I know that the behavior will be different between a stray and a feral cat, or a cat who has been a stray for so long he's turning feral.
i recently started a relationship with someone who is trying to run a program with a local shelter for feral cats. So... she brought me two cats thinking they were both feral. One of the cats was very quiet and shy always staying against the back wall, and desperate to be hidden. If I tried to pet her she would hiss at me, but if I covered her head and pet her, she wouldn't do anything. she would only come out of the shelter and eat/drink/litterbox at night. I THINK she was actually feral and got caught somehow. but not sure. -- am I right on my opinion there?
the other cat I could get to come out of the shelter when I would clean the litter box and often wanted loving so that I would have to stop dealing with the litter box until he would calm down. when he was done with love, he'd go back into the box. if I sat there long enough he'd come back out then go back in... he was also a piglet when it came to canned food. But when I got him, he was severely thin. So I'm guessing he was a housecat that got out or was abandoned. I later found out he had been at the shelter for a while and considered un-adoptable. --- he did seem to be absolutely terrified about the humming birds and would scampter into shelter when they would zoom in to feed at their feeders abt 5 feet away.
a few weeks later, I received more cats:
a girl who loves to be held, but feels much safer in a box. however, she is VERY inquisitive as to what is going on outside. At this point, I'm thinking she was a housecat that got into the shelter and no one wanted her for whatever reason. When she was brought to me, it was mentioned that they are trying to get a "quiet cat" room and they felt she would be perfect there... so it's also possible that with everything going on at the shelter she would get upset. I've noticed that when the cat with her right now gets upset she does too, but she will calm down fairly quickly.
The boy with her (ok, I'm not sure he is, as I haven't looked, but it's a Fold with tuxedo coloring, so I'm going with boy) is ok being petted. he prefers being in the hood that I have in there (the top half of a covered litter box) but is often at the front even when I'm moving around. when everything is taken out, he will his at his roommate, but doesn't really show posturing. I know that he doesn't mind being petted, but doesn't like to be held. I think that he has been at the shelter for a while as both will move to the back of the cage when they see me moving towards them, even if they are out looking around before they see me. --- so, I'm guessing that he's a housecat that was let out. I'm not sure if he will make a good indoor/outdoor cat - or if I should just consider that he will be one of my barn cats.
The two others that I currently have, seem to have changed positions in the last few days as far as dominance....
The red will hiss when he feels that I'm even close to "his space" and I've seen his paw swipe down when I was changing the papers because apparently I was getting too close. I haven't worked with him much so I'm not sure about actually touching him. -- but to me that type of behavior is more a cat who is a "pet" trying to show that he's in charge than a feral cat.
The Black wouldn't come out of the cat carrier to begin with, so we ended up with putting that carrier on top of the carrier I already had in the cage. by the next day, he had abandoned the top carrier for the bottom (it's actually the bottom half of a carrier turned upside down) and has stayed firmly in there. for the first three or four days, the red was in the front, but the last two days, the black has been laying in front of the red. --- he will hiss, and shrink a bit if I reach towarnds him, but I haven't seen any other reactions. and I haven't tried to pet or hold him. --- are these Feral characteristics?
The black and the red seem to only do food, water and potty at night. I put some canned food in a little bowl into the top carrier with the idea it would give them a bit more space, and the next morning the bowl was in the bottom with the cats. They told me very firmly that was theres now, and I didn't fight them for it.
