Socializing is time consuming, especially for older kittens, and results are not guaranteed.
Alley Cat Allies does not, in general, recommend trying to socialize a feral kitten over 4 months of age. Kittens born to feral cats can be socialized at an early age and adopted into indoor homes. Most feral cats are fearful or people and are not likely to ever become a lap cat or enjoy living indoors. A feral cat is an unsocialized outdoor cat who has either never had any physical contact with humans, or human contact has diminished over enough time that she is no longer accustomed to it. Stray cats that are re-introduced to an indoor home after living outdoors may require a period of time to re-acclimate they may be frightened and wary after spending time outside away from people. Under the right circumstances, a stray cat can also become a pet cat once again. A stray cat may be socialized enough to allow people to touch her, but she will become less socializedor even feralif she spends too much time without positive interaction with humans. Over time, a stray cat can become feral as her contact with humans dwindles. A stray cat is a cat who lived indoors and was socialized to people at some point in her life, but has left or lost her home, or was abandoned, and no longer has regular human contact. Community cats have a wide range of behaviors and degrees of socialization, but they generally do not want to live indoors and are unadoptable. Both feral and stray cats are community cats. “Community cat” is an umbrella term that refers to any member of the Felis catus species who is unowned and lives outdoors. While they are socialized to their feline family members and bonded to each other, they do not have that same relationship with people. Pet and stray cats are socialized to people.įeral cats are not socialized to people. What is the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat? If a kitten does not become accustomed to people holding her and petting her within this crucial window, she will grow up apprehensive of humans and will not be suited to or happy living in homes. Kittens becomes socialized by interacting with peoplebeing held, spoken to, and played withfrom an early age. It’s a process that’s influenced by many factors of a cat’s life and takes time and effort from compassionate people. To socialize a cat means to acclimate her to human touch, human spaces, and human sights, smells, and sounds. 
When we say a cat is “socialized” we mean she is accustomed to and enjoys companionship with people.
How do I tell feral and stray cats apart once I have trapped them?. How do I tell the difference when the cats are outdoors?. What is the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat?. #CATS COMING BACK TO LIFE HOW TO#
Whether you are a shelter worker, veterinarian, or cat advocateor you just share your neighborhood with community catsknowing how to tell the difference can help inform how best to interact with a cat or what, if any, intervention would be in each cat’s best interest. But stray cats and feral cats are also different from each other in a very important wayin their relationship to and interactions with people.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) protects and improves the lives of all community cats, regardless of their level of socialization.įeral, stray, and pet cats are all members of the same species they are all domestic cats.
Understanding a cat’s level of socialization can help you act in their best interest.Observing a cat’s behavior, including their body language, can help you assess their level of socialization.See our comprehensive Cat Socialization Continuum guide. Community cats have a wide range of behaviors and degrees of socialization.“Community cat” is an umbrella term that refers to any member of the Felis catus species who is unowned and lives outdoors.
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