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Feral Cat suddenly turns very friendly

The Menagerie
#1

Some backstory

I moved to my current location 2 years ago. I rent a small farm and the previous tenant still had a few horses here and there were 2 barn cats, 1 friendly B/W female that they took with them when they moved their horses home and 1 orange tom that was as feral as they come. He would come and go, probably moving around a couple of farms in the area. You couldn’t get within 50 feet of him and when I did trap him in Spring 2012 I had to be careful as he would have shredded any finger that went in the cage.

After trapping he went in for neutering and shots and then I left him with somebody that has a barn full of ferals (all spayed/neutered and fed) about 10 miles from here. About 3 weeks later he was back and we would occasionally see him around but you couldn’t get close to him.

In the last couple of months he has been getting less scared, as in he might run past you in the aisle or watch from the top of a hay stack. He is in good shape so I figured he was sharing the food I put out for the loft cat (yes, he lives in the loft and doesn’t come down. He has food, water, and a litter box up there. This was the feral that unexpectedly hitched a ride in the trailer when I moved).

Well this weekend he had a TOTAL change of attitude. He has been meowing and complaining when I was feeding. I finally put a bowl of dry food down for him on Friday, then Saturday I refilled it and barely touched him. Well yesterday he suddenly decided he wanted attention and wanted it NOW. He was begging to be petted, was under foot and in the way every time I was in the barn. I was even able to pick him up :cool:. When I went out to feed this morning he was waiting for me and was once again begging for attention making a pest of himself. And it isn’t just me. A friend of mine that keeps his horse was petting him yesterday as well.

I guess I have another cat to take with me when I eventually move :).

I had trouble getting pictures as he would not stay still.

#2

That is odd, but very nice for him and for you. Maybe at one time he was a house cat - the fact that he let you pick him up is what makes me think that. My ferals freak if I try to pick them up, although they are fine with being petted.

So good that you had him fixed and have taken such good care of him.

#3

He wasn’t a house cat. He tolerated me picking him up and didn’t turn into a buzzsaw, but wasn’t happy about it. Also, between trapping and neutering he spent over a week in a large cage in my basement. I had to be VERY careful when feeding or changing litter to keep from getting attacked. There was no hint of a friendly cat at that time.

Very strange and it will be interesting to see what he does when the weather improves - it has been very cold and snowy here the last 2 weeks so he has incentive to stay in the barn. This is also why I was willing to experiment picking him up, with all my winter clothes and gloves I was pretty well protected from his claws :D.

#4

Don’t know if it’s a similar situation, but Fat Eliza was a feral cat who was born on our property (her mom was a well-known entity in our area). When winter came and she was about 6 months old, we trapped her and brought her into the spare bathroom inside. She was wild as a March hare, but I sat on the floor and tried to get close to her. As she steaked by, I ran my hand down her back in a good petting motion. She came to a halt, thought about it for a second, and decided this petting thing was pretty cool. She’s been a cuddle tramp since that instant. :slight_smile:

I really believe that some cats just decide more quickly than others that there are distinct benefits to sucking up to the humans!

#5

We trapped a feral adult (HUGE!) spitting mad cat named him Big Boy, released him and he promptly made his way over to the neighbors who didn’t mind. He was not friendly but she fed him. It is now 1 year later and he moved into her house as he decided the barn wasn’t nice enough. He is now very, very friendly.

1 Like
#6

Eh, sounds like a cat to me! :lol:

We had a pregnant momma cat dropped off in our barn a few years ago. She had the kittens before we could catch her, and they were about seven weeks old when we first saw them. (Summertime, so the barn wasn’t being used much, just walked in and scared a bunch of kittens one day!)

Trapped all the kittens, domesticated them a bit, and rehomed all but two. The two were still pretty WILD, even after my feral kitten taming program, and I was full up in the house. I hate having barn cats as I’m near a busy road, but it was that or put them down.

The most skittish female disappeared almost immediately, which is sad. The slightly-more-tamed female spent a whole summer/fall being a feral barn kitty, getting fed but not allowing any sort of physical contact. Middle of January, there was an awful cold snap, and I looked out my porch window one day to see a cat face looking in. I opened the window, cat walked in, and was a tame cat from that day forward. :lol: A “sleep on your head” sort of tame cat.

