Domesticating my Torti

I've had this cat since February 11th. It was rapidly apparent to me I'd acquired a street-wise cat, as there was no account of her life for the five years until she was captured, hurt, on the street. and surrendered to a vet hospital. In the beginning she hid from everyone. If captured, she bolted at the first opportunity, and still does.

Whenever I move, if she is in the room, she fixates on my feet, being sure they do not represent a threat to her. I suppose, in her life there was a time when she was kicked about. I use the treats to gain her trust. So far she eats from my hand, but will not eat from the chair beside me. Worse yet, if my foot shifts a millimeter, she bolts and hides.

I decided to get her to trust my feet. First I fed her from my hand, then put the treats on my shoe.

She was sorely tempted, but just couldn't pull the trigger. She turns away to her safe place, up inside the chair.

I called her back with a tongue noise I make. "Tsk, tsk, tsk." She finds it a comfortable sound. This time she inched and inched closer and finally took the treats from my shoe.

Then she cleaned herself, as she does after any satisfactory nosh.

Then she climbed into her safe place, under the chair.

This is a breakthrough, I think. It will be treats on my shoe for the rest of the week, and then it will be treats beside me, on the red chair, and I'll see where we go from there.