How to tame a foster cat
Stage 1: Confine the cats to the bathroom first. They would prefer a small space to be alone rather than a larger unknown space at first. Then every time you go in the bathroom throw them some food. Don’t go near them at first, don’t make them feel cornered. Just throw food at cats and ignore them. Don’t stare at them. That would freak you out too if some stranger just took you to a random place and just stares at you. When they do look at you, blink at them slowly. That in cat language = I trust you. (Or I trust you enough to not care that you are looking at me and can attack me at any time.) They will be hiding behind the toilet. Block it off if you can. Some more cautious cats might not eat at first, but eventually they will. Just be sure to leave plenty of fresh water available.
Stage 2: Once you see food disappearing when you go into the bathroom again, start throwing food towards where you want the cats to be. This means away from the hiding places, near a cat tree if you have one or a counter top. They might not find the food there at first, but they will when you are gone. Hunting for food is fun.
Stage 3: Once you see them eating in front of you, start skipping food across the floor. Cats will chase after it and catch it to eat. This is a fun game you can play with cats, and in some cases this might be the first game a cat has ever played with humans. This works especially well for cats that are more hunt motivated than food motivated: for those cats this food game should be step one.
Stage 4: At this point cats have gained confidence. They now know people = food. They will start buttering you up so you will give them more food. This could be rubbing up on you or jumping in your lap when you sit on the toilet. I’ve had a few cats who will jump up and down to my preferred location where I leave food and wave at me. It’s up to the cat to train you now from this point. Now they will reward you to boost the behaviors they like (i.e. feeding them more food and treats) and they are pretty good at figuring out how to manipulate you, I mean reward you.
As for noise at night, cats are nocturnal animals. Pet cats live with humans and kind of adapt to our schedule, though they will still prefer to be active at night. Foster cats fresh off the street keep to their natural nocturnal schedule at first. As a circadian biologist, I suggest keeping the light off in the bathroom during the day (you can turn it on when you go in), and a night light or a dim light at night to help get their schedules turned around. At first they will still sleep mostly during the day to minimize danger and be hidden away. As they learn that food comes in the times when people are active, and when lights are on, and as they get more energy out playing with you, they will start to adjust their schedule.
Depending on the cat and each interaction, this whole process could take anywhere between a day to a few weeks. In general, kittens are easier to mold to your preference. Kittens are also easier to train to do cool tricks like high five, beg, or play the piano. Yes, before I was able to get a dog I trained up my cats, some are much more manipulative, I mean willing, than others.
More questions? Just comment below or contact me @LifeAfterPhD.
