TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
One way to start to evaluate whether a cat is a former domestic is to observe his
behavior before you trap him and to know the colony well. Is the cat in question a recent
arrival, indicating a likelihood he was abandoned? Does he trust you right away or soon
after he’s met you? There are friendly ferals who will rub up against your leg or allow
you to pet them, but it usually takes a fair amount of time before they’ll trust you enough
to let this happen. Domestic cats tend to be less wary than ferals and seek affection from
humans much sooner. Does the cat remain separate from the rest of the cats, indicating
he does not belong to their clan? No single factor is determinative, but in viewing the
whole situation, you can start to get an accurate assessment.
Another clue, although again only one of many factors to consider, is how the cat
reacts once he’s in the trap and has calmed down a bit. If he rolls on his back, makes a
lot of noise and generally seems to be relaxed or vying for your attention, that would be
very unlike a feral. Feral cats tend to back away and hunch up at the end of the trap
opposite to you. In addition, many feral cats don’t like to make eye contact with you.
When they do look at your eyes, they don’t connect and instead appear as though they’re
looking right through you, like you weren’t there. Another clue can come from slowly
moving a long thin object through the side of the trap towards the cat, like a ruler or a
pencil, and see how they react. If they hiss or lash out, then they would do the same to
your hand if you tried to pet them.
Veterinarians who are experienced with ferals often develop a good feel for
distinguishing them from domestics, so ask their opinion as well. If there’s promise,
transfer the cat into a cage, using the Feral Cat Setup described in Chapter 11, and try
playing with the cat through the bars, using a string or Cat Dancer toy. If he never
engages with you, that’s a sign pointing towards feral.
Keep in mind at all times that there is no magic litmus test. Every cat is different and
all these “signs” must be considered together to make a correct determination. The
difficulty of distinguishing ferals from friendly domestics is another reason why you
should never try to pick up an unknown cat and place him in a carrier or trap. If you are
wrong about the nature of the cat, you could be seriously injured, so use a trap. This
warning also applies to kittens, who even at five or six weeks of age have teeth sharp
enough and jaws strong enough to do some damage.
Feral kittens
Age is the key factor in determining whether feral kittens can be quickly socialized.
While there are occasional exceptions, kittens six to seven weeks of age are easily
socialized, usually within a day or two if they receive a great deal of attention and
handling. Seven to eight weeks of age is also normally a good age for quick taming,
though it may take several days to a week. Above eight weeks, the degree of difficulty
and uncertainty rises with each week of increasing age. Still, if a kitten is three months
or less, the chances are good they can, with enough time and patience, be tamed to the
point of becoming adoptable.
Beyond three to four months old, the odds start to drop precipitously. It becomes
more likely at this age range that if a kitten socializes, she will bond strongly to the
person who tamed her, but will hide and be wary of others, making her harder to adopt.
See “Socializing feral kittens” later in this chapter for ideas on how to convert a feral
kitten to the domestic life.
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