From Feral to Happy Housecat in 30 Days: The Story of Mommycat

If you can imagine what it’s like to be homeless, frightened, cold, hungry, lonely, or unloved, perhaps you can relate to the plight of the feral cat. There are more than 30 million stray and feral cats living in the United States today that endure those terrible hardships, and it is not just an American problem but a tragedy of worldwide proportions.

It was over 15 years ago that my husband and I moved into our current home and discovered that a feral cat colony was already living there in our backyard. Given that we were both cat lovers, we immediately knew that we wanted to help them any way we could. That was the day our journey began. We’ve been caring for, rescuing, rehabilitating, and finding forever homes for stray and feral cats ever since. It’s been an ongoing mission filled with gratification, frustration, heartbreak, bank-account emptying vet bills (I’m 100% positive my vet thinks I’m crazy), and a great deal of happiness, too.

I’ve learned a lot of things about cats over the years, including the fact that any cat can form loving bonds with humans with enough love and patience and become a part of a happy home. I know this because I’ve lived it.

Today, I’d like to share with you the story of Mommycat. On that long ago day when we discovered the feral cat colony living behind our home, one of the cats among them was a young, petite female tabby with ginger-orange fur and big blue eyes.

If I had to guess, I’d say she was only about a year old at the time. She appeared to be caring for a group of kittens, and so my husband and I began referring to her as “the Mommy cat.” Ironically, we discovered from the vet when we had her spayed a month or so later (as part of a TNR program in our local community) that she was not actually the mother of those kittens, despite the fact that she had clearly assumed the responsibility of taking care of them. But by that time, the name had stuck. She was “Mommycat” to us, and forever would be.

Mommycat continued to live in our backyard as part of the colony. The group changed over the years as cats came and went, but she remained. She had never been one of the cats we attempted to rehabilitate and find homes for during those early years because she was incredibly fearful of humans. Indeed, she seemed afraid of everything, even other cats. But, ever so slowly, that changed and we began to earn her trust.

After about five years, she allowed us to pet her (although only at feeding time—we couldn’t just walk up to her in the yard because she would bolt). After about ten years, she let us pick her up. She was still aloof, standoffish, very cautious and watchful (not what we considered a good candidate for rehab and rehoming), but she had made progress and seemed quite content to continue living her life in the “wilds” of our backyard. And so she did.

Fast forward all the way to 2021. Mommycat was now, by our estimation, in her mid-teens, and we could tell that she was slowing down. We were quite attached to her (she was the only remaining original member of the colony by this time) and we perpetually worried about her well-being and safety. Could she still outrun a dog or other wild animal if she had to? Even though the underside of our back porch was decked out like the Kitty Hilton, how hard would another harsh New York winter actually be on her?

At this point, my husband and I had recently lost one of our own cats. (We’ve always had a few of our own which we keep exclusively indoors.) So, we had the capacity and the timing was right. Finally, we decided to try to take her in ourselves.

The Mommycat Diary

01.27.2021 – Day 1

We brought Mommycat inside today. We expected it to be very traumatic for her and, of course, it was. She looked around with a panicked expression (we are very sure she’s never seen the interior of a home) and then ended up hiding in our basement. We figure that the basement can be her “home base” for now. We’ve got food, water, a comfy blanket, and a litterbox down there for her, and we’ll leave the door open.

01.28.2021 – Day 2

No sign of Mommycat at feeding time this morning, but she ate the food we left for her yesterday and we know she’s down there somewhere in the basement hiding. She’s used the litterbox, too—smart kitty!

01.30.2021 – Day 4

Mommycat is no longer hiding, although she is still in the basement. When I went down to feed her this morning, she was snuggled into the blanket we brought down. After a bit of cajoling she came over and let me pick her up and pet her. Progress!

02.02.2021 – Day 7

It’s about 2 a.m. in the morning and I just walked out of our bathroom and came face-to-face with Mommycat in the hallway. She quickly bolted back to the basement when she saw me, but I’m really happy to see that she’s exploring the house!

02.04.2021 – Day 9

She came upstairs and walked around the house a bit today—the first time she’s done that (that I know of) in the daytime. She checked out our normal cat feeding area in the kitchen. I think it’s time to stop giving her food in the basement and encourage her to eat upstairs. It’s also about time she meets our other cats.

