Do You Have Feral Cats Where You Live?

Believe it or not, cats are not native to all parts of the world and in many parts of the world, feral cats are the descendants of domestic cats that have been left behind or simply abandoned by travelers and visitors to a particular country. As a result, these feral cats can and probably do cause harm to foreign environments by preying on local species in the same way as they do in our back yards. This may be especially true on isolated islands where ferals have sometimes had a substantial and deleterious effect on the local fauna such as damaging trees and other plants that the native species use.

A clowder of feral cats and kittens

"Feral" is the word we use to refer to an animal that is not friendly when approached by us but it can also be applied to any domesticated animal that has been without human contact for anywhere from a long period of time to its lifetime. Hissing and growling are their self-defensive behaviors which, over time may change as the animal, whether "feral" or "stray", begins their journey towards a mutual trust between the humans that choose to provide food, water and care and the feral cat(s). 


Feral cats and strays differ only slightly in their behaviors especially if the stray cat has not been completely cut off from human interaction. Feral cats, born and living outdoors without any contact or care by people have been tamed to the point of being adoptable provided they are completely removed from their wild environment before their truly feral behaviors have been established and set into their personalities. Such behaviors are set while the kittens are still being raised by their mother as she teaches them to avoid human contact and that people are something to fear.

Feral cats display defensive behaviors and postures towards any person who ventures to come too close to them, then they run and hide.

Feral kitten eating a rabbit

Lifespans of ferals are difficult to determine with any kind of accuracy. One study states a median age of 4.7 years with a possible range somewhere between 0 to 8.3 years; yet other sources claim a mean lifespan of a meager 2 to 8 years before death, rarely from natural causes. For contrast a people raised cat, at birth, has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years for a male indoor cat with females living usually, a year maybe two longer. Some domesticated cats have lived until the grand old age of 25 years being well cared for by their human companions.

Ferals take their toll on native Australian Cockatoos

Throughout the Age of Discovery passing ships released a few rabbits onto islands with the idea of a future food source for other travelers that stopped there. Very generous but ill conceived as over time they multiplied out of control by eating through their habitats so cats were introduced to keep their numbers down along with the mice and rats. The cats tended to favor local species over the rabbits; they were both ecologically naive to the islands and much easier to hunt. Then their numbers began to increase dramatically and they colonized the islands themselves; the very people who introduced both rabbit and cat saw them as pests to be exterminated. A completely human caused problem with the animals losing on all sides! Do we not have the sense not to create situations like this? Or to resolve them without the usual cruelty that we inflict.


Our historical records date the arrival of ferals in Australia to be somewhere around 1824. In spite of this its been suggested that they have been in Australia long before the Europeans settled it; they may have arrived as a result of Dutch shipwrecks back in the 17 hundreds or years before that arriving from present day Indonesia on Macassan fisher ships and trepangers who frequented Australia's shores during the past century. However they arrived, anywhere in the world, feral cats have not lead a charmed life. Rather, its been a very difficult life with nothing but hardships and unkindness from their environments and, most often from human contact. 

They deserve better and its up to us, who claim we care, to rescue and tame them, to provide medical care and a safe home for these 'lost' cats to live out what is left of their lives in relative safety and comfort. Even the wildest feral can be tamed with enough time and commitment - I have managed, these years since, to tame a few; some of the barn cats on the farms and diaries I have lived on had feral cats that eventually came around to my gentle care of them. I have even managed to find homes for a few that finally realized they could have the life of a domesticated cat. Its worth pondering on the next time you see a cat in need, whether a feral, a stray or just lost and frightened. Remember, the responsibility is yours.

This feral won't go hungry today but what about tomorrow?

Catspaw

The Peculiarity of Cats

Emmy pounding on the patio door

 My cats own some rather  
 peculiar, if not downright  
 eccentric behaviors that can 
 border on total weirdness at 
 times. Emerald's habit of getting
 up on her hind legs and furiously
 pawing at the window when she
 wants to go outside or come in; 



 or her way of sneaking and  
 snatching treats from the other
 cats by cautiously stretching out 
 her paw on the piece she wants
 and pulling it to herself.

Emmy, "I bethink I got something"!

Emmy always wants a taste of your dinnerplate so she whacks your fork for whatever she can get and licks her paw like she actually got something. Failing that, she will wallop the plate itself in the hope of something falling into her grasp.

Molly & Emmy, partners in crime

On occasion I've caught Molly stealing treats the same way and she never used to. Both Molly and Emmy have a taste for a pat of butter every now and again at lunchtime; they also like raw/cooked bacon, pork chops and cheese. 


Cats do learn from watching each other, a few years ago when we lived in our trailer, Molly taught Sassy how to tear through the window screen to get outside. The two of them plotted together and accomplished the same thing when we moved to the island. So much for keeping them as indoor cats! Lately Emerald has been deciding for herself when she wants her treats and the other three pick up on that; all head for the kitchen and wait expectantly for me to follow. I could literally teach Emmy to dance for her treat if I put enough work into it!

