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A stray cat has become my frequent guest at a rented apartment im staying a few months for. Since the last month, he has been coming timely in the morning and evening to eat and nap.

He is very affectionate and vocal, but unfortunately, is scared of being touched. He only likes to rub himself up on my legs, but runs away if i extend my hand for a pet. He is also quite skittish and runs away if he sees any unfamiliar person approaching. Sometimes i find him in the garden, but when i call him over, he does not recognise me and runs away.

I am moving out in a month, and don't know what to do with him. I would like to take him with me, but I can't even touch him so I dont know how that would be possible. If I leave him behind, i dont know how he will eat, as he has been feeding regularly at my house now.

Any ideas on how to make him used to human touch? or should i just stop feeding him slowly so he can go back to being a stray again?

Jay
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He probably hasn't forgotten any of his street survival skills. If you leave he'll probably do at least as well as before you found him. He may already have other humans he's getting meals from; I've known semiferals to drift from household to household.

The only way I know to make a nervous cat less nervous is patience. I used to be pretty good at convincing ferals I was harmless, but it really depends on that cat's experience. Even nonferals can sometimes take weeks to decide a new location is safe, and longer to decide a new person is safe enough to accept extended attention from. If you had the time I'd advise letting the cat control the pace of the friendship, though hand-feeding treats occasionally might help emphasize that hands aren't so dangerous. Given that you're going to move, though, time may simply not be available.

keshlam
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