de-clawing cats

Patrick a écrit:It can happened to all of us, one day a feral cat at our door needeing our help!!! how can we approach him,
here a few suggestions

How to tame a feral or semi-feral kitten or cat--if it can be tamed.
1. Understand the difference between a feral cat and a semi-feral cat. A feral cat is one that has had little or no contact with people, and that has lived all or most of its life in the wild. A semi-feral cat has had some contact with people, enough that it may approach them for food or even allow itself to be touched.
2. Start early. Trying to tame an adult feral cat is not likely to succeed. Start with a kitten or a semi-feral. The younger the kitten, the more likely you are to succeed. It is usually not necessary to take the kitten from its feral mother or isolate it from other ferals; kittens should stay with their mothers until they are at least nine weeks old. Staying with litter mates will help the kittens learn to play gently. If one kitten bites another too hard, the other will bite back just the right amount. After the kitten is about 2 months old, it will become more difficult to tame.
3. Bring the cat family (mother and kittens) indoors if possible. For best results with feral / semi-feral kittens you should begin with them in a cage / crate; otherwise you may end up with "house ferals" hiding in corners of the room and almost impossible to catch when needing medication.
4. Get them shots and other basic vet care, such as spaying the mom. Many cities have feral cat rescue societies that can help you with the daunting prospect of getting the cats to the vet and dealing with them once they are there. Make sure you tell the vet the cat is feral. Remember there are a lot of parasites and diseases outside and kittens can die from even simple worms, so this vet check up and care is very important. Ringworm can be present on a cat for up to 21 days before the cat shows signs; it is an airborn fungus and can be contagious both to other animals and people alike even before you know it is there, so use good hygiene when working with animals which have been outdoors.
5. Start to accustom them to your being there. Sit near them quietly. Stay in the room when you feed them. Only give them food when a human being is near.
6. Play with the kittens. A toy with some reach is best, so you can play without coming in reach of little sharp claws. Interactive toys are best, as the kitten will begin to associate you with the arrival of the toy. Cat Dancer original is a great interactive toy. Do not make the toy touch the kitten. Instead, make the toy act like a moth, landing on the side of the couch, and then flying to another spot. Or make the toy act like a mouse and run along the base of a couch and disappear.
7. Be patient. Be very, very patient. Wait for the kittens to approach you. If you approach, touch, or pick up the kittens before they are ready, you are likely to be severely bitten and scratched. Even a very young kitten can do a lot of damage. Placing your hand and arm in a pillow case will make your hand seem less threatening. Try petting the kitten with the pillow case material.
8. Continue to be patient. Let the kittens come and sniff and touch, take a bit of food from your hand, or explore a toy. One day, when all is quiet, the boldest kitten is likely to decide that your lap is a good place for a nap. Just stay still--no picking up yet. A little gentle petting may be permitted.
9. When the kitten is near you, try massaging the skin on top of the kitten's shoulders and the back of the kitten's neck. This is thought to release endorphins and make the kitten think that when you are near, she feels happy and relaxed. This is the way mom cats carry their little babies. This is similar to scruffing a cat and it also thought to block pain. This also works with adult cats.
10. Accustom the kitten first to petting, then to being gently held, picked up, and finally to being brushed and having nails trimmed. Go slowly.
11. Let the spayed mom go back to the outdoors when the kittens are old enough--at the location she was originally captured, if that is where a feral can have a good life.

Tips
• Speaking in a calming, low and soothing voice as you would a baby is always helpful with any animal. Feral or not. It will speed up the process.
• Sometimes, a particularly shy kitten may continue to avoid you. This kitten may influence the others to remain more feral. The best thing to do when the kitten is old enough is to isolate her for a time, so she must come to humans for companionship. Sometimes the most anxious kitten is also the smartest, and will turn into the best cat.
• Consider de-clawing a feral cat before taking it in. The procedure is very safe and can greatly help protect you from scratches while the cat is being trained. It can also make the taming of the cat smoother as you do not have to discipline the cat for scratching and allows you to focus on other more important aspects of training.
• Try not to look at the cats directly before they are fully comfortable with you. To a cat, eye contact and watching is aggressive and will cause them to be nervous of you and the situation. While you sit with them, read a book or do something else quiet, but don't watch them. If you do look at them, try to keep your eyes toward their hind end and avoid eye contact as much as possible.
• To accustom a cat to being petted, try a back scratcher or a large feather to keep your vulnerable hand safely out of reach. Note: If this frightens the cat (perhaps because she has been hit or poked with a stick), give up immediately.
• To encourage the cat to relax, try lying down on the floor. You will seem much less scary.
• Cats' claws can be very dangerous. Use extreme caution while handling a feral cat.
• Adult semi-ferals can be tamed using the same methods as kittens. But it will proceed much more slowly--over a period of years, and the cat may never become accustomed to being touched or picked up.
• Make an extra effort to tame long-haired cats and kittens; their fur tends to matte when they are released into the wild. Long feline fur is not natural, it is a man-made mutation. The mats shrink when wet and pull tight, tearing the skin and inviting infections and insect infestations. Seeds, nettles and burdock can cause pain and infection.
• Gloves can help protect your hands, but some cats are afraid of gloves, perhaps associating them with the vet. And most gloves can be bitten through. So use with caution.
• When picking up a cat and you are not certain how it will react, hold it down and well away from your face.

Warnings
• Do not try to touch, tame, or approach an adult feral. Leave trapping to experienced handlers.
• Do not touch or pick up a feral or semi-feral cat or kitten until you are absolutely certain it is ready. Even a very young kitten can hurt you badly.
• Seek medical attention for all bites, and watch scratches carefully.
• Do not declaw a cat that you plan to let outdoors. Claws are a natural defense in the wild, and a way that the animal catches its food.
• Some feral animals can have disease, ticks and fleas, etc. Watch the animals in their normal living area for a few days to see if they have disease BEFORE handling them!
• Before allowing a new cat to come in contact with cats in the household, ALWAYS have it tested for communicable diseases such as Feline Infectious Leukemia (FLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). There is presently no test for rabies that doesn't require sacrificing the animal - again, try to observe the animal in its normal living area.

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dhallepee a écrit:The discussion about de-clawing is now a separate topic. Please return to the 'fral cat' topic if you want to add comments about the taming of feral cats.

Let me notice that this is an article from an US paper signed by wikiHows. This doesn't necessary reflect the opinion of Patrick.

Patrick a écrit:Consider de-clawing a feral cat before taking it in.

Patrick a écrit:1st this an american article which was given to all readers in full

Consider de-clawing a feral cat before taking it in. The procedure is very safe and can greatly help protect you from scratches while the cat is being trained. It can also make the taming of the cat smoother as you do not have to discipline the cat for scratching and allows you to focus on other more important aspects of training.

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