A shy cat is not a feral cat. Any owned cat that, for reasons usually forever known only to the animal, has become homeless, is reasonably quick to respond to your overtures of kindness, especially when offered with tuna and clean water on the side. Hopefully you can provide or find the creature a safe home, once ascertaining that its owners are nowhere to be found, and the episode is happily closed.

A feral cat, on the other hand, is one that has not had contact with humans in its first several weeks of life rendering it, by definition, wild. A feral will gladly eat the food you offer and eagerly lap up the fresh water, but (unless you're hiding quietly in a nearby tree) she will do so only once determining that the coast is clear. You may in fact become quite convinced (unless you're an avid limb-sitter) that you've got the world's first invisible cat on your hands.

Once you have been adopted by a feral cat, what to do? Although hotly debated by those in the animal rescue field, I firmly believe that the following plan of action is the one to follow:

You must first make an absolute commitment to become involved which entails feeding the animal each and every day and providing it with fresh, clean water, as well as giving it safe, warm shelter and any necessary veterinarian care. This will cost money plus your time and effort over the next decade. Then you've got to get the cat into the vet - a thorough check-up, vaccinations and (most importantly) a spay/neuter so that this cat will be the last feral in its line.

How to catch an invisible cat you ask? Have-a-Heart I say! Call your local animal rescue shelter and ask to borrow their humane trap. Bait it with something like tuna and MAKE SURE YOU'RE HOME so that, as soon as the door closes on your feral, you can toss a blanket over the trap and rush to your previously notified veterinarian.

Build a secure shelter and, especially important for those of us in northern climates, a warm one. I've got mine in the tool shed which is inside our fenced predator-free yard. The padlocked shed door is kept propped open just enough so that a cat can easily slip in and out, but in such a way that it cannot swing, inadvertently trapping the cat.

The solid shelter inside the shed is comprised of a low roof, floor and walls of two-by-fours, with an incubator lamp attached to the ceiling and an old rug and blanket on the floor, keeping the little place cozy, even when blizzards rage. The "door" to the shelter is an opening at the rear, again only big enough for a cat. If the cat does not feel secure that no one can "grab" her, she will not use the shelter.

By the way, if you ever do catch a glimpse of your feral, blink slowly. That's a non-aggressive move that your cat will understand. I'd rather think it means: "I love you".

Stephanie