My Semi Feral

[liserini]

I've had my semi-feral cat for a year now. She was rescued from a colony of ferals and had had several litters of kittens which had mostly died

I adopted her as I already had 10 cats and thought she would feel at home with a lot of other cats.

In the time I've had I've managed to stroke or hug her about 5 times. Most of the time she seems happy enough sitting and gazing at me, waiting for treats. She loves treats

I honestly feel there is no point in trying to socialise her too much with me when she seems happy enough with my other cats and getting her treats.

Does anyone else have a semi-feral cat? Just thought I'd share my story.

[Crewella]

My Peaches was a feral, trapped when she had kittens in someone's hen house - she'll have been with me 2 years in October. Like you, I thought she'd do well with the rest of mine (five), and at the time I had an ex-stray boy that was much younger than the rest of my gang who desperately needed a playmate.

I have pushed her to interact with me, partly (I'll admit it!) because she's very cute and totally irresistible, but mainly because she was a true feral and I thought it was important to get her used to some degree of handling in case she ever needed medical treatment. She had a minor scrape with a car a couple of months ago, and I was really grateful that catching her and getting her to the vet wasn't as stressful as it might have been, for either of us. I still make a point of picking her up about once a fortnight, usually at dinner time - she doesn't much like it, but isn't scared now and as soon as I put her down she just starts squeaking for her dinner again.

In the first year I spent hours just sitting in a room talking to her, and it has been very rewarding. She comes in when I call her, most of the time she'll come over for a fuss when called (especially if I sit or kneel), in the evenings she sometimes rolls over at my feet for a tummy tickle, and recently she's started jumping up onto the sofa next to me for a few seconds, but everything is very much on her terms and only when the atmosphere is calm and quiet. If you move towards her, her instinctive reaction is to move away, if she feels cornered or gets caught in a confined space with you (like a hallway) she still panics, and if people come round or it's noisy - she scarpers. She's come such a long way, though, I'm sure with time she'll relax even more - she's a very purry, friendly little cat by nature. If I'd felt I was stressing her by pushing for interaction, I'd have stopped. She's the only feral I've had, so I'm always keen to hear about other people's experiences!

As you say, your little girl's perfectly happy as she is, so as long as you keep the treats coming, it's all good. It sounds as though she'd had a rotten start in life - she's a lucky girl to have found you. I have heard it said that ferals tend to get on well with other cats - does she get on with all your others? What's she called?

..... and, 10 cats! Blimey - you have your hands full!!

[Walesgang]

I have two former feral farm cats.

Socialisation took a long time, probably 2 years before introducing them into the house with my other two.

They are both great with us now. squeak is very trusting, and is totally domesticated with us. She is still very nervous of anyone else, and hides if anyone else comes to the house. Grey will take cuddles, but will not let us pick him up.

We have just accepted this is as far as we will get them.

[Jacks]

Wonderful story and thank you for sharing!

We have two ex-ferals - a girl Jessie who came in from the cold when I trapped her at 4.5 months and is perfectly integrated apart from not liking to be picked up (but then only one of ours does) and removing herself when strangers appear. The second (Mr Socks) may have been a house-cat in the distant past but was living for years as a feral Tom before trapping and he's only been indoors (by choice) a couple of months now. He's a work in progress - I've just sent him outside for stalking one of our girls as he evidently needs some 'outdoor time'. He'll be back in about 30 minutes begging to be let in at the patio doors!

They are hard work but so rewarding.

I've followed Peaches' story from the start and she has integrated so wonderfully! She's a tribute to all the love and patience she's received. I knew Squeak was ex-feral and to be honest she sounds just like Jessie - I forgo Grey was too! Just goes to show that ferals are not beyond socialising when they are past early kittenhood, but I think a calm, patient home (such as yours) and the presence of other cats who are socialised (and can provide a positive example of human/cat interaction) makes a lot of difference.

Please tell us more about your lovely family!

[liserini]

My semi-ferals is called Faith. She loves my other cats Especially one of my older cats, Fluffy. She doesn't leave him alone!

I actually have 14 now as I adopted another 3 after I got Faith!

[Good Old Bakes]

Our youngest, Tucker, is a feral. He's about 18 months old. We found him in a hedge, or the dog did, in the countryside miles away from anywhere. He was only about 7 or 8 weeks old. It took us about an hour to capture him. He had a tunnel network through the hedgerows more complex than Tora Bora. Asking around, it seemed he was one of a feral colony living on a nearby farm.

As a kitten, he was happy to be cuddled and nursed but as he got older and gained his independence, he became more, well, independent and aloof. He likes to be outside most of the time but he tends to come in and curl up with the others overnight. He really loves the other cats and always personally greets them when they come through the cat flap or come down at meal times. He's very skittish but he's bonded with me and allows me to scoop him up for a cuddle and tickle his belly when he's laid down. He's not bonded with my missus as much and tends to keep her at paws length, apart from when she's dishing up the food that is.

He's a lovely lad, all black and very, VERY vocal. He's unusually long, which the vet noticed, and when you see him walking by, he looks just like a little panther. I call him 'my Familiar'. He will only come into the living room very occasionally but he's still very young so I'm sure he'll become more of a homer when he gets older.