Many people don’t realize that training, raising and disciplining a feral cat, which is a cat that was born and raised for part of its life on the streets or in the wild, is much different from raising a cat born in a home. Feral cats are much more complicated and difficult to discipline because they never had to listen to anyone or anything except their own instincts when they lived in the wild. Here are a few tips for how to discipline a feral cat.
Thrill Them With Kindness
Cats don’t respond well to mean folks, and that is especially true for a feral cat since they have an inherent mistrust for human beings in the first place. So if you yell and scream at or hit a feral cat you will get nowhere with them. They will just have their first thoughts about human beings reaffirmed — that humans are mean, ugly ogres that should be avoided.
Instead, you have to thrill your feral cat with kindness. Before you start trying to discipline and train them, you need to first show them that you are a friend not a foe. Do this by talking to them a lot, petting them on the head and stroking them if they’ll allow it, smiling, and giving them positive feedback when they do good things. Once they see that you aren’t so bad after all, they’ll be more willing to accept verbal discipline from you.
Stay in Their Face
A feral cat , and any cat for that matter, needs to spend a lot of time with you. When they feel a kinship with you they are more likely to accept discipline from you. Also, you have to remember that a feral cat still operates under the rules of the wild, so it’s important that you establish that you are the head of the family, top of the pecking order. If a feral cat is led to believe that he or she controls you, he or she will never listen to you.
Give Them Good Food on Schedule
In order for a feral cat to grow to respect you, you have to gain their full trust. The best way to achieve this is with food . You have to invest in decent, healthy food for your cat that will make him big and strong. Be sure to feed the feral cat on schedule every day. On the streets, feral cats don’t have any guarantee of getting fed, so when they are blessed to be taken into a household, it’s a very positive change for them to get a regular meal. When they see that you are the source of their nourishment they will soon grow to respect, love, and listen to you when you talk.
When it comes to discipline, I don’t advocate hitting a feral cat (or any animal), not even a smack with a paper or a pat on the paw. They don’t respond well to it. It is counterproductive — chances are they don’t even know why you’re hitting them, even if you caught them in the act. Instead, gain their trust and respect first using these methods, then use verbal cues, tone of voice, spritzes from a water bottle, and time outs to correct a feral cats bad behavior.
