and they kill the native wild life. Even if you can get this cat tame enough to take it to the vets and get it desexed so it can't breed and produce more it would be a good idea.

Thank you for caring for animals :) there aren't enough people who do.

Answer 4

Feral (wild) cats can be almost impossible to domesticate. A lot depends upon whether the cat is truly wild, or has had human contact in the past (as in someone gave her crappy life and then dumped her). If this is an adult "wild" cat, you chances are very slim at ever getting it to trust you. There is one feral, that I have fed on my back porch for 2 years, she finally is tame enough to sit at the edge of the porch while I put out the food. Two years ago, she would run right out of the yard and then come back when I went inside. So, I guess I'm saying Good Luck to you, and I hope you can convince her you are worthy of her trust. Food is the ultimate bribe - it wouldn't do any harm to try.

Answer 5

Train it to get used to your cats, it may stay in a corner, and want to go out, but make sure that the trained and the wild cats are bonding..

Answer 6

Start leaving it some food outside and once it gets comfortable near the food, you could try to approach it with food in your hand. I was able to get a stray cat into the house by luring it with some deli turkey meat. It took a couple of days, but it worked.

Just remember, if you are able to catch the stray, bring it to the vet to get it checked out and vaccinated before bringing it in with your other cats to prevent any spread of disease.

Good luck!

Answer 7

on the first day, put some food and water in front of ur doorstep
the days after, wen she shows up in front of ur house, put the bowl in ur hands and let her see it...let her come to you to get the food and water and she'll understand that u r friendly and want to feed her....trust me....go with things a lil further every day and she'll get less and less shy with yu....but yu have to be patient...this can take up to abt 3 months....the bad news is that even if u two get used to eachother in the end...the other cats will most likely not like her at all...

Answer 8

I don't think you should, he or she lives in the wild and is wild. You would be taking it out of it's natural habitat and may really have a bad emotional effect on him or her. Also, it might be dangerous for your other cats to have a wild cat with them. Naturally, wild cats "fight" for their food out there, and having them inclosed with your other cats might cause a lot of problems. I think you should ket him be, I don't think he or she would be so happy in an other environment. Hope it all works out!

Answer 9

When animals are Wild, they can't be tamed because they are Wild. Just be a nice person and leave food around for it so you can still see it everyday.

Answer 10

With food, love and lots of patience. You have to earn his trust and it may take a long time, but it can be done. Once you do make him a pet, be sure to take him to the vet for a check up and shots, you don't want the cats you already have to catch something. Good luck and bless you for caring!