Meanwhile Winston has developed an affinity for the dryer...





and the dehydrator









Sassy likes to be rambunctious with her daughter, Emerald.

Catspaw

Does Your Cat Do This Too?

Last year I had Molly and Emerald spayed and since then their appetites have gone through the roof, along with their weight. They are totally consumed with a concern for eating that borders on obsession! Whether its treats or food doesn`t seem to matter; once they hear that can opener they just assume its for them and I`m surrounded by four caterwauling cats demanding to be fed. (Every time I use the can opener!)


I`m looking into some strategies to curb this new trend before it gets further out of hand. If any of you have an idea or two to share, I`d really appreciate it. Please share it with me in my comment box.


Thank you in advance.


Catspaw

Introducing Zoomy a.k.a. Moggy

I got the story of Mr Sneakers and Moggy from friends of ours but was not informed of the cat's 'real' name, now so enlightened I will share it with my readers, in:

Mr Sneakers, the Newfoundland Mouse Meets Moggy... 

Mr Sneakers actually met Zoomy. I thought I'd better correct this oversight as I met Zoomy today at my friends place. 

Introducing Zoomy... one of the featured characters in the story.

Zoomy a.k.a. Moggy

Please let me know if you liked the story of Mr Sneakers and Zoomy as there could well be a sequel or two. 






Catspaw

Disclaimer to the Coming Story

Mr Sneakers, the Newfoundland Mouse, meets Moggy is based on a true story, with permission to share it with my faithful readers. 
The names and personalities have been changed to protect the innocent.
No mice were harmed in the telling of this story. 


Story to be posted January 31st. Please come back, enjoy the story and leave a comment. 

Catspaw

And Then Came…

And then came… Winston. Once again Sassy and this time Molly graced us with little ones. Now there were eight kittens and three cats in our family. Emmy was curious about them but highly concerned lest they take the attention away from her. I assured her this would not happen and she was happy, though she remained suspicious of them until they grew older and she realized, they were her personal animated ‘toys’. She was never too rough with them as they made a good job of nipping her if she did.  

I had found homes for them on one of the more popular classifieds engines online and as each one found a home, I found I had one left, a little tabby male with a darling personality. Compared to the three females he is mild and calm and half the time couldn’t figure out what all the ruckus is about with the sparing between Molly and Sassy. Winston is Molly’s baby; it seemed that people wanted females instead of males so we kept him for ourselves.

He’s a beautifully colored dark stripped tabby with a line of color that extends under his chin making him look as if he’s wearing a white bib. He is the calmest of the four and rarely gets excited about much, being more cautious about new things whereas Emmy will dive right in, regardless of the consequences. 

Being of an age now to be aggressive in play, a fact Emerald distinctly dislikes since she can be somewhat of a bully at times, their play can get quite yowly at times. Winny is strictly an indoor cat at this time, the one time he did venture outside he wasn’t impressed; he’s decided it has to be the right temperature for him to grace the world with his presence. He prefers to look out the window instead.   

Now that I have introduced them all, the intention of this blog is to not only share cat stories but to endeavor to offer other information from my own personal experiences with these unique animals and share them with my readers. In upcoming articles I will write about practical things like how to write successful ads that get immediate results when finding homes for kittens and cats, especially online; naturopathy that I have used for cat health and well-being, raising kittens, saving strays and throwaways; how to help farm and feral cats.  

I hope you will stay tuned for these upcoming articles, stories, quotes, ideas, names and even a cat food or treat recipe or two. Thank you for stopping by. 

Catspaw

As It Happened,

As it happened, Boo’s death coincided with Sassy’s birth of a single calico kitten. We christened her Emerald because we were moving to a hamlet of that name within a few weeks. Molly seemed lost without Boo, she’d wander the house and basement calling for him; she searched outside and Sassy would join her going to all the places Boo usually went. My husband and I weren’t the only ones mourning the loss of our dear friend. It was part of the reason we decided to keep Sassy’s baby, as a balm for all of us and in remembrance of Boo. 

Now older and wiser, Emerald lives in a world of her own where she, exclusively, rules and everyone else is her servant! A beautiful creature with semi long fur in calico colors, she spends her time preening and demanding treats. Highly competitive, she has to get her treats first because she will steal them from the others. Every morning begins the same with Emmy up on her hind legs, almost dancing to grab the treat bag out of my hands with her paws. Like Molly, she is very clever at getting what she wants. She uses her paws, usually with claws out, to steal food from dishes, hands and to gingerly pull treats away from the others.

Since the move she’s gotten used to going outside but demands re-entrance by getting up on her hind legs and in Grand fashion, furiously paws the outside of the patio door. She’s aggressive when she plays and is always the first to do everything. Though she doesn’t like to be picked up and cuddled unless it’s her choosing, the morning or evening crazies find her terrorizing the entire household while everyone tries to stay out of her way. Frequently she has almost successfully gone for a headlong nosedive down the narrow basement stairs. I swear there are invisible brakes on that cat!

Catspaw