I also like making myself small and crouching and being as still as possible. I've befriended many skittish feline this way
I really like cats :)
The main rule for me is this: show that you’re not a threat, don’t get too close but give them a chance to approach you. Curiosity > fear
Unfortunately my dog has too much of a prey drive to tolerate cats, but the silver lining is that he’s quite cat-like anyway.
I'm blessed with a lot of stray cats and slow-blinking alone helped me become friends with the most feral and aggressive tomcats here.
All on-campus cats will be very very confused for a while.
So it's like: wet their forehead with saliva or water => rub with my chin.
(You know how they love keyboards, so..)
During one trip I decided to roll my cat in her usual blanket and then kept comforting her. I also played the usual music I play at house. This really helped calm her down. Putting her in a carrier was making her more anxious but being held in her own blanket made her feel safer.