Curious about something..

[crazycatfellow]

Do feral cats or cats in general bond easier with people that suffer from anxiety, social disorders? Both me and my mother have a knack for attracting and making friends with the neighborhood ferals/strays. It's quite a nice story and will be sharing it when apply for the FoF badge. Our recent successes include socializing outside female feral cat. She now approaches us, rubs against us and lets us pet her. We noticed since they trust us their recent litters of kittens are more trusting and less skittish than previous litters. It only took two years but it was well worth it and gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling. We've been slowly trying to socialize the others including the kittens. They all come up next to us while we're sitting to eat and had moderate success with petting. The previous litters wouldn't come near us let alone close enough to pet and was like they had eyes watching because they would awake out of a sound sleep or bolt no matter how quiet, sneaky we were. All these kittens are old enough to be weened off their mothers, ranging from eight to forteen weeks old.

While I'm here there is something that piqued my curiosity. Inside my home the socialized ferals are very loving. Like headbutting, nuzzle and cuddle with me loving. I can pet them, they get up in bed with me and sometimes snuggling next to me, on me to sleep. When they are outdoors it's a different story. They act like they don't know who I am. I can call them and they come running. However when they get near me they double back or run past me. If I try approaching them they either run or will tease me by rolling over then running when I get close, roll over again etc.. Why is this? Is it when they are outside they somewhat revert back to their feral state?

 

[MoochNNoodles]

That is an interesting question!  I don't know; but it could be a possibility.  Both dogs and cats are used as therapy animals.  The nursing home my Grandfather was in had a resident cat on each floor.  Animals are so good for therapy; it would make sense that people with anxiety or other social disorders attract them.  At least in my mind it makes sense. 

 

[crazycatfellow]

Yeah I'd like to know. Back when I was living in my parents place (I now live in a home behind them) there was this cat I named Mittens. She was a feral that ran inside and became an inside kitty. She only really warmed up to me, she would tease my mother when she tried to pet Mittens. When I moved out and into the city where I stayed a while Mittens became very depressed. My parents gave her away shortly after I moved. I remember before they gave her away I came home to visit for Christmas and spent a couple days. Mittens was so excited to see me and happy I was there, she slept in the room with me.

Not every cat has been a success story, the majority of the ferals have warmed up to us and trust us. As for other people they are still very untrusting with.  A neighbor came over to talk to my mom outside and one of the female strays growled at him and ran away. I think cats can sense what kind of person you are and they can trust you. This neighbor and his daughter took in one of the ferals when he/she was a kitten. Ended up being very mean and loud. The ferals we've took in and socialized are all very loving and trusting.

 

[crazycatfellow]

Still interested in feedback on both mysteries. Do socialized and half-socialized ferals instantly revert back to their feral instincts when outside even though they know who I am? I have two that like to sort of tease me. Like they walk away slowly with me following, roll over and meow to me then walk off again.

When I talk to them outdoors they get paralyzed. Like when I talk to them they are rendered helpless, they start rolling all over and meowing to me. It is so cute. <3

It's also funny because they follow us around outside. Not just them, the whole dang cat army. My cats plus other outside ferals/strays myself and my mother care for. Neighbors think it's funny/cute. Me and my mother joke about them being our real life "followers" We are loved by many cats, even the ones that don't quite trust us just yet. Socializing ferals is tough, time consuming and takes a lot of patience. The love and appreciation they give is well worth it. We've turned a couple of the completely feral outside cats incl. one female to be loving, trusting. They "claimed" us as theirs and we can now pet them, they're receptive to petting and seem to enjoy it while purring for us.

My last question for now that puzzles myself and my mother. Does anyone know why other kittens in a litter would be feral and one or others wouldn't be feral? I assumed they are feral from birth, it's instinct. My mother took in medium haired black kitten. While it's siblings are feral this one isn't. He trusted us from the start, immediately adjusted to the inside. He is such a little loving cuddlebug, all he wants is cuddles. Does that seem weird in any way or can that happen?

 

[jcat]

There's a colony of feral cats at the shelter where I work. They live in a very large enclosure with constant indoor access and are socialized to varying degrees, meaning some avoid all contact with humans, while others interact with the people who feed them regularly. Several of the latter "supervise" you when you're working in the enclosure, following you all over while you're putting out food and water or cleaning their sleeping and toilet areas. A couple of them allow you to pet them when they're indoors eating or sleeping and will take treats from your hand, but don't let you touch them at all outdoors. What you're describing is the same behavior.

As to one kitten not being feral while his littermates are, an awful lot has to do with personality. We've had litters of kittens that were trapped at 3 - 4 months, and you could touch some kittens within a few days and adopt them out within weeks, while their siblings remained very shy with humans. While uncommon, some adult ferals that are laidback, curious and greedy can become adoptable. We've had some related ferals (father and children, siblings and half-siblings) that have actually turned into lap cats once the ice was broken, so it's very much a combination of nature and nurture.