Am I about to make a new friend?
Hello all! About six months ago, we were having a very severe cold snap, and at the time, we discovered that two ferals were hanging out in our backyard. We managed to trap them both, verified they had no owners, got them fixed, and gave them a full health check, as well as vaccinations. Once the time came to let them back outside after their surgeries, I couldn't do it, because I am a sucker and didn't have the heart.
Both of them are still very standoffish and not quite accepting of the pet life. I have separated them as they were protecting each other and causing a negative feedback loop. I can get my hand close with treats, and they will accept churu. I've even tried a backscratcher on them, and it seems like they will reluctantly accept it. But if I try to touch them with my hand, I get hisses.
While the boy is still a bit of a project (he's roughly 2-3), the girl (six months to a year) seems like she may be coming around. The room she is in has a six-foot gate in front of it, and she can watch us come and go. Lately, she's been coming up to it and watching us. If we come to the door, we get hissed at, and she'll bolt. Sometimes, she's ok with me slowly walking by, as long as I stay upright. But if I get down on her level, I get a hiss. But she'll come right back up as soon as I walk away. I should mention that she also adores one of my 1-year-olds, and he begs to go in there and play with her. They'll cuddle and wrestle, and it's adorable. She has seen me pet him and cuddle with him, and he's still alive, so I'm hoping she's figuring out that no, really, all I want to do is love her.
This morning, however, when I got up, she was right by the gate again, as was my little boy. She stayed really close and never hissed once. She moved away from the gate as I approached, and even turned her back, but her eyes never really dilated, and she seemed calm. When my boy walked in, she gave him a happy trill, and they went off to play. A little later, I went in to clean her box, and she once again didn't hiss. She was out of her hiding spot for a few moments to watch (while I purposely avoided looking at her), and then went to hide. I was in there a third time, and she was hanging out on the cat tree, just watching me.
Am I getting close? Is six months of patience finally starting to pay off? Do I need to do anything else? Or am I just on hopium?