The moment when a feral cat trusts you is magical

"I don't think non-cat people understand what it means to gain the trust of a feral cat, it's not easy & when it happens it's so incredibly beautiful" - commenter on the video below which is on TikTok

I have heard this a lot over the years and have experienced it myself when socialising my former feral cat who I adopted as a foster carer. He was about 7 weeks old and terrified of me. He hid for a week under the sideboard! Cooked prawns got him out and he loves them to this day.

@jobiquin #catsoftiktok #CapCut #feralcat #cuteanimals ♬ original sound - Jobi

But the point is that you can tell when a feral cats becomes socialised and can be described as 'domesticated'. The fear drops from their eyes and body language. They actually crave human companionship but are inherently (and rightly) fearful. It can take months to break down that fear. But often it happens much faster.

"Watch the feral cat I took in (with her 4 babies) finally let me love her," says a caption shared along with the viral video.

It is an interesting thought: 'finally let me love her'. It is the moment when a cat does indeed allow themselves be loved by a caring human. The trust. The fear falls away.

Her feral cat finally lets herself be loved by this nice lady, Quin. He partner rescued the cat who'd been around their home for a while with her kittens.

Gentleness in interactions and respect for their feral background is essential, plus excellent food (the video maker uses a very palatable treat paste) and also importantly play.

Playing with a semi-domesticated cat teaches them that you can be trusted. The play toy - usually a feather on a stick - is a kind of 'bridging tool' between you and the cat. 

But as you are welding it, in their mind the cat is playing with a sibling which breaks down barriers very fast. It is how I socialised my cat who by the way retains some of his wild character to this day, 10 years later.

I don't think socialised feral cats ever completely lose their feral character. It lurks deep inside them and sometimes (perhaps) emerges at certain times.

"She had to be brave surviving out there in the wild. She is actually a very sweet cat. You can tell she wants to be loved. She didn't give any fuss when I put her little cat collar on her. I feel like she knew it was hers and it meant she was ours," Quin (the rescuer) said. She lives in Texas, US.

--------------

P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins. Also, sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified. And, I rely on scientific studies but they are not 100% reliable. Finally, (!) I often express an OPINION on the news. Please share yours in a comment.

Why are some street cats afraid of humans while others are friendly?

This is a question asked on a social media website and it is an easy one to answer so I can be brief. It is all about socialisation. The street cats, or let's call them feral or semi-feral cats, who are afraid of humans are those that have not been socialised to humans. It is likely, therefore, that these feral cats have been born in the wild and never had the chance when they were newborn kittens to interact with humans and learn that humans are friendly and not to be feared. 

That, of course, is provided that the humans with whom they interact are indeed friendly! And there is also the issue of the personalities of the cats. Some are more confident than others. Timid cats are more likely to be fearful of strangers. But the biggest factor by far is socialisation.

It is part of a cat breeders job to ensure that this process takes place. Without it a cat cannot be a human companion.

Child protects a street cat from the rain. Image: Tumblr.

The way you socialise any cat to a human is to ensure that they are around humans and are interacting with humans as much as possible when they are very young and then they learn quickly that they are safe to be in the company of humans. It is quite likely, too, that some feral cats have the exact opposite experience and are therefore justifiably afraid of humans. That's because a lot of humans dislike feral cats.

RELATED: Kitten development – comprehensive discussion.

Those street cats who are friendly to humans are probably stray domestic cats who have been fully socialised to humans (stray domestic cats) or semi-feral cats that are part of a TNR program during which they interact with volunteers who care for them and ensure that they are spayed and neutered. So, it is all about early interactions with humans which if good ensures that the cat is unafraid when in their company.

RELATED: Sensitive Period of Socialisation for Kittens.

In some countries, there are street cats which are in between true feral cats and domestic cats. These are semi-feral community cats who are looked after by people in the community such as shopkeepers. The trouble is that they're not looked after in a complete sense. They are fed but the caregiving does not extend to veterinary treatment and therefore they must have shorter life spans on average than normal domestic cats.

Should feral cats be regarded as wild cats?

Are feral cats wild animals? No, they are not. It is wrong to regard feral cats as wild cats as one journalist has in an article about TNR in New Zealand (which Kiwis nearly always criticise). Feral cats are really domestic cats that have gone feral. It is important to distinguish between feral domestic cats and true wild cats. They are very different animals. Often feral cats are semi-domesticated at which time they are referred to as community cats.

Feral cats of a well-known Mumbai park. Photo: Mid-day.

A young person may become 'feral' if the parenting is neglectful. Essentially the feral cat is a domestic cat but because they've not been socialised and domesticated, they become fearful of people. This gives the impression that they are wild cats. However, there is a distinct difference between the character of feral cats and wild cats. Note: of course, feral cats are born feral too.

