Digest Number 1298

[Guest guest]

That said, it is possible to perfectly socialize adult feral cats and

make them love people. There is no magical age limit when socializing

becomes hopeless. My cat was feral for the first 5 years of his life

(his age was estimated by the vet) and now he's the sweetest cat in

the world.

 

Of course, it's a lot easier when they are kittens (just as it is

easier to " socialize " a human child than a person who lived in the

wild for decades). With adults it takes a lot of dedication, time and

patience, but I personally would always prefer to tame a feral cat

than to adopt from the shelter. Not that there's anything wrong with

adopting from shelters, but I feel that those animals already have a

good chance of getting a loving home, so I would rather try to help

out an animal that has been branded 'hopeless' even by many " animal

loving " people.

 

 

 

, Dave Goggin <dave65536@e...> wrote:

> >Well, it was then

> >told to me by the SPCA (San Francisco) that if a kitten/cat is not held and

> >pet and fondled in their first six months of life they more or less turn

> >feral

>

> In fact if one wants to raise a 'true people loving cat' the cat should not

only have a good upbringing with its mom and littermates, but also get played

with, petted, and handled for at least 45 minutes per day during its 2nd thru

7th week, interacting with several different people.

>

> They are still wild animals after all this time and if you want to teach a

wild thing to fit seamlessly into human society you have to start your lessons

young and with much kindness.

>

> By the way, there is a 'docile and friendly' mutation that has been propagated

in a couple breeds that, while being maladaptive for life in the wild, is good

for a cat to have if it is to live amid the comforts of our civiliization and

taken good care of.

>

> DG