Thread: feral cats
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Old December 11th 08, 04:23 AM posted to rec.pets.cats.rescue,rec.pets.cats.health+behav,rec.pets.cats.community,alt.pets.cats,alt.cats
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Default feral cats

On Dec 9, 11:19*am, "cybercat" wrote:
"Edward A. Falk" wrote in ...

Related question: *I have two cats who were rescued feral kittens. *They
did all right for a few years, but I then adopted another kitten who
hissed
at them constantly. *They decided to hell with it and moved out of the
house
and now eat their meals on the back porch.


It's cold and dangerous out there. *I want them to be indoor cats again.
What's the best way to handle this? *Should I just catch them and lock
them inside? *Guaranteed at least one of them will pee on things if I do
this, but I guess I could drape plastic over anything that doesn't clean
easily.


You got it right. Just bring them in and keep them in. At first, confine
them to a small room with cat box, food, toys and bedding, to get them in
the habit of using the box. Visit them a lot. Let them out after a couple of
days. At the first sign of inappropriate elimination, back in the room.
Eventually, they will be retrained. They are creatures of habit. This works.
(I assume you have them fixed.)


Yikes!

You do seem to have a single remedy for all cat-related problems. Lock
them in a small room.

Here is the problem with that solution. Cats that have lived wild
never quite get it out of their systems. Further, they cannot quite be
'broken' like horses. So, you can trap them inside - and they will
constantly want OUT. And they will act out even if - especially if -
they perceived that they are trapped. These cats already trust you to
a point - so don't push that trust. If you do trap them, and they do
then get out, you may well never see them again. You have to work with
them and attempt to gain their trust.

I have had much better results with once-feral cats by giving them the
choice of IN or OUT. Over time, they will achieve a modus-vivendi with
the other animals (cars or dogs) based on their personal comfort. Once
*THEY* make the choice to come inside - and the rough weather does
help - you have a chance to win them over. A feral cat that I trapped
some years ago, now living with a good friend, went through that
process over about a 2-year period (all with the friend, not me). Now
he is an aggressively affectionate extrovert who goes out only with
"daddy" - but has the option at all times. Once, recently, daddy
dropped the slider on the cat-door. Almost instantly, a poop right in
front of it.

It is also no strange thing that they left the house upon introduction
of a new kitten. You are the "DADDY CAT" and toms are known to kill
kittens not their own. They may have the perception that the new
kitten is *yours* and so they are threatened. You permit the kitten's
aggression, probably even protect it - this actually makes them
fearful. When food is plentiful and there are many families of cats
around a small area, this behavior is less common. But in small
groups, there is a huge significance between "family" and "non-
family".

The goal here is to make the feral cats feel unthreatened and welcome.
Even an inveterate outdoor cat will not turn down a warm bed and good
food on principle - were it not feeling threatened. One more thing -
most house-cats are pretty thoroughly kittenized by their
surroundings. Kittens get along with anything. Adult cats, on the
other hand, are independent top-of-the-food-chain predators which are
acutely aware of their environment and have very specific threat-
responses. You need to work towards re-kittenizing them - or they will
never be happy inside. And this take considerable time and patience.
"Conditioning" them based on short-term 'imprisonment' unless
medically necessary simply won't work and is thoroughly counter-
productive.

Peter Wieck
Melrose Park, PA