02.05.2021 – Day 10

We put a dish of food at the top of the basement stairs and Mommycat came up and ate this morning. She also met our other three cats, finally. It was a reunion for her with two of them, as they were originally members of the feral colony, too. She hadn’t actually seen them in years but she seemed to remember them and they acted friendly towards her. My oldest senior cat, Chimi, doesn’t know her and is mostly keeping his distance, but so far, so good.

02.09.2021 – Day 14

Mommycat is still spending most of her time in the basement but is coming upstairs for all her meals now, and she’s been continuing to explore the upper levels of the house at quieter moments. Sudden movements and loud noises still send her running, but she’s becoming more and more confident.

02.10.2021 – Day 15

Mommycat let me pick her up in the living room today! She sat with me on my lap on the couch for several minutes and we had a long talk. I told her that if she would consider officially being our kitty, we would very much like to be her humans. I promised her that she would never have to feel lonely, cold, hungry, or scared again. She was purring and kneading me, so I’m taking that as her agreement.

02.13.2021 – Day 18

Mommycat is spending most of her time upstairs now and has been seeking out my lap more and more.

The “Kitty Casa” in our living room has become a favorite hangout. It’s a big, upside-down box with openings on each end and a few holes cut out on the side so she can spy on our activities from inside while feeling concealed but not trapped. (That box has been a huge hit with all our cats, including the fosters that we’ve rehabbed over the years. They love to play in it and it serves as a place of security where they can build up their mojo. They like to lounge on top of it, too. We keep scratch pads for them up there and it sits right next to our aquarium where they can watch the fish.)

02.14.2021 – Day 19

I gave her some catnip today, which she really enjoyed! (I took a short video clip of that if you’d like to see it. You can find it here as part of my article about catnip.)

02.15.2021 – Day 20

Mommycat has become very adept at begging, not only for treats, but for a taste of whatever we happen to be eating. We shared some roasted chicken with her today. She was a big fan!

02.16.2021 – Day 21

I never expected to see a cat as old as she is actually play with toys—especially a feral one that has never had toys before, but sure enough, Mommycat was playing with some toy mice today. (There are cat toys all over our house.) I tried playing with her with a feather wand and she was very enthusiastic about that, too. (I think she initially thought the feather was a real bird!) From now on, playtime will be a daily regimen.

02.18.2021 – Day 23

Mommycat spends very little time in the basement now and has claimed the back of our couch as her favorite place to sleep. She’s extremely affectionate with both my husband and myself and getting along great with the other cats too, even playing with them sometimes. She honestly seems really happy and content to be inside. Not once has she made a move towards the door.

02.20.2021 – Day 25

Mommycat curled up and cuddled with our other female cat, a two-year-old sweetheart named Miss Smoochie, right in my lap today. The “girls” have become buddies. They’ve even teamed up multiple times now to chase the red light of a laser pointer toy together. (That's Miss Smoochie in the background of the catnip video clip linked above. She doesn't like catnip herself, but she thought it was pretty interesting to watch Mommycat roll around in it.)

02.23.2021 – Day 28

Mommycat has begun joining us on our bed at night lately. It’s a crowded place where all our other cats like to sleep as well. (We could honestly use a king instead of a queen—I’ve become a bit of a contortionist to make room for them!)

02.26.2021 – Day 31

Today, we saw Mommycat use the little cat door that leads out to our front screened-in porch for the very first time. All our cats love to visit the front porch, as they get to experience a bit of the outdoors and keep an eye on neighborhood activities without actually going outside. The cat door allows them to come and go at will. I’m sure Mommycat learned how to use the door by watching our other cats using it over the past few weeks. This was really the last “horizon” for her, and thus, today marks the last day of the Mommycat Diary.

She’s adjusted far better and much faster than we ever expected her to. I think it’s safe to officially say that Mommycat is now a beloved, permanent member of our family. We intend to lavish her with love and give her the safe, happy home that she has always deserved.

Everyone Can Do Their Part

If you’ve ever considered taking in a stray or feral cat, or even providing care for a colony in your community, please do. There are so many cats out there just like Mommycat that need our help. It’s a very worthy cause and it doesn’t take a big commitment to make a big difference. Even a simple donation to your local shelter can help immensely.

If you’d like to learn more about ferals, the National Feline Research Council is a great place to start.