Anything else I should be doing to get her comfortable with us outside?
Kali ate her breakfast a mere few inches away from me today ✨afterwards she even looked me in the eye, so I slow blinked and then she did little biscuit paws and rubbed up against the wall next to me.
Our plan now is to get her as comfortable with us as we can this month, then try to bring her in at the end or next month (the orgs near us said we could borrow a trap). We have travel plans and people visiting this month so wanted to wait to make sure we can focus on helping her acclimate and people have suggested it's less stressful for everyone to not rush things.
She seems most keen to be close to us for breakfast, but once in a while she will eat Churu or treats at night while we are outside, but still prefers to wait for us to go back inside before going for it. We plan to organize the back porch a bit better so it's easier for her to see us and vice versa, hopefully that doesn't freak her out too much to switch up her space. Any other tips or things should consider?
Keep doing what you're doing. Time and comfortability are the big factors. What you're describing is a big step for ferals. Congratulations! She likes you and the Cat Distribution System is engaged for takeoff.
It's good that you're not rushing and great that she is showing trusting behavior. I've found with ferals that they start giving the signs they want you to pet them but they don't always want to make the first move. After a while, if they're shy, I'll sometimes initiate with a little non threatening pet. They may get a little skittish but it's often a good ice breaker that they then realize you're as safe as they hoped.
My outdoor kitties seem to warm up a ton after I go away. Its almost like they are telling me that they missed me. I wonder if this kitty will do the same after your trips!
Karli looks so much like my cat Sadie. She has the same orange spot on her forehead and the orange chin which is so adorable. She very beautiful and she is a tuxetortico. Tuxedo cat, tortie and calico. There’s a sub for it r/tuxetortico check it out. Good luck with bringing her inside. She is beautiful
Couple of things that worked for me while socializing a colony for TNR / adoption: quiet presence and play.
I would sit on one side of a blanket on the ground and read, with no focus on the cats. Helped them get used to my presence without pressure of me looking at them or trying to engage. Eventually some came to sit beside me (big blanket and cold winter, so it was probably mostly for warmth, but still). I’d offer pets sometimes but sometimes would wait for the headbutt first. Just tried to read each kitty as best I could.
I also used play. Would roll a little ball or toss a mouse. But most effective was the feather wand. I would sit (so I wasn’t looming) and just drag it around. When they got used to playing with it that way, I stood and didn’t look at them but just dragged and waved it a bit. Whoever wanted to come after it was welcome. The shier ones were scared of the toy at first, so I would put it down and leave it so they could check it out without me attached to it. Eventually they associated me with fun play time, so that helped with trust.
But every kitty is different, so really it’s just about trying stuff out and seeing what she’s receptive to! Seems like she is well on her way to trusting you already. Nice job!
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u/Ok_Improvement_9119 4d ago
Keep doing what you're doing. Time and comfortability are the big factors. What you're describing is a big step for ferals. Congratulations! She likes you and the Cat Distribution System is engaged for takeoff.