Feral cat update -- we have PURRING!

[Lady Katherine]

She still won't let me hold her, but I did put a small carrier in the big cage this morning, and she crawled inside. I was able to lift her out of the cage that way, and sat there with her (still inside the carrier) and scratched her neck for about half an hour. About 10 minutes into it, I noticed that she was no longer cowering in the back, but was pushing her head into the scratching. And then... real, unmistakeable purring!

She thought about coming out of the carrier once or twice, but decided she was still too timid. But I'm amazed. I really thought it would take months for her to agree to being handled at all. Maybe there's hope for this little kitty after all.

[Claire]

Wow! That's great progress! Hope it works out for you and the kitty.

[Jean in Newcastle]

That is a definite good sign! Keep it up! Just a note - my non-feral cat hid for three days behind our water heater when we first got him as an adult. It can take awhile for them to warm up to a new situation.

[Doran]

Thanks for letting us know!! That's such happy news! :):):)

Doran

[Rhonda in TX]

We took in a feral cat for several months and she never purred. We were never successful domesticating her and she eventually ran off. :(

If yours is already purring, I think that's great! :)

[CleoQc]

oooh, that reminds me! My little Charlot purred up a storm very quickly too! Man, that little bundle of fur could purr loudly!

Thanks for the memories. I'd forgotten about that!

[Lady Katherine]

In the past 48 hours, the poor thing has ...

1. been stalked by coyotes,
2. spent a night in a tree,
3. been captured in a Hav-a-Hart trap,
4. spent the night in the tiny trap in a strange garage -- minus litter box -- because she was too scared to be removed,
5. been removed (by me),
6. attacked said remover,
7. been cornered in the garage and put in a kennel,
8. taken her first car ride with a total stranger (me),
9. been put in a cage... inside a house... with three children who think she's "soooo cute" looking in at her, :eek:
10. been fed different food,
11. had to listen to and watch noisy kitchen activity all evening,
12. spent her first night inside a house,
13. and had to endure a 30-minute stroking session by new owner.

Yes, a purr must be a VERY good sign. If she can endure all that and still purr, she has got to be a good-natured little thing under all that terror. :o (AND she is using the litter box.)

Now. If we are only NOT allergic to her.... I guess time will tell. No one has been able to get close enough to be sure. And I think she has to be a female because she has several colors, including white. That makes her calico, and ALL calicos (except XXY males) are female.