Hi everyone! Are you planning giving a feral or stray cat a forever home?
Or is your cat just a little bit more on the wild side?
Me and Rags have 5 steps to help you socialise a feral or stray cat in to your home
Ragsy here used to be a lot wilder than she is now
When she was younger she would only ever come in to feed
And she would not tolerate any human interaction
She was basically half feral
We have socialised her back in to our home with a few easy steps
The first and most important thing to do is to the vet's to get an all round check up and their shots
Your vet will also be able to help you with socialising this cat in to your home
So it's going to be a bit more complicated than socialising an already domesticated cat
Number one: Prepare your home
A cat that's not used to being adored is going to need somewhere where they feel safe and unthreatened
Put aside a small room for them with plenty of hiding places, food, water and litterboxes
This room needs to be away from other people in the house including other animals and children
Number Two: First days
In order for your new cat to feel safe in the surroundings - patience is absolutely key
When first introducing your new cat to the room, place them in a carrier on the floor, open the door and step away
Let them exit the carrier in their own time
This is very important. Make sure there's plenty of water, food and litterboxes
And leave them alone in that room from between 12 and 24 hours.
This will give them time to become more familiar with their new surroundings
Once you start going in to the room make sure it's just one person and it's regular, scheduled times
A good idea is to get your new cat associate you with good things
Every time you go in to visit them, maybe fill up their water bowl, fill up their food or change their litterbox
Do not try to interact with them just yet
But the cat will be watching you and eventually start to associate you with yummy and good things
Number three: Building Trust
Once you established a basic routine, try spending a little bit more time in the room with a cat
Doing things like going on your laptop, watching TV or reading
Not doing anything to interact with the cat directly, but just allowing the cat to get used to you being around
If they do come out of hiding while you are there, do not try to touch them or extend a hand to them
Instead, if you're sitting on the floor, lay your hand on the ground and invite them to come and check you out
If you want to stop playing with your cat, use toys such as fishing rods
Anything that doesn't include any immediate touching
This will help the cat establish that you are not a threat and you are in fact a friend
Number Four: No Timelines
No one is saying that socialising a feral or stray cat in to your home is going to be easy
You will make progress in socialising these cats - be prepared for inevitable set backs
No one says socialising a feral or stray cat in to a home is easy,
Just remember that your cat is not only getting used to you, but your family and your home.
It's a completely different living situation they have to get used to and it may take
The important thing to remember is to be patient and don't be discourage by any setback you come accross
This is all completely normal and expected
Number Five: Using Outside Resources
You will have endless supply of information and support for you while try to socialise a feral cat or a stray cat in to your home
Also, if possible try and find a support group or a Facebook group
This will put you in contact with people who have been in similar situations as you and can offer support and advice
In my experience, people in these support groups cannot do enough for you and they are always there and happy to help
These are just 5 short steps to help you if you are looking to socialise a feral or stray cat in to your home
These helped somewhat with Ragsy and she is now a loving domesticated cat
Thanks for watching this video guys! We really hope that you found it useful.
And now, for our competition winner!
Ragsy has decides that Abbie Doodles provided the best cat care tip this week. Congratulations!
Get in contact with us at relaxmycat@gmail.com with your address and we will send it right over to you
You've won this catnip rattly toy for your cat. We hope that you will have hours and hours of fun!
Don't worry if you didn't win this week, we actually have a competition this week too!
In a comment section below share your top cat care tips for your chance to win this fishy rod catnip toy!
Put them in a comment section below and Ragsy will pick another winner next week!
Thanks for watching this video guys, we really hope you enjoyed it. If you did please give us abig thumbs up and if you haven't done do already - hit that subscribe button
And me and Rags - we will see you next week.
Bye guys!
Can you say bye?