The truth is that taming a stray cat is difficult depending on whether it has had previous contact with humans before being abandoned, if it has never had any contact, or if it is a puppy. If you are thinking of gaining the trust of one of these felines, at we want to help you by explaining how to tame a stray cat.
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Stray cat vs Wild cat
Although at first glance they may seem the same, we must be aware of the difference between taming a stray cat or a wild cat. A stray cat it is one that, after being abandoned or after being lost, has become accustomed to wildlife. On the contrary, a wild cat or feral cat has never had contact with people, so it flees in their presence and if it feels threatened it can defend itself by scratching and being aggressive. The latter cat gods are much more difficult to tame, so we may be able to get them to come to the outside of our home, in search of food, but we will hardly be able to live with them. However, you never know, With effort and patience, it is not impossible.
Factors that influence when taming a street cat
When it comes to taming a stray cat, we must think that the difficulty varies depending on several factors:
- Age. A kitten that is a few months old will be easier to tame, since it will not have adapted to life on the street and will not have experience in dealing with humans.
- Socialization. A cat that has lived with humans or has been in regular contact with them, without having to live under the same roof, will not adopt a nervous attitude towards people and his behavior will be more docile.
- cat experience. Each cat has had the same experiences and experiences, so in the event that we try to tame a stray cat that was mistreated by a human or that had some negative experience, it will mean greater difficulty in gaining their trust. In this article we explain how to gain a cat’s trust.
In this article we will focus on the option of taming an adult stray cat.

Observe
In the event that you have seen a cat prowling around your house regularly, try to see if it is frightened by your presence, or if on the contrary he is curious. You can leave a container with a little water or even a little food to get his attention, avoiding giving him food that can harm his health. Observe if the feline approaches, and approach a little, without making sudden movements – just being aware of your presence is enough – and see how it reacts.
Gain confidence
If the cat continues to appear around your home, you can try staying outside for a while with some food and see if it approaches you. Do not touch the cat or make quick movements because it is likely that he will be scared, and be calm. We must try to gain his trust by getting him used to our presence so that he associates it with something positive. If the cat sees us regularly and we do not scare him, he will gain confidence in us.

First approximation
Once we have noticed that the cat is receptive and is not afraid of our presence or approaching us, we can try to call it with a little food when we detect that it is nearby and feed it from the palm of our hand -having taking into account the risk that this may entail- and if after a while we perceive that the cat is confident, we can caress him gently over the top. Cats tend to scratch when they feel comfortable with any object they find, therefore, if the cat is not nervous, it is likely to caress its back with our legs, or arms if we are sitting.

Try to catch it
At this point, our goal of taming a stray cat is closer to being accomplished. It is important make sure the cat is comfortable with us and perceive that he is calm. If these requirements are met, the next thing we can try after the cat is allowed to be petted is catch it with a towel. If the cat is nervous, do not force him, and do not run from behind him in case he escapes. This step may take longer depending on the cat we are trying to tame, but if all the previous steps have been completed, with time and patience we will achieve it.
Visit the vet
Once we have managed to catch the cat and it is calm, we can take the opportunity to put it in a carrier appropriate for its size and take it to the vet. A stray cat can have some disease, and if we are going to live with it we must guarantee its good health. For this reason, take it to the veterinarian to carry out a review and administer the necessary vaccines or care. In this article we explain what are the mandatory vaccines for cats.

At home
Now that we know how to tame a stray cat, at this point it’s time to take it home for the first time. Before you must provide adequate space where he can feel comfortable, and you must be very careful in the case of having other animals or small children.
- Prepare a space where you can remain quiet. The first few days is better if it is a small space.
- Buys quality cat food prepare a bowl with water to which you have access whenever and set up a sandbox for you to relieve yourself. It is advisable that during the first days the food is moist so that it is more appetizing. On the other hand, the litter box should not be close to food and drink even if they are in the same room, so leave enough space between them.
- Bed for sleeping. Preparing a comfortable bed for him will not be a problem considering that he must have been sleeping on the street for a long time, but he will surely appreciate it.
- scrapers. Cats tend to sharpen their nails frequently, so we should leave them a scraper so they can file them whenever they feel like it.
- Your cat is likely to run away for the first few days or weeks, so watch doors and windows. Cats are very clever and as soon as you are not careful they can disappear through any crack.
- Keep in mind that each cat will evolve in a different way, so learn to observe their behaviors and responses to what stimuli.
Taming a stray cat is not easy, and you must let him get used to his new home, experience it and be comfortable, meanwhile check cat third eyelid showing and weight loss. Get used to being with him, caress him and show him that he can trust you, and avoid forcing him to be with you if he doesn’t want to at that moment. We must give it time.

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