TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Behavior › What is my feral cat trying to tell me?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

What is my feral cat trying to tell me?

post #1 of 43
11/25/09 at 12:02am
Thread Starter 
Tabby my feral cat was captured 37-days ago. He talks to me but i'm not sure what he means or saying. My Tabby male, unneutered as yet, basically hisses and gives me the long deep meow, not quit a screem when I approach him or when he comes to me for his food.
I will list the vocals and would someone explain to me what a cat is trying to say.

1.) hiss
2.) spit
3.) long drawn out deep meow
4.) scream
5.) growl
If all are basically an agitated state, could you also list which are a more intense state of agitation than the other. Maybe on a scale of from 1 to 10 with 10 being the most agitated.
Please add any more vocals to the list.

Thankyou very much, Pete
Reply
post #2 of 43
11/25/09 at 1:21am
Not sure if I can accurately grade the state of agitation based on vocals but your feral is not only agitated, he is mad as hell.
Reply
post #3 of 43
11/25/09 at 3:52am
With my feral I took every single one of them as 'I hate you, what have you done to me' they get over it eventually though

As far as an agitated scale, it really depends what it is in response to, one of mine growls at his food, the wall anything - I think he found his voice one day and just finds it amusing or something. He has been to to the vet and there is nothing wrong with him other than he growls too much with no signs of aggression (ears back, fur on end etc)
Reply
post #4 of 43
11/25/09 at 6:17pm
Thread Starter 
Agitated and mad...I can believe that. I think there is a fear factor in there too. Well, then I think Tabby is less mad at me lately. He hasn't hissed at me the last two days and his long deep meows are getting a little like normal. Hope he keeps improving.

-Pete
Reply
post #5 of 43
11/25/09 at 6:41pm
Thread Starter 
WOW! you have a fisty guy there. Growls at everything. I think your right, they just don't know how to express themselves. Maybe he doesn't like the color of the food bowl or walls and growls at them. To him it probably looks so much different than the grass and trees outdoor that he just growls in fear. Might have something to do with something in his passed.

He sounds like a true feral with the ears down and hair on end just to be inside and reacting like that to different objects. He must be very fearful. Hope he comes around soon.

Thanks for the response, Pete
Reply
post #6 of 43
11/25/09 at 7:08pm
This is only my opinion if you were to stereotype these sounds. Every cat is going to be a little bit different and their sounds will reflect their personality more than anything.

1.) hiss - warning to back off.
2.) spit - usually goes hand and hand with a hiss.
3.) long drawn out deep meow - more than a little ticked off, usually preceeds an attack if you get too close.
4.) scream - I've heard these reserved for fights only. Honestly never had a feral scream at me, only other cats.
5.) growl - somewhere between a spit and a long drawn out deep meow.

Personally, #3 and #5 are the ones that make me back away the fastest.
Reply
post #7 of 43
11/25/09 at 8:35pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks for your insight. Kinda what i was thinking. It's funny, Tabby stopped hissing at me a couple days ago but if I get too close to him he will give me the long deep meow. He is trying to just meow at me, he's coming along slow but sure.

When I was still feeding Tabby on the back deck Tiger through the glass started to screem at him. There were about 4' away from each other through the glass. Tabby just kept on eating and didn't pay any attention to the screems. Someone said that the screem can to territorial rather than fight.

I did a search on you-tube on feral cats and came across a little white cat named burger that was in a cage screeming his little head off. His ears were down flat and eyes dialated. He was really mad. So yes it does depend on the circumstances and personality of the cats.

Thanks again, Pete
Reply
post #8 of 43
11/25/09 at 9:08pm
Hiya, Pete!

If you're interested, I blogged about trapping and socializing a litter of feral kittens here. Maybe there will be something in there you find helpful.

If not, there's a whole bunch of folks here who have socialized ferals, so you're in good hands on TCS.
Reply
post #9 of 43
11/25/09 at 9:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Momofmany View Post
This is only my opinion if you were to stereotype these sounds. Every cat is going to be a little bit different and their sounds will reflect their personality more than anything.

1.) hiss - warning to back off.
2.) spit - usually goes hand and hand with a hiss.
3.) long drawn out deep meow - more than a little ticked off, usually preceeds an attack if you get too close.
4.) scream - I've heard these reserved for fights only. Honestly never had a feral scream at me, only other cats.
5.) growl - somewhere between a spit and a long drawn out deep meow.

