The Socialization Toolbox: How to rehabilitate stray and semi-feral cats.

Socializing feral and semi-feral cats is not as difficult as many are led to believe. So many assume that it is an arduous, time consuming process, there are very few who are willing to try. In fact, it is neither. It can be a lengthy process, but lengthy does not equal time consuming. My semi-feral fosters take up no more of my time than my domesticated cats do.

This guide is mainly geared towards fosters and potential fosters. It's focus is on rehabilitating strays and semi-ferals that have already been trapped. I chose this as the specific focus for a very simple reason. There is a wealth of information available on the net on how to successfully trap a stray or semi-feral, but there is very little in-depth information available on rehabilitating with the intent of getting the cat ready for adoption. 

"We don't domesticate cats. They choose to domesticate themselves because they feel it's in their best interest". - Mike Phillips, Urban Cat League

So how do we go about convincing them that we have their best interests at heart? By appealing to their need for survival. First and foremost, this means food and shelter.

There's no place like home.

Setting up the sanctuary is extremely important. Even if there are no other animals in your home, you should still use a sanctuary space until they have had time to adjust to being indoors. Many strays and semi ferals are quite nervous about being indoors for the first time. Noises that you and I take for granted, for example, the toilet flushing... or the sound of doors opening and closing, are cause for great alarm until the cat has had time to learn that these noises are inconsequential and will not harm them.
So with that in mind, the ideal sanctuary space has the following:

• a quiet room with a door that closes. Preferably not a room you need to access frequently, but work with what you've got.
• a litter box, easily accessible
• a scratch post
• food and water dishes, placed as far away from the litter box as possible. Cats strongly dislike eating where they do their business.
• a few hiding places such as an overturned cardboard box with an access hole cut into it, or a carrier with the door left open.
• a few solo play toys (the little toy mice from the dollar store work wonders) scattered about. You want the environment to be welcoming and stimulating.

The quickest way to their hearts is through their tummies.

Most cats are food oriented. This is doubly true for strays, and semi-ferals since their food sources are often inconsistent and unreliable. Therefore, in order to start earning their trust, we want to show them that we are a reliable source of sustenance.

Cats are surprisingly routine driven. And as anyone lucky enough to share their home with a kitty alarm can tell you, their internal clocks are annoyingly amazingly accurate. ;) No matter how well or how poorly socialized the cat is, consistent feeding times are going to be the first, and most important tool used in your socialization toolbox.

Pick two times a day that you know you can realistically feed the cat, preferably no more than 12 hours apart. Realistically is the key word in that sentence. If you miss the usual morning feeding time because it's Saturday and you're not usually up that early on weekends, you're no longer proving to the cat that you are a reliable source of food.

Once you've chosen your mealtimes, it will take the cat very little time to learn when they are. As an example, one of the neighbourhood cats started coming to my back door asking to be fed, simply because she could see me preparing breakfast or dinner for the brood through the glass doors. It took her all of 2 days to figure out the schedule and now she shows up every day, like clockwork. (I have long since confirmed that she belongs to one of my neighbours and is well loved and cared . I feed her regardless since I'm a sap and can't resist the way she places her little paws on the glass when she's begging.)

But it's not enough just to feed the cat. They need to see and understand that you are the source of the food. This is truly where the beginnings of trust are formed. Whenever possible, let them see you prepare the food. If that's not possible, then at least let them see you set it out for them. Call out encouragingly to them as you bring them their food. Gently tap the bowl with your fingernails when you put it down to focus their attention. Or if you're feeding kibble, try swirling the bowl to make the kibble rattle.

It may take quite some time before they're willing to eat when you're near, and they will likely hide from you at first. But with time, they will start to feel comfortable enough to eat in your presence.

Soft kitty, warm kitty

Set aside at least an hour a day to spend some quiet time with the cat. Speak softly to them, in the same tones that you would speak in when rocking a baby to sleep. It doesn't matter what you say, it's how you say it that they respond to. Sometimes, I read out loud to them (children's stories are best I've found, since we naturally adopt the exact tone I just described when reading children's stories out loud). Other times, I simply tell them how beautiful they are, how loved they are and reassure them that they are safe with me.

Movement is also key. Keep your movements slow and soft. If the cat is particularly skittish, a great way to work towards being able to pet them is to use treats. Let them see you place treats near them. They may not eat them in your presence at first, but with time, you will be able to place the treats closer and closer to them. When you do finally get close enough to touch - wait. Extend a single finger to them and let them sniff it. Stay at this stage for a while.... giving them treats and extending a finger to them. They will let you know when they're ready to be touched. :)

Last, but certainly not least is eye contact. There are two schools of thought on this: One says that you should make regular eye contact with them to show them that you mean them no harm. The other says to make eye contact, but not to stare, and to intentionally break eye contact frequently with slow deliberate blinks. I, myself, follow the latter rule of thumb. The slow blink is cat shorthand for "I'm content, are you content?" and in situations where there is potential for conflict (from the cat's perspective) it also means "I'm not a threat".

This is the perfect example of the slow blink. You could blink even slower than this (I frequently do) but  anything faster than this, and the cat will not understand what you are trying to tell them.

R.E.S.P.E.C.T

Earning an animal's trust is in many ways like earning a person's trust. It's all about respect. And for a cat, this means listening to what they're telling you. Cats have an amazingly large 'vocabulary' that consists of mostly body language. Everyone knows that when a cat hisses, it's angry, and when it purrs, it's happy, right? Would it surprise you to know that cats also purr when they're afraid or in pain?
Cat communication is an enormous topic. The best resource I've found to try and make sense of it all is here. It's a lot to read through, but the diagrams towards the end very clearly give examples of what they are describing. It's definitely worth taking the time to read. :)

Putting it all together

• a welcoming, stimulating environment
• consistent feeding times
• soft voice, soft movements
• treats treats treats
• Frequent eye contact with frequent slow blinks
• Respect

Hopefully now you can see that socializing isn't nearly as much work as it would initially seem. A bit of love, a bit of time each day, a bit of respect and a bit of patience is all it takes. Questions? Feel free to ask! I'm always happy to share what I've learned!