Temperment of formerly feral kittens...

Hey folks,

As some of you know (from my other posts) over the summer I found a couple of feral kittens (~4-5 weeks old) in my grandmother's backyard after cleaning up the remains of their two siblings who were mauled by dogs...

They are now abou 8 months old and I've noticed some changes in their behavior.

They were skittish of people at first, but came around and when they hit the ~10 week mark were pretty outgoing towards strangers (we had people over to handle them while they were younger). BUT, as time has gone on, they've become more wary of strangers.

What I'd like to know, is, could some of this waryness be due to having been feral for the first 4-5 weeks of life, or is it just personality? Both brothers exhibit it. They are affectionate to me and unafraid, but whenever strangers are around they're "gone".

Thanks for any information you can share!
Art

All our kitties are rescued ferals. The youngest was 10 weeks when brought inside. He still flees at a loud cough and won't come out for strangers. The oldest we rescued was almost a year when we brought him inside. He is the alpha of the bunch, Mr. Confident - and he has to inspect strangers.

So if they were OK with strangers when younger - it's either just that you don't have company over frequently, and they got "unused" to having new people around - or it's just the way their personalities developed.

Laurie

I absolutely agree with Laurie. My entire house consists of feral born kitties. There are some who greet strangers at the door and will climb into their laps. There are others that won't come out of hiding until they leave. Eightball in particular was very personable for the first year of his life then decided to become a scaredy cat. His OTB brother Tigger was the same.

Usually the younger you rescue them the more likely they will never exhibit any long term effects of their feral origins. At 4-5 weeks, you are in the high success range. After about 8-10 weeks old, they can become more challenging. But I've successfully socialized 2 year old ferals. Every cat is different. I think you are seeing their natural personality.

Thanks for the replies,

I just remembered reading that some folks thought that all ferals would be more frightened of strangers no matter the socialization, etc. So wanted to check.

You do have a good point, we don't have company over very often so maybe that is it.

Art

My Ferris is a feral rescue, and he's still skittish around me on occasion - I move too quickly sometimes. But he's become a TOTAL lovebug who LOVES to be on my lap.

However, when people come to visit, he is nowhere to be found - he goes into hiding. He'll only venture out (curiousity gets them all eventually) once they've been there for a while, or if he smells that he's met them before.

So I think it's just instinct.

Originally Posted by GingersMom

My Ferris is a feral rescue, and he's still skittish around me on occasion - I move too quickly sometimes. But he's become a TOTAL lovebug who LOVES to be on my lap.

However, when people come to visit, he is nowhere to be found - he goes into hiding. He'll only venture out (curiousity gets them all eventually) once they've been there for a while, or if he smells that he's met them before.

So I think it's just instinct.

Click to expand...

That is EXACTLY how my former-feral Wally behaves. To a T.