Feral Cat Behavior

Thoughts Of A Feral
by Annette Easdon

I sit beneath the bushes as she fills my dish each day,
I only venture out to eat when she has gone away,
I know it will upset her when I turn away and hide,
As every day she tries her best to get me by her side.

I wish that I could let her know that I don't want to run,
And hope that she will understand it's nothing that she's done.
I'd like to have her stroke me and pat my weary head,
But fear will overcome and I'll run and hide instead.

For all the kindly people who feed the strays each day,
I pray the Lord will care for them as they have cared for me.

The above poem is a fine way to help explain feral cat behavior. As you can read in the second paragraph, feral cats behavior to run and hide is because fear overcomes their minds. In this article, you will learn a little about feral cats and their behavior.

What is a Feral Cat

Feral cats are descendants of domestic cats that are born and live without any kind of human contact. They are not similar to wild cats or stray cats. Wild cats are descendants of the wild feline species and stray cats have had some kind of human contact and have a temperament similar to domestic cats.

Feral cats commonly live alone, but it is not surprising to find a large group of feral colonies. These colonies can be found in abandoned buildings, small woody areas, even old cars. The feral cats are extremely adaptable and can live in conditions of extreme cold and heat.

The feral cats prey on rabbits, house mice and even marsupial prey. They even eat birds, reptiles and rodents. They are often preyed upon by feral dogs, coyotes, wolves, cougars, foxes, feral pigs, crocodiles, snakes and birds of prey.

Feral Cat Behavior

The feral cat's behavior is elusive as they do not trust humans. They are mostly descendants of cats that were once domesticated and were non-neutered and were abandoned. These left alone cats bred uncontrollably and their progeny turned into a feral cat.

The feral cats develop aggressive behavior as they are non-sprayed or non-neutered. The males become more aggressive and hostile after attaining maturity. Feral cats can have two or more litters per year. The feral colonies are very vulnerable as diseases are rampant. These diseases can spread to a domesticated cat, if it comes in contact with a feral cat. Also feral cats can transfer rabies to humans by biting and scratching.

Taming the Wild Feral Cat Behavior

The good news is that the wild feral cat behavior can be tamed by specialized training professionals. These feral cats need to be reintroduced to domestic cat behavior through a program that helps determine which of the feral cats will be the easiest to train. Feral cats need to adopted and helped to socialize at an early stage. Kittenhood is a critical stage and if not handled well during this time, the feral cat will remain unadoptable.

Feral cats once domesticated, suffer from less incidences of diseases just like a domestic cat. The feral cat's behavior after domestication is just as content as a house cat and they prefer living in the outdoors most of the time. The adult feral cat behavior that has never ever been in human contact is unreliable. Taming it is a bit difficult. With a persistent training program one can gradually make them used to indoor life.

The process of taming wild feral cat behavior is long and hard. However, if you are prepared to bring home a feral cat and dedicate your life in taming one, then it will prove to be a worthwhile experience. However, if the feral cat has no behavioral progress in 5 to 6 months, then you need to take it back to its colony. You should release it as it will remain under stress indoors and show aggression towards humans. And, if the stress takes it toll, it may result in death of the poor feline. If you find a slow and steady progress, continue with your experiment. May be the cat likes you and decides to stay as your pet.

This was all about the feral cat behavior. Feral cats are not wild cats, but have a temperament similar to the wild ones. With love and care, you will surely be able to introduce the feral cats to proper cat behavior.