Some of my most popular posts on my blog and social media are my adventures with the peach kitty. And people often ask why my human doesn’t just pick him up, or trap him, and bring him inside. The truth is, it’s not that simple, and no way is it that easy.
The peach kitty is at least a second generation feral cat. His mom was feral, and we don’t know where she came from. Feral cats can’t be swept off the street and tamed in a matter of days or weeks. Maybe not even months. Or ever.
Yes, it happens, but not without a lot of preparation, conscious or not. And not all street cats that become house cats are feral.
The Difference Between Feral Cats and Stray Cats
Maybe you have a friend who found a cat on the street, or a cat showed up in their yard, and they brought them inside and they adapted immediately. A cat that does this is a stray cat, not a hardcore feral cat.
A stray cat has grown up with human contact of some sort, and then become separated from the humans they spent time with. Even if they have been through a traumatizing situation, they still have human contact hardwired into their nature. With patience and love it’s usually not too difficult for them to become friendly again.
A feral cat does not have human contact hardwired into their nature. This is something completely foreign to them. As far as they know, humans are just like any other potential predator — something to be suspicious of and feared. They rely on their survival instincts, which tell them to avoid human contact at any cost. That is a pretty major obstacle to overcome.
Why Is the Peach Kitty Friendly?
Well, he’s just sort of friendly! Of course he is super friendly with me because I’m another cat. But he really doesn’t understand my life inside. He’s mystified that I’m tethered to my human by a leash. He’s really only friendly to my human because she’s there every time he gets to see me, and she gives him treats. When I’m not around and she’s doing something like putting out the trash, he won’t come near her.
Even so, he is friendlier than the majority of feral cats out there. But that’s mostly because he’s had several years of being exposed to humans who haven’t harmed him, and because he was more curious about me than the other outside cats.
The peach kitty, his siblings, and their mom were trapped, neutered, and returned to our neighborhood in the summer of 2021. By then, our neighbor was already feeding them. So that was the start. And as far as the rest of his family was concerned, the regular meals were good enough for them. They really didn’t need or want anymore human contact.
The peach kitty has always been a little different. He would look inside the glass doors of both our neighbor’s and our house. And although he was the last of his family to be TNR’d, he was one of those rare kitties who didn’t immediately dash out of the cage to freedom when he was returned. He lingered for a few moments, like he wasn’t sure what to do before strolling out and heading back to his family. Those are the ferals that you always have to wonder about a little.
So There Are Some Feral Cats That Can Be Socialized?
Yes, if you emphasize “some” and add “after working with them for possibly several years.” I have been a big help with the peach kitty because he adores me, and he is forced to interact with my human if he wants to spend time with me. And keep in mind that at this point, he is about three years old, and my human has been actively working with him for about half his life. Meanwhile, his family won’t even come within a few feet of me or my human. When my human wants photos of them, she has to use her zoom lens.
So What Do I Do If There’s a Feral Cat I Want to Tame?
Here are a few tips. They are not easy tips, because there are no shortcuts when it comes to socializing and taming a feral cat (if you can do it at all).
- Understand you are committed to a project that may take years. That is, if you legitimately want a cat who is somewhat friendly. Sure, you can trap a cat and take them off the streets, but you’ll likely wind up with a cat that spends their life hiding in dark corners and not interacting with you. Basically they’ll act like they are in jail, in solitary confinement. I would not call that a good quality of life for the cat, or you either.
- Be their food source. The only way you can reach a feral cat is through food. They don’t want human contact. They don’t want your touch or your love. In fact, they are threatened by all that. Food is the only thing they understand. And that’s the way it will be for a long time.
- Leave the cat outside for the whole socialization process. Any attempts to bring them indoors without their consent will backfire, big time. Betraying a feral cat’s trust may damage the budding relationship beyond repair.
- Once you do get to the point where they will come inside, acclimating them as an indoor cat is another longterm project that must be approached gradually, and in small steps.
- Accept that the cat you are socializing is going to be your cat. Feral cats that become friendly to a caretaker will bond with that person and nobody else. They are not candidates for adoption, full stop.
The process of working with a feral cat involves a lot more detail than I’m prepared to go into here. You can find some excellent resources from scaredycats.com.au and americanpetsalive.org.
I don’t mean to sound so discouraging. But it’s important to be realistic. If you want your feral friends to have a good quality of life, many times living inside isn’t the answer. Sometimes you have to love someone enough to allow them their freedom, and that’s the truth for many feral kitties.
Here is more about the peach kitty and his feral family:
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