For our fellow readers who are not familiar with the term "feral", when referring to cats and other domestic animals, the word is used to describe plants and animals who where grown domestically and where later taken or abandoned in the wild. As cruel and inhumane as this may sound, it does happen, and there is even a word in the dictionary to label these creatures. There is a slight difference between feral cats and stray cats, in the sense that stray cats may just be a result of neglect and irresponsibility and could probably be taken into a home once again. Feral cats on the other hand may have been born in the wild to savage creatures with little to no interaction with human beings. These animals are much more difficult to tame and may even be dangerous.
Because of their wild nature, feral cats have very little room in the human world. The fact that they are so difficult to tame denies them the option of becoming household pets. Society has come up with alternative solutions to deal with feral cats. One of them is the creation of animal caring organizations that dedicate themselves to locating these animals, organizing their capture and confinement. Once in captivity, feral cats are neutered and spayed, and then taken back to their original habitat. Some of these pet caring institutions even go as far as providing food to these animals once they have been released in nature.
It is likely that you may have been able to catch a glimpse of a feral cat around your neighborhood. These animals can be found in just about any location you can think off. Usually, they would be around public areas like parks, alley ways, farms and similar places where they are likely to find some leftover food in the garbage. You would notice a rather shy or cautious behavior pattern, and you would have a very hard time trying to catch one.
Feral cats are usually divided into three categories, in order to ascertain the level of difficulty involved when trying to tame them. Depending on the amount of contact that a feral cat has been able to maintain with a human being, they would either be total, semi or converted feral. Little interaction with humans is the primary reason why these animals cannot be tamed. However, perhaps a trainer would take his chances with a semi feral creature, as opposed to a total feral cat.
A total feral cat, or a cat who has been on it's own for years with no human contact, is likely to have crossed the line to the point of no return. These animals have grown accustomed to living on their instinct, with little or no human contact over a long period of time. A trainer would have a better chance of domesticating a converted feral, or a creature that was once a domestic animal but was abandoned in the wild. Since these cats lived a life as a pet at some point in the past, it is not as hard to bring back this behavior. It will take a considerable amount of time and effort to tame, especially when it comes to making the cat behave with love and affection once again.
If you take it upon yourself to tame a feral cat, remember some of these animals simply cannot be tamed. Take the necessary safety precautions in order to avoid an attack, remember these animals will defend themselves instinctively. Seek professional help, perhaps a trainer or your veterinarian can give you a few tips. But all these words of cautions aside, adopting and taming a feral cat will surely offer the rewards of friendship and the bond of love between yourself and a creature you rescued from the wild.
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