Personally, #3 and #5 are the ones that make me back away the fastest.
Yup That is my thinking too
Reply
post #10 of 43
11/26/09 at 8:56pm
Thread Starter 
Auntie Crazy, thanks for the blog and original post. They were very interesting. The little guy in the sink is soo cute, well actually they all are. Thanks for sharing that.

-Pete
Reply
post #11 of 43
11/26/09 at 8:58pm
Thread Starter 
Starky,
Thanks for your input. Some of the sounds from these cats can be very scary at times.

-Pete
Reply
post #12 of 43
11/27/09 at 7:02am
My former feral, Ferris, does a long, drawn out, "WooooooooOOOOOOOOOoooooooooooooooooo..." when he is really, really scared and angry. But I don't worry about him hurting me when he makes that sound.

He will growl when he is scared and as a warning that he MAY do something I don't like, so I pay attention to the growl for sure. I've bled for that boy and carry the scars from my learning experiences.

Hissing and spitting is a warning, but one I take much more lightly than the growl. But that's just with him, personally. Each of my kitties acts differently, and Ferris is my only former feral.

Messybeast.com archives has some great info on taming and working with feral rescues.
Reply
post #13 of 43
11/27/09 at 7:18am
Betsy is right - www.messybeast.com is an EXCELLENT site!

Here are some examples: http://www.messybeast.com/cat_talk.htm
http://www.messybeast.com/cat_talk2.htm

What they're vocally saying should, of course, be taken into the context of their body language - and I think you'll enjoy reading both articles.
Reply
post #14 of 43
11/27/09 at 7:20am
Feral kitties also get confused during the socialization. For instance, they'll get to a point where you can stroke them - and hiss at you and bop your hand with a paw (no claws, often) - and then put their head out for more pets.

If hissing is done with no ears back, not agitated tail, and without the anger of spitting, I usually view that as a good thing, because they're comfortable enough in their space to tell you "this is my space," and that is often a big step in and of itself.
Reply
post #15 of 43
11/27/09 at 9:24am
Thread Starter 
Yow! that would be a scary sound. Tabby sounds more like a cat getting his tail stepped on but continues with the sound for 4-5 seconds at a time. He does hiss too but I see that as a gentle howdy I here and don't forget i'm still not tame enough to get too close. The loud long meows on the other hand get my attention that he means business. He makes that sound when he's coming to eat when I set the bowl of food in his cage.

Tabby doesn't seem to growl at me, maybe the first few days after capture.

Thanks for the Messybeast site, it's a good one.

-Pete
Reply
post #16 of 43
11/27/09 at 10:49am
Thread Starter 
LDG, thanks for the examples in the messybeast site. Looks like I have alot of good reading ahead of me. I love to do research especially on the animals I have.

Yes, I can understand they get confused in their socialization because what's probably going through their head is trust and fear at the same time. I think Tabby goes through that at feeding time when he comes right up to the bowl of food as soon as I put it in the cage. I think he trusts me enough to come out of his hide box and right up to me but scared enough to give me the long loud meows with his ears down right at the bowl. I kept the cage door open a few second longer than I normally do and he just layed there with his ears back scolding me. Soon as I close the door he shuts up and eats. I back away about 8' to watch and talk to him. When he is done eating he usually sits up straight and cleans himself for a few minutes and then heads for the box.

This morning I did something different. I got a soft mouse toy and rubbed fresh catnip from the garden on it and laid it a couple feet from the food bowl just before feeding him. He kinda looked at it when he began eating. When he finished eating he went over to the catnip/mouse toy and started rubbing his face all over the toy. He loves catnip. He did this for about three minutes and then just laid there next to the toy in the sun coming from the window for about another three minutes. Then he headed for the hide box. He did move his pine cone a little last nite.

He is still fearful in the two foot boundry range. I would like to break the two foot fear boundry. Do you think I should leave the cage door open and back off to three feet away during eating and then in time slowly inch closer? Or close the door and work the two foot boundry through the cage screen. I probably would have more control of him with the door closed. I don't think he would jump out of the cage, it's a 5-1/2 foot jump to the floor. I stand on a stool so his eyes are at chest level. Or shouldn't I put him under any stress while he is eating?

