How do i get a cat to like me

Question

this cat comes to my house and we feed her. she usually comes when it gets darker. when i see her sitting in the backyard i give her food. ive tried to pet her but when icome close she runs away. ive tried holding the food while i come closer but nothing works. how can i get her to let me pet her?

Answer 1

Just remember, if this cat is a stray and she learns to trust you, she may also learn to trust another that may not have such good intentions.

Answer 2

well since your not the owner the cat is obviously scared, so maybe leave the door open so she can come inside the house and then she'll have nowhere to go, then try petting her. haha

Answer 3

cats don't like direct eye contact, so don't stare at her.  Give her time and don't rush things.  Maybe just quietly sit by the food bowl and let her come to you.

Answer 4

Plenty of TLC and always be the one to feed it.Baby talk to it.It works!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!...

Answer 5

Time and patience.  feed her every day...  set the food out and sit near by, but don't stare or get too close.  read a book or something and jsut be there.. the cat will SLOWLY get used to you...  You can try moving the food SLOWLY close to you over the corse of several weeks or months.  Start off at 15 feet or 20 feet or something, then move the dish a few inches closer the next day.  You'll probably eventually end up finding a point where she'll refuse to come closer..  so let the dish be a little further out then that for a few days, then move it in closer again.  

If she'll get particularly close--5 or so feet--try sitting out some time with a bit of lunch meat or something and tear off bis of it and toss it to her...  kinda trying to lure it closer.

Important though is to not press your luck and immeadiatly reach for her the moment she comes close enough.  Let her get used to being so close, before trying to go to the next level, so to speak.  

And some cats jsut don't like to be petted.  I have a stray in my yard who I've been feeding for about a year and a half.  She will walk up to me, meow at me, and ask for food when I'm outside, she'll even rub agaisnt my legs, but she'll still scuttle away if I reach to pet her.  

The short answer:  Time.  Patience and love.  feed her.  perhaps get a toy to play with her with (a feathery lure on a stick, maybe?) sometime.  

but it will take time.  trust is a hard thing to give.

...also,, I recomend agaisnt tricking it into your house. an outdoor cat comes with fleas, ticks, and other things like that, and no vaccinations.  while there are few illneses that will go between humans and cats, if you have any other animals, our stray should get her shots first.  

Now, if your'e making good progress with her, and want to adopt her eventually, try feeding her up near the door, then place the dish inside the door and slowly further into the house.  

let her come in and leave as she pleases.    because if you trap her in when she's still learning to trust, she may run away and never come back....  

over time...  keep her in with you for longer periods of time.  

Slow, and steady.  Slow, and steady

Answer 6

You shouldn't make any moves towards the cat.  Eventually, if she likes you, she'll come to you.  You need to just sit still and let this continue for about two weeks.  After that you should slowly move your hand towards her.  If she backs off you should pull your hand back and wait a week before you try again.  Just make sure she sees that it's you that is providing the food.

It's going to take time.  You can't rush this sort of thing.

Answer 7

Well I read that cats that a stray at birth and don't have contact with humans at a young age my never trust humans. But you never know maybe some day she will trust you and come to you and cuddle.

best of luck  

Answer 8

Cats decide who they like and who they don't. Like another user said, they don't like direct eye contact - they see it as threatening. If you get down in a lower position...maybe lay a blanket or towel down and lay on your stomach on top of it, the cat may approach you. But don't make any moves towards the cat or else it will run away.