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The Odd and Unpredictable Worlds of Feral Cats (Reply)
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Monday, March 17, 2008
9:21:00 AM EDT
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9:21:00 AM EDT
The Odd and Unpredictable Worlds of Feral Cats (Reply)
(Picture Above: Beautiful, timid, sweet soul, Maria. A feral cat whose life would have been very different if only rescued earlier).
Ubermom111 Writes: That's one of the wonderful things about cats. Every cat is a strange exotic jungle animal - who is capable of undying devotion, but not hard-wired for it.
Of course, this makes it all the worse for cats who have given their hearts to a human family and then find themselves abandoned and on death row. This also makes it hard for all the feral cats out there who actually would like a human to call their own but are labeled feral - as if "feral" were a sort of inferior type of cat.
However, again, Patty - you have succeeded. Muffy is back home.
For Muffy's "home" is not and never will be on a sofa. Her home is the gardens and alleys that run past the back of your building. Her friendships with humans are and always will be to her inconsequential. This is her jungle. Like her cousin, the tiger, she needs her independence. And, like the tiger, she will never say "thank you" - which makes your gift of care all the more precious.
Of course, this makes it all the worse for cats who have given their hearts to a human family and then find themselves abandoned and on death row. This also makes it hard for all the feral cats out there who actually would like a human to call their own but are labeled feral - as if "feral" were a sort of inferior type of cat.
However, again, Patty - you have succeeded. Muffy is back home.
For Muffy's "home" is not and never will be on a sofa. Her home is the gardens and alleys that run past the back of your building. Her friendships with humans are and always will be to her inconsequential. This is her jungle. Like her cousin, the tiger, she needs her independence. And, like the tiger, she will never say "thank you" - which makes your gift of care all the more precious.
Reply: Thank you so much for your beautiful, insightful and almost poetic words.
Every cat, whether domesticated or "feral" is an individual. And even for those very experienced with all types of cats, one can never truly predict cat behavior or the type of association one will have with a particular cat.
Over the years, I've rescued many strays, semi-ferals and feral cats.
A number of them I was able to tame and socialize to the point they were later adopted.
Others, I was not able to socialize to the point of adoptability, but they adapted well to apartment living with the other cats -- and me.
Presently, I have two ferals currently living with me -- Maria and Mini.
Maria is a beautiful, red tabby who, I believe had she been rescued younger in her life, would have been an extremely lovable, responsive and sociable cat.
Unfortunately, I didn't get Maria until she was long past a year old and apparently suffered a rather rough life in the streets of New York.
Maria is extremely timid and easily scared. Though she gets along well with other cats, (Maria doesn't have a mean or aggressive bone in her body), she is easily intimidated by the more dominant cats. During the time Bootsy (the black and white Maine Coon) was here, Maria was living in back of my couch for fear of being attacked by Bootsy.
Maria is out and about again, now that Bootsy has (thankfully and finally) been adopted.
I sometimes wonder if I released Maria from the cage too soon? When first rescued, I put Maria in a cage (as I do with almost all new rescues). I left her free after about a week or two in the cage.
But, I now think that had I kept Maria confined longer, I might have had better chance to socialize her and quell her fears.
Those few times I have been able to get a hand on Maria, she actually responds to and seems to enjoy petting. But, then she reverts back to old insecurities and anxieties and quickly moves away.
If there was an easy way for me to "get" Maria again, I would put her back in the cage and try to work with her on security and socialization issues.
As matters are, I have a particularly soft spot for Maria and try to constantly look out for her well-being.
I just regret not getting her earlier in her life.
Mini, the other feral cat here, is, well, quite feral -- even now. Occasionally, I get a hand on her, (when she's eating), but she quickly backs away. Mini is fine with the other cats and is able to hold her own on the totem poll. She just doesn't want anything to do with people.
I also have a semi-feral tabby cat named, "Shorty."
Shorty was trapped and brought into the AC&C when he was about four-months-old. He contracted a very severe form of URI while at the shelter and almost died as a result. But, Shorty survived the illness which apparently affected his inner ear. Shorty walks like a drunken sailor and occasionally topples over.
But, aside from his physical quirk, Shorty is nevertheless healthy, playful and a very soulful cat.
He often sits and stares at me, as if still questioning what I'm all about.
But, Shorty is responsive to petting and now sleeps next to me frequently or sits close to me.
Shorty is, in an odd way, one of my favorite cats -- though totally "unadoptable" due to both, his physical shortcoming and very skittish behavior around other humans.
No one visiting my home has ever seen Shorty.
So, yes, every domestic and every feral cat is different.
But, as said the other day, Muffy was in a class by herself.
For all her years in the yards and alleys in back of my building (no one knows how old Muffy really is), she was always a "shadow in the night."
Muffy never approached her human feeders and for the most part, was rarely even seen (except when with her kittens).
Since released a few days ago, neither I nor anyone else has seen Muffy.
But, I suspect she comes out in the wee hours of the morning to feed -- just as she did, the night she was trapped.
As you say, the yards and alleys are her "jungle" and her home -- even if to us, they are no home at all. -- PCA
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I myself would not find "Shorty" unadoptable. I have a soft spot for those less than perfect animals that others might overlook. I have two three-legged cats in my home as a permanent part of my family, and am also currently fostering another tripod. (who, I really wouldn't mind keeping, btw, if I fail to find her a good and loving home). I really believe that in most cases, "there's a lid for every pot". If only Shorty would make himself visible, I'm willing to bet that eventually someone would find his drunken-sailor gait endearing and irresistable.
3/17/08 5:56 PM
As for those abandoned/homeless/feral cats, they have had terrible starts in life and terrible experiences at the hands of humans, in many cases. Those of us who have love and patience and who will not give up on them are rewarded beyond our wildest imaginations as those whom we believe in eventually come to know that in us, they have finally found humans they CAN trust.