Oh, I went downstairs to check the 5-1/2' measurement and I found his Catnip/mouse toy on the floor of the lower level. He had come back out of his box later this morning to play with the Catnip/mouse toy hard enough to move it 18" to the opening to the lower level.

Thanks for all the insight, I would like to keep taking Tabby up to the next level...slow but in a positive way. I know this process will take a lot of time and maybe months but i'm willing to get him there. What would be my next step?

-Pete
Reply
post #17 of 43
11/27/09 at 11:33am
Don't know what others think, but I believe getting him to eat with you standing next to the cage is the next step.

Have you gotten a t-shirt all sweaty and put it under his food dish? I'd definitely do that.

Also, don't know if you want to give it a try, but harp music really helps calm ferals. Not sure if I already posted these links for you, but here they are again, just in case. You may want to leave a CD playing very low for him 24/7. ???????????????

http://www.musicmypet.com/
http://www.catfaeries.com/music-for-cats.html

I would not leave the door open - a jump like that is easy for a cat.
Reply
post #18 of 43
11/27/09 at 1:02pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks you so much for the feed back, you have been so helpful with my kittie.
I think I will try the t-shirt under the food bowl first and see how he responds. Then once he gets the food and smell associated together, then I think i'll try inching closer to the cage screen with the door closed. Come to think of it i did have Tiger jump from the top level when he was living in there. Didn't phase him abit.

Thanks for the music sites. Never thought of that one. Might even benefit myself as well. Hope I don't get so relaxed I fall asleep talking to my kittie, hehe.

-Pete
Reply
post #19 of 43
11/27/09 at 1:11pm
Well, just make sure you've got a chair!

...nothing less threatening than a sleeping human.
Reply
post #20 of 43
11/27/09 at 1:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerclaw View Post
Thanks you so much for the feed back, you have been so helpful with my kittie.
I just jump in before many get the chance to have their input because I spend so much time on TCS. (I'm not retired, but my job is primarily online based, so it's easy to pop by all the time. Well - most of the time. ).
Reply
post #21 of 43
11/27/09 at 7:08pm
Thread Starter 
Please keep jumping in, I am getting great results.

I tried the t-shirt under the food bowl this evening. I didn't know how he would react so I used a 12" x 12" piece. Something big enough where he could sit on it while eating(get some of my scent on his paws). I laid it in the cage before I brought the food to him. I didn't want him to come to the door while I was laying out the t-shirt piece.

I then got the food and laid it on the edge of the t-shirt piece where he could sit on it while eating. He just came to eat with know reaction. During eating he did give the t-shirt a couple sniffs. After eating he sat up and started cleaning himself right by the bowl. After cleaning himself he turned around and began sniffing his catnip/mouse toy I gave him earlier today. He began licking it and rolled on his side and grabbed the toy in his paws and began to play with it. He then roll on his back and head exposing his full neck area. He then rolled over completely. He got up and laid down and stretched out between the t-shirt and his toy. He laid there for 30 minutes untill minutes before light out on the timer. I slowly walked to the stairs before the timmer shut the lights out.

During this whole time I was sofly talking to him. He seems to like me talking, it gives him my position in the room without him looking at me. I noticed that while he is eating and if I quit talking he will look more to see where I am. If I continue to talk he seldom look up to see where I am. I don't know whether it was the t-shirt with my scent on it or the catnip toy or the combination that made him relaxed enough to lay down 8' from me for over 1/2 hour without going back into his hide box for security. Tomorrow I am going to try the whole t-shirt, he might be finding comfort in my scent without my big physical body right there to make him uncomfortable. What ever combination it is it's working. He's coming my way, quicker than I ever thought. His progress surprises me every day. Thanks again for your help.

-Pete
Reply
post #22 of 43
11/28/09 at 9:02am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerclaw View Post
...Thanks for the music sites. Never thought of that one. Might even benefit myself as well. Hope I don't get so relaxed I fall asleep talking to my kittie, hehe. -Pete
For at least a month, I slept on the floor of the kitten room while working with my last litter of ferals. Even though I couldn't yet handle them, I woke up more than once to the feel of little feet roaming across me and the mattress.

