Can a stray cat be domesticated to be like a regular house cat?

Question

When I moved to my new house, there was this female cat (strangely, without a tail, but that's beside the point) and she gave birth to three kittens. She kept on doing this every summer, until this one. Now, her newest cats are over 9 months old. Two of them survived, and the third was never seen again. Then, sadly, one of them was involved in a car accident and I had to call animal control to pick it up. It's front paws were broken as it could not move. He/she started to get maggots in his/her rear-end because he/she had difficulty toileting. So now, there is this one cat left. I don't know the gender, but it was the most "scared" of the litter. I socialized it a bit, and he/she really gets inside the house by itself. I want to "adopt" it as I don't want it to die off like his/her other brothers/sisters.

All that said, is there any way I can get it to be more social with other people? Is it O.K. to keep it inside the house? If its fine, how can I make a litter box? My parents don't seem to agree to get one for this cat, so I want to make my own (if its even possible). I am inexperience with cats too. By the way, this cat doesn't seem to be in bad health and it doesn't have many fleas. After its brother/sister went away, it started to go up to me. Perhaps it is lonely as it wants to come inside the house at night too.

Answer 1

yes, you can tame this cat with time and patience, we recently tamed two totally wild cats and now they are sweeter than our socialized cats

to make a litter box just get some sort of plastic pan (maybe a dishpan)

fill with kitty litter, sand or even shredded newspaper

Answer 2

If you make your own litter pan just make sure you don't use anything that might be sitting around the house alot like cardboard or something because you don't want to teach that cardboard means litterpan.

Answer 3

this cat can be domesticated real easily...but it must be kept in from now on...no more street life...as for the fleas you can go to a vet and get the meds that just gets put on the shoulders and one two applications and no more fleas...but don' tell yourself that there aren't many...for every one you see multiply it by fifty..and the will get into the house and your parents will go ballistic...so the meds to the shoulder will cure it all..

also confining her a bit in one room and getting her dependent on you for socializing will help to create a bond with you  and eventually your family...

as for the litter you can just use a pan with shredded newspaper...but the clumping sand with arm & hammer added will cut the odor...and clean it everyday...or your parents will get ballistic about the smell...

good for you to rescue that little one who also: what's someone to love!

Answer 4

yeah my friend has cats  1 was a stray and the other two where strays kittens well

lilly was a stray and then he had a cant and that cat had mrak,he was the cats only kitten an the next day the cat ran away,but mrak and lilly had a kitten named fred

Answer 5

I really think it's worth a try.  Four of mine were strays/ferals.  Two had probably never been touched by a human before (a 6 month old and a 5 week old), the other two were adults and probably had owners before.

The kitty probably is a bit lonely.  Bringing her inside will probably upset her at first, but she can probably get over that.  All mine are indoor only and do fine.  Bring her inside, get her to the vet.  She'll need a checkup, blood test, vaccines, treated for fleas (no flea collars, they're ineffective and unsafe) and probably a dewormer - she will also need to fixed as soon as she's healthy enough.  Don't wait for her to get too comfy inside before getting her to the vet, she'll probably hate it no matter how used to the inside she is and she will forgive you. I wouldn't bathe her,  It would upset her, probably hurt you, and they tend to clean themselves well enough that within days she'll be as clean as a cat who had never been outside.  

Get a litter box, I'd avoid getting one with a cover, at least at first.  You might want to mix a little dirt in with the litter at first to mimic what she's used to, but it may not be necessary.  Take away anything she can dig in - dirty clothes, newspaper... Put her in the litter box a few times, help her dig in it a little.  She should work it out.

I would keep her in a single room at first, ideally yours since she seems used to you.  Be patient with her and let her hide when she wants to.  It's important that she find a place where she feels totally safe.  Be in the room with her even if you aren't doing anything with her.  Just having you there will help her get used to you.  Don't stare directly at her, that's very aggressive cat body language.  When you watch her blink slowly and calmly.  Talk softly to her and offer her tasty treats - although people food should generally be avoid.  Get some toys like shoelaces or feathers on a stick to play with her while still giving her some space.  

It may take awhile or it may be easy.  Either way, it will be worth it to get her away from that life.  

good luck!

