I did notice an interesting phenomen reading the tells of people taking care of ferals.
Here in Sweden, the usual is to try to catch the feral/stray/homeless and take them in. SheHe comes to somebody who socializes the cat. When socialized and tame - shehe gets a permanent home. These voluntary socializers ("supporthomes") are very often catowners and or they have several such ex. homeless cats.
Of course. ONE reason is the socializing is much easier if there is a friendly tame home-cat who becames pal with the ex-feral.
OK. What do they tell. The feral comes in. Do hide somewhere. Is there the first 24-48 hours. After some time comes out to eat, uses the litter usually first at night. After some time he comes out, looks shy at the human. Began to socialize with the home-cats. Begans very slowly to socialize with the human.
After a time shehe joins the homecats when they sleep at night in the humans bed. Although shehe is still afraid to be touched by the human...
The point? The feral and the home-cats do almost never quarrel with each other!!! They NEVER fight, perhaps only do some hissing. Sometimes not even that. Much less than if another tame cat would come as visitor. Usually they became very friendly with each other - and usually quite fast.
How this came?? I think when the feral comes, shehe is shy, afraid - both of the human and shehe knows it is another cats revire. So shehe dont tryies to fight for revire, shehe only tries to survive. And therefore shehe isnt a threat to the home-cats.
And they feel it, and therefore dont try to bully the new one.
Later on, when the now semiferal begins to came out - they all know shehe is lowest in the peck-ladder, is almost like a kitten, so there is still no need to hiss and threat....
Interesting? Yes. Important to know?? YES!
There are surely many who could, and want to help out a homeless, perhaps semiferal shy cat. But they dont dare, they think: I dont want to hurt my own beloved home-cat. I dont my own Henry to feel afraid in his own home.
But in practice this fear is unnecessary. The shy feral is almost NEVER a threat to the homecats.
(The home-cats must of course be fully vaccinated, and you should have a quarantine room till you are sure the feral is healthy and parasite-free, but this is another story).
So the shy feral ISNT a threat to your homecat.
And the aggressive feral is of course never taken inside... Not by a green amateur in any case.
Here in Sweden, the usual is to try to catch the feral/stray/homeless and take them in. SheHe comes to somebody who socializes the cat. When socialized and tame - shehe gets a permanent home. These voluntary socializers ("supporthomes") are very often catowners and or they have several such ex. homeless cats.
Of course. ONE reason is the socializing is much easier if there is a friendly tame home-cat who becames pal with the ex-feral.
OK. What do they tell. The feral comes in. Do hide somewhere. Is there the first 24-48 hours. After some time comes out to eat, uses the litter usually first at night. After some time he comes out, looks shy at the human. Began to socialize with the home-cats. Begans very slowly to socialize with the human.
After a time shehe joins the homecats when they sleep at night in the humans bed. Although shehe is still afraid to be touched by the human...
The point? The feral and the home-cats do almost never quarrel with each other!!! They NEVER fight, perhaps only do some hissing. Sometimes not even that. Much less than if another tame cat would come as visitor. Usually they became very friendly with each other - and usually quite fast.
How this came?? I think when the feral comes, shehe is shy, afraid - both of the human and shehe knows it is another cats revire. So shehe dont tryies to fight for revire, shehe only tries to survive. And therefore shehe isnt a threat to the home-cats.
And they feel it, and therefore dont try to bully the new one.
Later on, when the now semiferal begins to came out - they all know shehe is lowest in the peck-ladder, is almost like a kitten, so there is still no need to hiss and threat....
Interesting? Yes. Important to know?? YES!
There are surely many who could, and want to help out a homeless, perhaps semiferal shy cat. But they dont dare, they think: I dont want to hurt my own beloved home-cat. I dont my own Henry to feel afraid in his own home.
But in practice this fear is unnecessary. The shy feral is almost NEVER a threat to the homecats.
(The home-cats must of course be fully vaccinated, and you should have a quarantine room till you are sure the feral is healthy and parasite-free, but this is another story).
So the shy feral ISNT a threat to your homecat.
And the aggressive feral is of course never taken inside... Not by a green amateur in any case.
