Ask Lemmy

Be patient, and let the cat make the decisions. Food helps, but it's not enough, if you feed the cat but are not present, you are just feeding the cat (and who knows what else). We have had a few main pets that were strays. They make great pets IMO, they really appreciate the life you are giving thaem

This is Todd. He's our porch kitty. He's not our cat, but we know where he lives, and we let him come inside for food, water, and a place to nap.

You don't "lure in" porch kitties. They either feel comfortable at your house or they don't.

I'm sure you want what's best for the little guy, but if he doesn't want to have anything to do with you, it's best to just leave it at that.

You can leave a little bit of food and water out for him so you at least know that he has access to some when he needs it, but don't try to engage with him too much. When you try to pick him up, it scares him and teaches him not to let you get near him again. If he starts to feel safe around you, he'll come closer, if not, he won't. Some outside cats are just completely feral and will never be comfortable around people, you can't change that.

If the cat bit you then get that shit checked by a doctor asap.

I had a similar situation last February, and succeeded.

I started by putting cat food out in a bowl every other night. I put it on the side of the street, at the edge of my property at first. Then every time I filled it, I moved the bowl closer to my front door.

Some raccoons, and even a groundhog would also come eat the cat food every now and then, watch out for other animals.

If I ever saw the cat eating, I would open my door and watch him without doing anything. After a few months, the cat was eating at my front door steps and was pretty friendly. My girlfriend let the cat inside one day, and we let him settle before finding who the real owner was.

Getting a cat to come to you is easy, you give it food and pets, and then stay calm when it's eating/enjoying.

Repeat until you've built trust, a sick or hurt cat will typically take longer to trust. Count on several days of repeating this without hitches (no sudden loud noise while you're doing it, etc).

Sometimes cats are desperate and everything turns up in a magical, calm way without bloodshed. But more commonly the next part is trickier, the cat will resist you picking it up (especially if hurt) or shutting it in.

Trick here is to be decisive and clear in your body language. Prepare a cat carry box with hard sides, feel free to prepare it with some textile smelling of you, be mindful that it will almost certainly be pissed on. Also bring a towel.

You will have to, in a calm manner, put the folded towel over the cat, and with it lift the cat into the carry. The towel is to trap legs so you won't be scratched, and if you manage to have it snugly around the cat, there's also a way to calm cats by gently pressing them down.

If you are unsure, slow, nervous, or hesitate in your movement, the cat will bolt. If you're too fast, loud, or big in movements, it will as well. Relax and do it in a deliberate motion.

If you release the cat from the carry, it will take considerable time to rebuild trust. Consider either going with it to the vet at once, or let it out in a quiet spare room with food, water, and litter box, and giving it a day or three to get accustomed to the room before letting it explore the rest of the place.

Don't get scratched by the cat, they can have some pretty nasty stuff on the paws, and some transmittable pathogens if anything draws blood or gets in your face/eyes.

Good luck!

Food.

was the shaving on the belly? means it might have already been fixed. if it has one ear tip missing, it's definitely been fixed

local rescues and hardware stores usually have live traps for rental. you have to leave like a $75 refundable deposit but you get it back as long as you don't break this trap.

also a lot of pet shops tend to have scanners available, you can call around to see if there's one closer

Ask a local vet or shelter if you can borrow a cat trap. Else it takes a long time and patience to get the cat to trust you.

You already got some great tips, but i wanted to caution you about the bite. If it left a wound, particularly a deep puncture wound, maybe visit the doctor. Cat bites are notorious and can be very dangerous.

Me and my gf way back in the day trapped a stray kitten once.

It was living under a car. We put little piles of dry food out for it for a few days, gradually moving the pile further and further away from his hiding place. Then one day we made a little trail of food leading to a carry box that we filled with food. Once we heard it chomping away inside, we crept up and slammed the door shut. It felt like a scene out of a cartoon lol

Little thing freaked out and clawed at the door and cried for a while. But once we took it into the house and out of the summer heat, it was very happy.

Note, I am neither an experienced pet owner nor a trapper. I just like telling this story hehe

Edit: ...what pronouns do you use for a kitten from decades ago whose sex you don't remember?

Start feeding it too, or get one of the neighbors who's been feeding it to help out. Your best bet is a feral cat trap, which are kinda pricey, but if you call around to a few local rescues or "trap, neuter, release" programs, they may be able to lend you one. Then you can likely just use food to lure it into the trap.

Of course, if this cat used to be someone's pet, you could even just try luring it into a garage or, hell, a big cardboard box, from which you could put some thick gloves on and transfer it into a pet carrier

A cat that goes outside more than 0.0% has a drastically-reduced lifespan. Feeding it encourages bad habits that may get it killed.

Ultimately it's not yours and you have no idea its status, needs, allergies or history. There's a risk to you (rabies, roundworms, heartstrings) but the risk to the cat is way more severe.

If it has a shaved patch then it's seen a vet recently.

Leave it alone.

havahart traps.

In my own experience, just existing is enough to get a cat to come up to me. Or a dog. Even some deer once.

Put out food, a cardboard box, and a blanket.

You may get more than one!