World's friendliest feral?

I'm pretty sure I already know the answer to this one, but wanted to see what y'all thought.

While I was traveling this weekend I stopped at a truckstop on interstate 81 to get gas. I came out of the building and saw a cat walking by. I, of course, always kiss & call to any cat I see, but most keep going, or might turn to look, but run off soon ever. Not this guy:



He stopped immediately, turned around, and came up to me, winding between my legs, head butting my purse, sticking around for me to take like 20 pictures trying to get a good one (it was dusk). I didn't have any food for him and didn't want him to run away if I went back inside to get one, but he looked like he was a decent size and had a pretty good-looking coat. I think the folks at the truckstop feed him.

His left ear is tipped so I'm pretty sure that means he's been part of a TNR? Opinions?

I can't imagine a feral-born cat being this friendly and trusting. I mean, he immediately came when I called, and allowed me to touch him, and rubbed my legs and my purse. It seems like he was a pet who got dumped and has been "taken in" by the people who work at, or visit, the truckstop.

He is so handsome and friendly... just can't imagine why he would be dumped. He looks so much like my Pumpkin, back at my parents' house, that it broke my heart to leave him. But he is a lucky one who looks like he gets food, and he will live much longer & happier now that he's neutered.

So... is he the world's friendliest feral, or was he dumped? What do you think?

Chances are higher towards him being dumped

But I did have an extremely friendly feral here too. He was scared and skittish for the first 6 months of coming around. Then one day I called to him and he came over and let me pet him. He only liked me for a bit, then he came around to Rob as well. A couple months later he would rub and love on anyone who came near him while on my porch, whether they were strangers or familiar to him. Acted like he was a house pet instead of a feral by then.

Sadly, he was most likely dumped.

But like Tara, we've had feral-born kittens that had lots of friendly people feeding them, so with no bad experiences with people, and being exposed to them a lot from a very young age, they became friendly. It's possible... but unlikely.

He was most probably dumped at a feral colony, TNRed, then found his way to the truck stop either through human intervention (dumped again after being taken in?) or on his own.

It's possible that he's a friendly feral, but unlikely. Jamie's mother was trapped, pregnant, at a feral colony, and nobody was ever sure whether she'd been dumped or was actually a feral. She was friendly, but "returned to the wild" despite being spayed and finding a good home after having the kittens.

Poor guy.

Isn't it amazing that even after being dumped, a cat can still not be bitter like a person would be? He's still sure that people will be nice to him, and shows that much affection.

Makes me sick how "humans" can do that to an animal.

Originally Posted by resqchick

Isn't it amazing that even after being dumped, a cat can still not be bitter like a person would be? He's still sure that people will be nice to him, and shows that much affection.

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My thoughts exactly.

Originally Posted by resqchick

Isn't it amazing that even after being dumped, a cat can still not be bitter like a person would be? He's still sure that people will be nice to him, and shows that much affection.

Makes me sick how "humans" can do that to an animal.

Click to expand...

That's true. They have such hearts of gold

I see them at truck stops all time. Breaks my heart every time.