Cats are solitary by nature and if they are not used to contact with humans they can be very distrustful. You may find yourself in the situation of having to tame a cat if you have recently taken in a cat from a shelter or if you have found a kitten or an adult feral cat that you want to tame.
This can be a long task and requires a lot of patience. Also, if it is a cat that is not at all used to humans, you have to be very careful because it could be dangerous.
In this article on our site we are going to explain how to tame a wild cat step by step with useful and simple tricks:
Before starting, it will be essential to understand the psychology of a cantankerous cat:
Cats can be fearful for various reasons, whether they are wild or not, and the taming process can take more or less time depending on the cat's previous experience with humans and its particular character.
- tamed cats that have lost their home and are now strays may be easier to tame than completely feral cats, but you have to follow the same steps.
- A Completely wild cat has never had contact with humans and it is important not to give this cat reason to be afraid: if it has a positive experience with you could make him completely tame, but if you scare him or try to capture him you could traumatize him.
- The most difficult to tame are those who have had a previous negative experience with humans, wild or not. These experiences can be something terrible like abuse or they can be something more innocent: for example if some children you were playing with have run after the cat chasing it. If a cat was traumatized it might never allow itself to be held or even petted, but you can keep it as a pet because its behavior might improve over the years.
- The puppies and young catsare the easiest to tame, except in some special cases: for example if a puppy lost a his mother is better to wait until she is about 6 months old to adopt him. Very young kittens require special care and more elaborate socialization.
Once we understand that the process of taming a cat can be more or less complicated we must observe the character of the cat:
The first few days you can simply observe the cat and its body language: backwards ears, dilated pupils, twisting of the tail, curved back, bristling hair are signs of anger: the cat he feels threatened and will defend himself.
If it is a wild cat it is important not to take risks to your he alth: the signs of rabies can be very varied, but if you see to a cat that seems aggressive, disoriented and with convulsions or paralysis you should call 112 and avoid approaching the cat for your own he alth.
The third step will be let the cat get used to us:
We are going to allow him to get used to our presence: we move closer and sit down and talk to him in a calm voice so that he gets used to our voice, and at the same time we canthrow some food During this stage it is important not to try to touch or catch the cat. After about 3 days like this we can try to get a little closer, while throwing food at the cat, if his body language is aggressive or afraid, we should give him more time and not get closer
The fundamental thing about this step is to gain the trust of the animal, at its own pace.
If the cat seems very fearful and distrustful we can use a spray with pheromones that we can spray in the house to make it feel more comfortable taste or around us if it is a wild cat. But we should avoid using the spray in front of the cat because the noise of the spray could scare him.
When the cat allows us to get closer without showing signs of fear or aggression, we can get close enough while it is eating. And we caress the cat with a long spoon or spatula, this allows us to create contact but at the same time keep a distance so that the cat does not feel threatened. It may take a few tries or a few days for the cat to accept these petting If the cat runs away, it's important not to run after him, we'll try that later.
Now it's time to make direct contact with the cat:
To pet a cantankerous cat for the first time, it is preferable to wear protective clothing, such as a long-sleeved shirt, to minimize the risk of scratches and bites.
Once we have stroked the cat with a long spoon for a while, we can stroke it by hand on top of the head, and on the shoulders, but we must avoid caressing the lower part of the head and the belly of a cat that is not yet completely tamed.
When we believe that the cat trusts us enough and when the cat seems relaxed and calm, we try to hold it inside a towel or blanket after petting it several times. It can take more or less time to get to this stage, depending on the cat, and some very cantankerous cats will never allow themselves to be picked up. If the cat tries to escape when we already have it, we must let it go because it could hurt us or it could traumatize it and it would cancel all the efforts that we have already made with the cat.
Over time your cat will get more and more used to you and will let you pet or pick him up when he trusts you. It is important to understand that if it is a very surly and distrustful cat, it can take a lot of time and a lot of patience.
Now it's time to know some tips to adopt stray cats that our site offers you. Among them you will find veterinary visits and many other questions that some adopters ask themselves like you are.
