You just saw a cat outside, and it really warmed your heart and made you smile. Well, that’s nothing unusual. The next thing you would want to do is become friends with the cat. Will leaving a little food and fresh water help? Street cats have a hard life, and of course, it would come off as huge help.
However, these cats are roaming around all by themselves without any human attention or care. With patience, you can definitely become friends with them.
Remember to always start by allowing the cat to get used to by your presence. You might just as well become friends with them by starting off that way.
Here are some other ways that we’ve listed might come off as a great help when you are trying to become friends with street and stray cats.
- Know the type of cat you are dealing with:
Although they are homeless, you still need to identify their type.
- Is it a free-roaming cat? This is the type of cat who has an owner that lets them wander around freely, but also takes care of them at the end of the day. You must not try to become friends with a free-roaming cat. The reason? If you start feeding them or let them inside your home, the cat might abandon its owner.
- Some are known as stray cats. These cats were formerly owned by someone, but now no more takes care of the cat. They roam around widely without any care or attention while taking food and shelter from wherever they can. Stray cats are the ones who let you pick them up and become friends with them. So, you can do them a favour by taking them to the animal shelter.
- Others are called feral cats. These cats spend most of their lives outdoors, without any care from a human. They were born and bought up this way, for which they are a bit wild in nature. You will notice that feral cats prefer to distance themselves from humans. Some might want to become friends with you, but it’s not very easy to domesticate them.
- Take note of the cat’s condition:
Since they remain outdoors for most of their lives, they do not get adequate care. The stray cat might be sick, hungry, injured or scared in many ways. Although some stray cats are quite friendly as they walk up to you and allow them to pick you up, others might act scared. In that case, you will need to entice the cat to stick around.
- Offering food:
The best way to become friends with cats is by letting them know that you have food with you. This is by far the most effective ways to start the friendship. Pay attention to where the stray act spends most of their time and leave some food in there.
- Foods with a strong odour like tuna or canned cat food are excellent choices.
- If the cat eats the food, leave it on the same spot every time. It will make them come back to the same place expecting the treat.
- Never attempt to pick or pet the cat at first.
- Approaching the cat:
Make the cat familiar with your presence. Only then you can contact the cat. Never take heavy steps around the cat. Be calm and move slowly, sit on the ground. It may look less intimidating, but after a few days, you will notice that the cat is growing closer to you.
- Never confront the cat:
Never, I repeat, never stare at the cat in the eye or try to reach for the cat when the first time you see it. These gestures are generally regarded as threatening, particularly when the cat is not used to being around you. Keep calm and quiet. Focus on gaining the trust of the cat.
- Encourage the cat to eat from your hand:
Try holding a treat when the cat comes near to you. Some stray cats are very comfortable from eating out of a human’s hand while others are not. In any case, never attempt to pick up the cat. Be patient with the cat. It may take some time for them to get used to your fragrance and get to trust you. For some, it might even take weeks.
- If you are enthusiastic enough, you can also allow the cat to lick some wet food from your finger.
- Pet the cat:
When you know that the cat has almost become your friend, you can try to touch it. Gently pet the cat while feeding them. If the cat starts to move away, don’t grab it. Wait for a little while and try again. If the cat doesn’t let you touch him at first, try to bring your hand closer to him. Keep trying this method until the cat let you touch him by himself.
- Offer the cat some toys:
Cats love toys. It will never show how much it loves toys, but they really do respond to toys more than they react to your touch. So, if the stray cat doesn’t like to pet or touch, get some toys to play with them. Something as simple as laser-pointer, ribbons, wand toys with feathers would do the trick. If the cat plays with you and with the toy, even though it doesn’t let you touch him, it’s a sign that the cat likes being around you and is getting accustomed to you.
- Never touch a stray cat if he seems angry, upset or fearful:
Now, you must be thinking how can you perceive if the cat is angry, nervous or confused. Well, if the cat seems to react negatively when you approach him, leave it alone. A scared cat might turn to become violent, and if you try to force to touch him, he might end up distrusting you. Here are some signs that a cat might be upset or scared:
- Ears folded back
- Tail all straightened up and stiff
- Striking with his paw
- Growling or low meowing
- Spitting
- Hissing
- Fur raised on the end
- Arched back
- Consider TNR:
Many animal shelter groups recommend TNR policy (trap, neuter and release) for stray cats. This is how you can help the society control the stray cat population. You can take the cat to the animal shelter and ask them to spay or neuter the cat. Once they recover, release the cat outdoors and continue to feed them just like you did previously.
Always take it slow when trying to become friends with a cat. Even though it’s a little complicated to become friends with such feline creatures, in the end, it’s totally worth it!
Understand that they have been left without any care all this while. It wouldn’t be fair to force them into friendship all of a sudden. And also, kittens, aged between 6 – 12 weeks are the easiest to tame. So, if you have enough room in your house, you could consider owning one of the stray cats for yourself. It’s going to be right for you both!