Answer 6

yes i have had a lot of stray cats as pets throughout my life (i just can't leave them on the side of the road)

it can take a lot of patience with some, but it's worth it considering you would be saving a life.

Answer 7

Some do and some don't it's entirely up to the cat himself!!!!!

Answer 8

It is absolutely possible to completely tame a stray, wild cat.

I myself tamed a young (about 6 months old) barn cat, who at first ferociously attacked me and hid under my dresser for the first few days.

It will only take time to get the kitty tamed. Don't force anything. If it wants to hide or run away, let it. If it hisses at you, leave it alone. Just keep it well fed and watered and let it roam throughout your house. If it approaches you and doesn't look afraid, slowly offer your hand and let it sniff or look at it. Then pet its head and watch for any signs of fear or aggression.

Some things to watch for - ears laid back, wagging tail (unlike dogs, cats do not wag or move their tails when they're happy!), and slightly raised fur. Don't try approaching the cat if it's showing any of these signs.

Don't play too roughly with it and don't make any sudden, aggressive movements when it's close to you.

You should get a flea collar for him or her. As for vet visits - it is advised that you take your cats to a vet on a regular basis, but not completely necessary. I myself only managed to afford two shots for my one kitten. Vets are expensive!

Keeping the cat indoors will reduce the danger of it getting sick or hurt.

However, keep in mind that cats are fickle. Sometimes, a cat is just naturally less affectionate than others. I've had cats who were so affectionate that they followed me to the corner store and slept on my chest, and others who didn't like human interaction, not even being petted. I've even had a cat who wouldn't let me get within three feet of her - even after I had her for five years.

Eventually, the cat will warm up to you. Some cats take a few days to get close with their owners, and others can take months.

Oh, and please don't de-claw it! This surgery is inhumane - and your cat will most likely become more aggressive, as they feel more afraid after the loss of their natural weapons. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes".

(Sorry for that rant, but I can't stand people who just declaw all their cats because they're too f*cking lazy to work with their pet and train him not to attack or claw at furniture.)

And as for a litter box - pretty much any large container that the kitty can easily step into will do. They're cheap to buy and easy to improvise on. It just needs to be made of plastic, metal, or any other substance that won't leak or absorb anything.

I recommend 'clumping cat litter' - it's a special litter that binds itself together after your kitty tinkles, making it very easily to scoop out the clump and keep the box extra-clean.

By the way, the female cat without a tail - either she lost it somehow, or she's a Manx - a naturally tailless breed.

Answer 9

yes it can be done, but it will take time and patience.  A litter box can be made out of anything, and you can even get cheap ones at walmart for just a few dollars.  Food and treats help to win them over.  I had two ferrel kittens and had to take them and wrap them in a towel and forcefully hold them for months to get them tame.  I ended up with one of our barn cats in our home,  It was hit by a car and lost both back feet, part of it's tail, and it's ear due to frostbite.  The cat does great and is now a wonderful house cat.  It just takes time, and lots of love.

Good Luck!

Answer 10

when i was little there was a pack of stray cats in my neighborhood && one of the females got pregnant n we brought her inside when she had the kittens to make sure everything went well. she already knew us but we just left the window open for her so she came n went as she pleased. she was very nice in the house, didn't scratch up anything. overall a good cat.

Answer 11

First of all, it sounds like you're a nice caring soul and it's great that you're helping these stray cats.  You can domesticate a stray although cats have very distinct personalities.  I have two cats, one that was an adult when I adopted him who's extremely friendly and cuddly and one that was a kitten when I adopted him and he'd love nothing more then to stay outside!  

If you do decide to bring the cat in, you can get a fairly inexpensive plastic litter box, and there are various types of litter to put inside of it.  You do have to clean it fairly often to make sure the cat will want to use it.  Cats will often train themselves to use it because by nature, they like to urinate in the same, clean place and most household areas aren't comfortable for them.  If the cat does have any fleas at all, I would recommend buying some advantage.

It is really important though, that your parents will aprove of it.  If they don't, it may be a good idea to call animal control again and if the cat is adoptable, they will help place it in a shelter to find a good home.  Good luck!

Answer 12

You've gotten some good answers so all I need to say is good for you and also, it sounds to me like this kitten has chosen you so I'd give it a shot. Best of luck to you.