I will admit that part of the problem is that I would really love barn cats, and worry that what I'm getting are simply housecats who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
i recently started a relationship with someone who is trying to run a program with a local shelter for feral cats. So... she brought me two cats thinking they were both feral. One of the cats was very quiet and shy always staying against the back wall, and desperate to be hidden. If I tried to pet her she would hiss at me, but if I covered her head and pet her, she wouldn't do anything. she would only come out of the shelter and eat/drink/litterbox at night. I THINK she was actually feral and got caught somehow. but not sure. -- am I right on my opinion there?
the other cat I could get to come out of the shelter when I would clean the litter box and often wanted loving so that I would have to stop dealing with the litter box until he would calm down. when he was done with love, he'd go back into the box. if I sat there long enough he'd come back out then go back in... he was also a piglet when it came to canned food. But when I got him, he was severely thin. So I'm guessing he was a housecat that got out or was abandoned. I later found out he had been at the shelter for a while and considered un-adoptable. --- he did seem to be absolutely terrified about the humming birds and would scampter into shelter when they would zoom in to feed at their feeders abt 5 feet away.
a few weeks later, I received more cats:
a girl who loves to be held, but feels much safer in a box. however, she is VERY inquisitive as to what is going on outside. At this point, I'm thinking she was a housecat that got into the shelter and no one wanted her for whatever reason. When she was brought to me, it was mentioned that they are trying to get a "quiet cat" room and they felt she would be perfect there... so it's also possible that with everything going on at the shelter she would get upset. I've noticed that when the cat with her right now gets upset she does too, but she will calm down fairly quickly.
The boy with her (ok, I'm not sure he is, as I haven't looked, but it's a Fold with tuxedo coloring, so I'm going with boy) is ok being petted. he prefers being in the hood that I have in there (the top half of a covered litter box) but is often at the front even when I'm moving around. when everything is taken out, he will his at his roommate, but doesn't really show posturing. I know that he doesn't mind being petted, but doesn't like to be held. I think that he has been at the shelter for a while as both will move to the back of the cage when they see me moving towards them, even if they are out looking around before they see me. --- so, I'm guessing that he's a housecat that was let out. I'm not sure if he will make a good indoor/outdoor cat - or if I should just consider that he will be one of my barn cats.
The two others that I currently have, seem to have changed positions in the last few days as far as dominance....
The red will hiss when he feels that I'm even close to "his space" and I've seen his paw swipe down when I was changing the papers because apparently I was getting too close. I haven't worked with him much so I'm not sure about actually touching him. -- but to me that type of behavior is more a cat who is a "pet" trying to show that he's in charge than a feral cat.
The Black wouldn't come out of the cat carrier to begin with, so we ended up with putting that carrier on top of the carrier I already had in the cage. by the next day, he had abandoned the top carrier for the bottom (it's actually the bottom half of a carrier turned upside down) and has stayed firmly in there. for the first three or four days, the red was in the front, but the last two days, the black has been laying in front of the red. --- he will hiss, and shrink a bit if I reach towarnds him, but I haven't seen any other reactions. and I haven't tried to pet or hold him. --- are these Feral characteristics?
The black and the red seem to only do food, water and potty at night. I put some canned food in a little bowl into the top carrier with the idea it would give them a bit more space, and the next morning the bowl was in the bottom with the cats. They told me very firmly that was theres now, and I didn't fight them for it.
I will admit that part of the problem is that I would really love barn cats, and worry that what I'm getting are simply housecats who were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
. An older truly feral cat - will absolutely be completely frightened and will lash out fiercely at you from inside the cage. Either way - if these cats are going to be barn cats that are well cared for by the barn owner's, then that is a better life than the other - fending for themselves with no one. Just make sure the barn owner's will care properly for the barn cats. Some are very cold-hearted and will refuse to feed them or water them - as they are there only for one purpose - mousing. That is not a good life then for them and they will usually leave the farm in search of food if the mice are not satisfying them. I have cared for barn cats for over twenty five years - and they all still do a great job mousing - even with daily food :nod:
can fit through.
. I do think that the cats are pretty quick though and ferals are SO very aware of everything going on around them every second. They can also climb trees :nod: I have seen my ferals climb and play in the trees. The hawks and owls - I think that neither the cats nor those birds would bother with one another. Small kittens though would be attractive as prey for a hawk/owl. Much luck with all you do for the cats :heart3: 
