How can you get a stray cat to approach you

[UndertheOcean]

if you have no food on you at the moment.

stubborn little buggers

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. Food is pretty much it.

Rub tuna on yourself and you'll have more cats than you know what to do with.

[Lethe]

7. cooked tuna that is

most stray cats do not like sashimi grade raw tuna

(experience here)

[China_cat]

8. Rub Preparation H on you somewhere.

Main ingredient is shark oil. Cats respond to it better than catnip.

How do I know? Experience.

[burythehatchet]

2. tell him that the band's getting back together

[DBoon]

4. tell him The Blasters were much better

nt

[DBoon]

3. make a noise like a small rodent

that will get them every time

[UndertheOcean]

5. I tried to do a clicking noise ,

but it didn't work

[begin_within]

6. While they are watching you, sit down on the ground. Make kissing noises.

Don't move towards them at all. Extend your hand but don't move your whole body closer. Keep making kissing noises and talking in a little tiny high pitch. If nothing happens, try moving further away - this will make you seem less threatening. Sometimes they are just too scared and there's nothing you can do to get them to approach.

[Skittles]

9. that works especially well with the young ones

I'm monitoring a stray kitty now - I call him "Twinkie" - when I feed him, out of nowhere his mom and sister pop into view :)

[begin_within]

13. For some reason, sitting down tells a cat that you want to be friends.

And the high-pitched sounds and squeaks also indicate friendliness, unlike growls which indicate warning or aggression. And retreating is always better than moving towards them. Most cats respond well but some are so timid or fearful that they never will, or only after seeing you many times. On the other hand, some cats are as extroverted as dogs, and will respond and come to you the first time.

[newmajority]

10. Tell the cat "there'll be a feast if you just come upstairs"

Hey, it worked for Mick Jagger :evilgrin:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMqMdr3x7X0

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. My dear UndertheOcean...

We adopted a stray cat, many years ago...

He was very scared and timid...

Long before there was any food in the picture, I used to sit in the driveway, and talk sweetly to him...

I would wheedle him and after a while, he would come slowly over to me...

I had to move very slowly, and eventually he would come close enough so I could pet him...

Any sudden moves on my part, and he would run away...

He desperately wanted some love, but he was afraid...

So he learned I would not hurt him, and then we got close...

He was our cat for many years!

[Lil Missy]

12. Ignore it. I's serious - the stray will come to you eventually.

And set food on the porch or outside the house.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

14. Meow, then ignore...

It's like playing their game.

[Monk06]

15. Strum a few bars of "Rock This Town Tonite"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoaazVGPtuQ

[drmeow]

16. If the cat is feral

you won't get it to approach you without food and even then only after you've been feeding it for a long time.

A feral cat is a free roaming, unowned and unsocialized domestic cat.
A stray cat (or alley cat) is distinguished from a feral in that while unowned, it still exhibits temperament similar to that of a pet.

[Orsino]

17. Without food, you may be of no use to the kitty.

What have you done for it lately?

[MonkeyFunk]

18. Develop an allergy to cats

He'll be in your lap in no time. Or, wear nice, black pants.

[Jamastiene]

20. Bingo.

Either that or DON'T be a cat lover. Say to yourself, "I do not like cats. I do not want this cat to come near me." That cat will be all over you in seconds.

[meow2u3]

22. Speaking of black pants....

that only works on a white or mostly white cat. You have to wear white clothes to attract a black cat.

[MonkeyFunk]

23. I dunno

I have an orange cat, a gray cat, and a brown/gray tabby and it all shows up on black pants.

[Jamastiene]

19. Be still and be quiet or

1. Buy a newspaper, magazine or book
2. Open newspaper, magazine or book and find interesting article
3. Concentrate on reading the article and
4. Ignore the cat
5. Continue paying attention to the article, really read it and be interested in finishing the reading of said article.
6. When you get to a crucial part of the article that you really want to read, the cat will sit on the paper right in front of you and refuse to move, thereby preventing you from ever finishing said article you were reading.

or (if you can do this)
Watch something on television and ignore the cat.
Cat will get right in front of the TV screen preventing you from watching whatever you are trying to watch.

or
just ignore the cat. Cats cannot stand to be ignored. They simply must know why you are not begging them to come to you. They cannot stand it. The curiosity at how you can possibly ignore them will get the better of them and they'll demand you pay attention to them.

or
think to yourself, "I do not like cats. I hope this cat does NOT come near me." Repeat until cat rubs all over you and gets hair all in your nose, eyes, your clothes, and face.

[electron_blue]

21. squat down, stick your arm out and rub your finger and thumb together like

you have some food. Works every time.

You may not catch the critter, but the cat will come up to see. Curiosity very strong force in kitties. You just need to activate it.

[LynneSin]

24. You won't - end of discussion

Even if you have food, a stray cat has been trained by their momcats that they are to hide from anything on 2 feet. If you are trying to trap the cat to have it neutered your best bet is to get a trap of some sort and put the food inside of that.

[DS1]

25. Fire truck on the other side of it

[unpossibles]

26. is it this cat?

[Greyskye]

27. And we know who found that one, too!

Oh Katherine, how we miss you! :rofl:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. Oh. My. God.

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

Don't they teach basic animal identification in elementary school?

[crispini]

29. That can't be real. LOL!

[Arugula Latte]

30. Make yourself small (kneel down) and squint at the kitty.

Squints or blinks in kitty language mean "Everything is fine; I like you; you're in friendly territory." Few kitties resist squinting back.

Talking to the kitty in your best, friendly "kitty voice" doesn't hurt, either.

Good luck! :hi: