Step 1: Place skittish stray in basement with food and water and heat and a bed.

[Liberal Veteran]

Shit. What's step two?

[Skittles]

1. nothing

let him/her be

[Fire Walk With Me]

2. Step 3 is profit.

[texanwitch]

3. Give the kitty a chance to calm down and get to know you.

My kitty was feral and he is a house cat now.

Let him or her come to you.

[Liberal Veteran]

4. I was hoping for more time to acclimate him to me, but between the cold weather...

...and an evil cat that keeps harassing him (for the last week or so and gave him a nasty gash near the eye), I had to take action and trick him into a crate so I could bring him in.

It was a breach of trust. The cat has barely gotten to the stage where he let me pet him a little and hold him for a few seconds.

I've been calling him/her (I haven't had a chance to determine gender) "Nugget" because the cat is solid black with gold eyes. It's fairly young, but not completely feral.

[Bertha Venation]

6. It'll be okay, LV

He'll bounce back from your "betrayal" soon. Go down there every so often and just talk to Nugget in the same voice you've always used. Stay a few minutes and read from a menu or tell him the lamest story you heard that day - anything so he can get used to your voice. Soon he'll come out, and then he'll start to let you pet him a little. He'll warm up by & by.

:yourock:

[texanwitch]

7. A black kitty.

Your new kitty will come around with time.

My kitten wouldn't let me touch him but he would play with me.

I very slowly began touching him.

Nuggent will come around, I didn't think my kitty ever would.

Thank you for taking in the Nugget.

[kentauros]

5. Step 0: Put in a basement

:P

[emilyg]

8. Litterbox?

[Redstone]

9. Be patient. That's Step Two.

Redstone

[Left Is Write]

10. Let him or her be. Let him get comfortable, and give him time to come to you.

Add a litterbox.

Be patient.

:)

[Danger Mouse]

11. Cut a hole in a box.

[crimsonblue]

12. Step 2: cut a hole in the box

[crimsonblue]

13. Step 3: put your junk in that box

[crimsonblue]

14. Step 4: give her the box.

[ThomCat]

15. Be there, but be patient, and have lots of love.

:loveya:

The stray will warm up to you, and almost certainly be your good friend pretty quickly. :)