Socializing feral cats





By Frania Shelley-Grielen. All rights reserved.



When a shelter asked me to socialize two four month old feral kittens, we both knew that four months is long to do this kind of work. The sensitive period to socialize kittens to humans (and other animals) is recognized as ending at seven weeks. When handling kittens before seven weeks, how long the handling last and how consistently it is done, can make all the difference in whether these kittens like humans or are fearful of them. Kittens (and cats) can be worked with after the seven week period but it will much take longer and require much more creativity and patience. It is the nature of the cat to take time to take the measure of its environment and the assessment by the cat is done in “cat time.” Absent easily shared language and ability to trust in the permanence of place and our intentions, the cat must fully experience the human environment as friendly, appealing and most of all safe.




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Cat behavior expert, Dennis Turner, notes that shy cats not socialized to humans, are most often more wary of new experiences and require multiple positive experiences with new people to trust them. This means, the work you do with these cats must be about creating long lasting, intensive positive experiences with humans. Turner also found that these former ferals will react more strongly to a single negative experience. Scare these cats by going too fast or too close too soon or handle in the wrong way and there is a whole lot of damage control to be done.


This process from feral to former feral entails fostering trust that living with humans is a good idea, you need to figure out the timing and the method to get the message across—how to make the relationship worthwhile from the feline point of view. As Turner points out, working with cats after the sensitive period is not truly “socializing” them as they have already been well socialized to their environment, including the animals that are a part of it. He agrees with other experts who have proposed a more correct term for including human affinity as “social referencing,” I say we, as humans, need to figure out how to be more “socially relevant” to these cats.

The kittens, now about seven months old, actively solicit petting and contact, especially before eating and after play. They are the most comfortable with me since I have spent the most time working with them but with toys, my husband, the pet sitter and new people can approach them.

Would that the hard luck story of these street kittens had more of the "rescue" appeal that dogs enjoy. If it did, finding homes for cats like these would be easier. The truth is that not everybody likes cats. They hiss when scared and scratch when cornered or defending themselves. Their breeding habits are smelly and noisy. They mostly do not come up to you like dogs do and beg for attention and affection. Then again they're too scared to do that, scared of what we might do to them and we blame them for that. But cats are in desperate need of rescuing living on the streets and in back yards and vacant lots without shelter, too cold in winter and too hot in summer and then there is rain. They are often hungry and scrounging for food. And the streets are dangerous a second too close to a passing car can be crippling and fatal. Humans can be dangerous for a street cat, risky to be around, you are not welcome in every backyard, things get thrown at you and bullies can find you and hurt you. (Continue reading below)





"Late socialization to humans can take months (many of them) but given the correct approach, it will happen. Go slow to go fast with cat. do not rush them. Let them come to you.



Winter is almost here and there are too many cats on the streets. And now there are two more kittens who have started to believe that trusting humans is a good and safe thing to do, ready for a family of their own that can go slowly with them and be OK if they startle at first a lot and then a little as time goes by. The promises we make.


Late socialization to humans can take months (many of them) but given the correct approach, it can definitely happen. Time and consideration are the magic ingredients with any cat, add to that the following:


- Provide a closed environment they can explore and become accustomed to comfortably. Do not give them the run of the house (too scary and big at first!) and avoid a cold and sterile bathroom if possible. A bedroom or office with cat furniture, feeding station and relief station (uncovered litterbox please!) is better


- Give them time to adjust and adapt, their world has just been turned inside out and upside down. Give them more time than you think they need. Always remember to go slow to go fast with cats, do not rush them. Let them come to you.


- Be a positive experience and person to interact with. Let your gentle, kind voice, calm presence, willingness to play and food offerings be the initial attraction.


- Announce your presence and your intentions with a low, soft and friendly voice. Offer greetings on an approach..


- Avoid direct and fixed eye contact. When your gaze does meet., offer slow, soft blinks instead.


- Sitting on their level and reading out loud will accustom cats to your presence. Keep off phone scrolling and read instead. Pick neutral or soothing things to read. Your voice alone while reading prevents unwelcome eye contact and guarantees a modulated tone.


- Classical music has been proven to soothe animals a classical radio station will also offer the added benefit of associating the pleasing tones of human voices (the announcers) with classical melodies.. Tune the radio (105.9 fm in NYC is a good choice) and leave on at a lower level than you would enjoy for a few hours a day or when you are off at work or dinner.


- Give them something to do and somewhere to do it. Scratching posts and puzzle feeders (for all dry food instead of bowls) allow cats to perform natural and necessary behaviors like scratching, "hunting" and playing.


- Climbing surfaces and toys (those fur covered mice that rattle are a must) afford an enriched environment, necessary for welfare. Cats love boxes or beds with raised sides and a must is raised resting spaces - for every cat, in every room. For the feral, this is vital to allow them to feel secure in their new environment where they have limited choice and control. Play tunnels are a nice pick to add in, combining play and hiding in one spot.


Pay close attention to where cat furniture is placed to optimize use. Next to a window, against a wall or in a corner are generally preferable to the middle of a room or in a passageway. Don't forget that adding cat beds or igloos on top of your own existing furniture can work just as well as cat trees in smaller spaces. Add cat attractants like silvervine, valerian root or catnip to new cat surfaces and toys to take away "factory smell" and for scent enrichment. Another nice choice is a Pet Remedy plug-in with its soothing dispersal of valerian and chamomile.

- Interactive play is huge in creating positive relationships between human and cat, relieves stress and engages cats in intrinsically rewarding activities that mirror natural and necessary hunting behaviors. Cat dancers and the like such as, fishing wand toys are great tools, remember to pass the object across or away from a cat’s line of vision to engage them (more on cat play here).

Aim for at least three to five minutes of play at the same time in the morning or evening (or even better, both). Keeping interactive play on schedule is another way to offer that elusive sense of control in a new and unpredictable environment the cat has found themselves in.

- Hand feeding is a great way to create trust but make sure to incorporate petting into the ritual lest the cat limit the contact to only feeding times. Churus rock for creating positive associations for the wary. Use them and let trust develop over time, depending on the cat, you may need many Churus, they're worth it. Once your feral is comfortable and accepts hand feeding you can progress to adding in petting.

To do this, start with hand feeding by placing several high value treats on the flat of your palm which you are holding at or just below muzzle level. Allow the cat the time to approach, remember that cats have poor vision up close, so several treats will help the cat to identify them with greater ease by sight and smell. Keep your hand flat and take time to wait to allow the cat to take the treats. Keep your voice soft and acknowledge. Once the cat is consistently taking treats, gradually introduce petting using the hand that is not doing the feeding. Make sure to offer the petting hand at the same level or lower than the cat’s head, the side of the face is ideal.


When the cat is comfortable with touch, go slowly. Keep petting to one or two strokes along the side of the muzzle or behind the ears. Do not over pet. Keep it feline friendly, as in do it as the cats do. No belly rubs, even if you see social rolling, this is a friendly gesture and not an invitation, and no full body stroking. Allow a relationship to develop with the magic ingredients - time and baby steps.


References

Turner, D.C. (2000). The human cat relationship. In D.C. Turner & P. Bateson (Eds), The Domestic Cat the biology of its behaviour, (2nd ed., pp. 194-197). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge.

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