THAT SAID, SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SOME AUSTRALIAN FERAL CATS HAVE EVOLOVED INTO TRUE WILD CATS!

You can domesticate, through socialisation, a feral cat. It may take a short time if you are dealing with a kitten. If you are dealing with an adult cat, it may take several months or even a year. But it can be done. If you try and domesticate a wild cat you never get to the same point that you would with a feral cat. The wild cat retains their wild character because they do not have 10,000 years of domestication behind them.

10,000 of domestication has resulted, in my view, in the domestic cat carrying that domestication in their DNA. It is gene memory. So, when a domestic kitten is born, all it takes is a little bit of socialisation in the first seven weeks of their life for them to become domesticated. You try doing that with a wild kitten, say a bobcat kitten, and you won't get the same result.

The feral cat and the small wildcat are different animals even if they are pets. Sometimes people like to keep exotic pets and this includes servals, caracals, cheetahs et cetera. These true wild cats always retain a different character when semi-domesticated compared to a feral cat that has been domesticated. Essentially, it is wilder. For the wild cats, that harsh, predator personality is not removed by socialisation.

I say "semi-domesticated" because that is how it happens for the wild cat species when they been socialised. But they feral cat can be completely domesticated to behave exactly like a domestic cat.

Rescued shelter cats suited to a barn cat life

The Bangor Daily News has a nice article about barn cats and domestic cats suited to the barn cat lifestyle. It's a reminder to me that some domestic cats like the old-style way of living. And this is the old-style way of living because it's the way people related to domestic cats long ago in the past. It's a question of individual cat personality as some cats are really suited to being left alone to their own devices. All they need is veterinary care, a food source, a warm place to go to when it gets cold and some general interaction with their human caretakers but to relatively low level that are normal.

 Rescued shelter cats suited to a barn cat life. Photo in public domain.

One rescue centre in Brunswick, USA, Midcoast Humane, have a Barn Buddy programme designed specifically for these types of cats. They are cats who are shy around people and who typically prefer to live outdoors. They going to be happier, this rescue organisation believes, living in a barn or warehouse or in the backyard provided they are given food, freshwater, a place where they are protected from predators and the elements in the snug den to curl up in when it gets cold.

The rescue organisation refers to them as independent and self-sufficient loners and one hopes that they are also experts at catching mice and other rodents. They might need some patience. They certainly need kindness and over time they might learn to trust people more. Perhaps they end up coming into the home in the long term.

The point being made is that these cats, with this particular type of personality, are better suited to this way of life and I think we should remind ourselves that they exist. Perhaps sometimes (and I am guessing of course) they are pigeonholed into a full-blown domestic cat lifestyle which is unsuited to them. This may lead to them failing as a conventional domestic cat which may in turn lead to relinquishment of the cat back to a shelter where they might be euthanised as having behavioural problems.

 Rescued shelter cats suited to a barn cat life. Photo: in public domain.

Kate McHugh-Westfal of the Midcoast Humane shelter said that: "Cats are versatile workers. There are lots of different options for cats who are much happier being outside or want little or no interaction with humans."

I mentioned domestic cats with particularly independent personalities but of course this group of cats may include feral cats or semi-feral cats. Or perhaps cats who have been deemed to have behavioural problems when brought to the shelter for the first time. They are checked out for being spayed and neutered (and if not they have the op), they are vaccinated and microchipped, ready for their new life as a barn cat.

They are usually at least six months old because the shelter believes that cats younger than this can be socialised and adopted conventionally. McHugh-Westfal believes that kittens and young cats develop their feelings during the first 16 weeks of life. If you can get a feral kitten before then you can develop them to be a good indoor domestic cat.

One aspect of the Barn Buddy program is that it is turning the problem of domestic cat predation on native wildlife species on its head. Lots has been written about how to prevent cats preying on wildlife but in this instance they are working cats whose job is to prey on what humans consider to be vermin and pests. It's a particularly nice solution for that reason.

They recommend that when a barn buddy is first adopted they are placed in a large dog crate where they should live for two weeks. Then once they are let out they recognize the location as home and where their food source is. They also recommend that there should be at least two working cats together at the same time because it helps to prevent them wandering off because they have a friend. The key, they say is that they should have plenty of food and water at all times. The rest, they can deal with themselves. 

Another plus for the cats is that they can make friends with other domestic animals such as the horses and livestock. Barn cats and horse go together really well.

These cats are being loved but in a way which is best suited to them, they say. For them, being inside a home would be a bit scary and make them anxious and unhappy. Letting them live outside is the best course of action for them.

I recently wrote about a couple who, because the wife was allergic to cats, were forced to let their domestic cat live outside or his life in the backyard in the garage. It sounds sort of cruel but it actually worked out very well. You can read about that story if you like by clicking here.