You are least threatening when still and silent, so it wouldn't hurt at all if you fell asleep (well, it would if you fell off the stool, but we're talking about the cat, not you ).
Reply
post #23 of 43
11/28/09 at 9:48pm
Thread Starter 
Yes it seem that a sleeping human is less threatening to wild kitties. That must of been something having those scared kittens walk all over you.

I think that's where my Tabby is, trusting enough to come and get his food right away, but scared enough to give me the loud meows with his ears back when he come right up to the bowl of food while i'm still setting it down. It's just a matter time when they realize that we are not going to hurt them.

I hear that soft musical is good to relax wild kitties. Today the wife and I when to the Library to a books sale, two for the price of one. I found two CD's of romantic soft music and my wife said that's awful sweet of you. I told her it was for the cat and she laughed.
Reply
post #24 of 43
11/29/09 at 8:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerclaw View Post
What ever combination it is it's working. He's coming my way, quicker than I ever thought. His progress surprises me every day. Thanks again for your help.

-Pete


Glad to hear it. Biggest thing to remember is that he WILL let you get closer and eventually WILL come to you on his own, but only in his own time.

And in this beginning stage, always avoid making direct eye contact, but if you do by accident, give him a slow eye-blink kiss then look past him into space.

It looks to me like you are doing everything just right. Congratulations on each small step forward!
Reply
post #25 of 43
11/29/09 at 8:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerclaw View Post
...Today the wife and I when to the Library to a books sale, two for the price of one. I found two CD's of romantic soft music and my wife said that's awful sweet of you. I told her it was for the cat and she laughed.
You could have improvised and told her one was for her and one was for the cat!

So glad to hear his progress!
Reply
post #26 of 43
11/29/09 at 1:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tigerclaw View Post
...I hear that soft musical is good to relax wild kitties. Today the wife and I when to the Library to a books sale, two for the price of one. I found two CD's of romantic soft music and my wife said that's awful sweet of you. I told her it was for the cat and she laughed.
Oh, that's funny.

Classic example of "the moment" you knew you'd crossed over the crazy cat lady (or guy) line.
Reply
post #27 of 43
11/29/09 at 9:09pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks GingersMom,

I've been trying not to look directly into his eyes but it's hard not to. I'd like to give him a big hug right now but I know he's too wild for that but soon I hope. I've noticed the last few days that he doesn't look at me all the time, i've caught him looking from side to side alot. Hope that is a good sign.

I'll keep the slow eye-blink kiss in mind. It's funny when I baby talk to him he will squint his eye and once he even closed his eye. He must like my voice. Or maybe he is so bored at hearing me repeat the same words over and over that he fell asleep.

Thanks for your help,

-Pete
Reply
post #28 of 43
11/29/09 at 9:18pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by LDG View Post
You could have improvised and told her one was for her and one was for the cat!

So glad to hear his progress!
She understood, she love cat too. I think i'm understanding more about Tabby's actions and reactions, which is key, thanks to all the help from the TCS people.

-Pete
Reply
post #29 of 43
11/29/09 at 9:22pm
Just a teeny, tiny caution for you, Pete. Depending on the cat's age (how old is he, anyway?) and personality, he may not ever allow a hug.

My three older ones were trapped at about 9 weeks of age and are now three years old. I can hug two of them and they'll purr all the while; the third will tolerate it, but will not purr and will leave the first chance she gets (but she's generally a shy cat, anyway).

The two younger cats are only a year old and were trapped at about 11 weeks. Neither of them likes being picked up but will accept it; however, only Heather tolerates hugging (if it doesn't go on too long, she'll even purr). If I tried to hug Spencer, though, I'd probably lose an eye, or an arm - he's one tough, solid cat!

He's also the only cat I've ever owned that likes to sleep on my pillow, curled in the crook of my arm (with his nose only inches from mine).

Gotta love the wee beasties for what they can give us.
Reply
post #30 of 43
11/29/09 at 9:22pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Auntie Crazy View Post
Oh, that's funny.

Classic example of "the moment" you knew you'd crossed over the crazy cat lady (or guy) line.
Oh, i've definately crossed the line.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Behavior
TheCatSite.com › Forums › Our Feline Companions › Behavior › What is my feral cat trying to tell me?