Similarly, the year before I had had a little white cat show up. I could pet her, but not really pick her up, until the winter when it was cold. Then she put her paws up on my legs one day, I bent down, picked her up, and carried her into the house. She’s currently sleeping on the radiator, two years later. :lol:

#7

This is going to sound crazy since you posted about this feral cat back in 2006, but whatever happened with him? I am experiencing the same story right now, feral cat, had him fixed, feeding him since i moved her 3 years ago. He never let me get anywhere near him, now i am almost being stalked by that cat LOL. He meows at me non stop, waits all day for me, follows me so closely i can barely lift up my feet! I thought it was because something is wrong, i cant see or feel anything wrong, he is eating and drinking but was sneezing so i have been giving him antibiotics. I dont know right now i cant get in or out with out him crying and following me. I have 3 indoor and 1 feral in an outdoor enclosure, he has houses all over the property that he can stay in… just wondering what ever happened if he calmed down or not…

#8

He trusts you ~ you are his !
Be Proud !

I have enjoyed my ferals - especially when they claim me and become my treasured ‘derals’ = domesticated ferals ~

I have ‘derals’ - barn and house and LOVE THEM ALL.

Mine are spoiled rotten !
Very kissy!

  • only precaution which one must remember ( sharp learning curve :lol: ) is you don’t want to be holding a ‘deral’ or have it sitting on your lap
    WHEN THERE IS A LOUD NOISE OR THE DOORBELL RINGS - they flee
    pushing into
    your tender thighs and spring off :eek: !!!

ENJOY !
Nothing better than one feral than (14)
‘derals’ !!!

3 Likes
#9

I’m really trying to believe he just wants to be friendly lol, i’m just afraid he is sick… so I guess time will tell.
For the meantime, he has food, water, various shelters and as much time as i can give. Just wish he wouldn’t cry when i go inside

#10

Ferals are smart they have to be to ‘survive’

But

[B]A sick feral will hide - that’s instinctual …
They will hide and die rather than be ‘bait’ !

Yes ! cats are opportunists but the ‘hide’ if wounded or sick especially ferals - when living in outside or even inside is their first rule.[/B]

1 Like
#11

Prep a litter box
Let him in

He’ll be on your lap watching tv within two weeks !

1 Like
#12

LOL the INN is full, i have 3 indoor and 1 isn’t friendly, but he can possible live with m other feral who has an outdoor enclosure with heated houses and toys etc :slight_smile: I guess we will see

#13

Ferals are funny that way. Seems like one minute they hate you and the next you can’t peel them off you. My little boy Bandit was that way. When he showed up at my place he wanted nothing to do with me, but one day (after making me pass a series of tests) he decided I was his buddy. What a great cat - how I miss him.

#14

Derals…love it!

You have 14???!!!

When I was a kid we counted at least 42 but the majority of them were very wild and were rarely around or in the barn. People just kept dumping cats off and they populated into a colony quickly.

#15

Both my Ralphie and Ella do this, I call it the Kitty Parade. They dash in front of my feet while I’m walking and then walk slowly in front of me forcing me to slow down or stop completely. Neither of mine have been or are sick, I think it’s just a “Pay attention to me” ploy.

#16

So years ago we brought home two barn cats. The male was a hissing spitting fireball, the female had decided from day one that she was ours. We should have named her Fancy like the Reba McIntyre song! Anyway we dumped him and his sister in the house. They scattered and trilled to each other for about an hour. Then the male jumped up on the bed snuggled between us and started purring.

2 Likes
#17

I just saw this got bumped to the top. The thread actually started in Dec. 2013.

He has turned into a giant lovebug. Now he is indoor/outdoor, but just a big friendly cat. Here he is cuddled with the other former feral turned housecat (that is the one that hitched a ride in the trailer).

Just guessing the orange one is around 9 or 10 now, the longhair is 7 or 8.

Christa [ATTACH=JSON]{“alt”:“Click image for larger version Name: IMG_20170619_233702144[1].jpg Views: 1 Size: 21.1 KB ID: 9806916”,“data-align”:“none”,“data-attachmentid”:“9806916”,“data-size”:“medium”}[/ATTACH]

IMG_20170619_233702144[1].jpg

4 Likes
#18

Thank you so much for the update! What a great story. I am struggling to mange taking care of this cat its been almost a month and he hasn’t left my front steps or my back patio. He follows me everywhere trying to stop me from walking by laying on my feet. I try to take him into the garden with me, but he rolls around on the plants :frowning: … so we will see how this works out. Right now i am hiding in the house from a cat haha

1 Like

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