Cats, Domestic or Feral?

Are you doubtful about having a cat as a pet?

Well, let me share with you some initial ideas that might lead you along this way. To start with, you must know that some breeds could make better pets for you than others. In fact, not all cat breeds fit your personality. Most cats are very smart and social, but some of them can also be bad-tempered and unfriendly.

A first approach towards the right choice can be understanding what an indoor, outdoor or indoor and outdoor cat is.

Indoor Cats or Domestic Cat Breeds

There are a lot of domesticated cat breeds and here I would like to describe to you three of the most popular ones: the Siamese, the Persian and the Manx.

Siamese

The Siamese cat can be a fickle creature that often requires a lot of attention. Siamese make great pets for being friendly and social. 

Siamese normally show their social side by meowing a lot. They usually call peoples' attention with a vocal meow that resembles a baby's cry. 

Siamese often get closely attached to their owners.

The Persian

The Persian breed is one of the oldest cats around and they are very friendly. They are long-haired cats with beautiful shiny coats. 

Although the Persian are not so playful they enjoy having other cats around. 

Persians can be identified by a variety of colours going from stark black, white or a mix of white and browns around the face. The so called Himalayan cat is a good representation of this breed.

The Manx

The Manx is known for its stubby tail or having no tail. 

They are very social animals and rely on human care. They enjoy being in a house filled with children and are extremely intelligent and playful and like dogs do in the play area, they can fetch when you throw toys for them to bring them back to you. The Manx would greatly enjoy the companionship of other cats to play with when you are gone during the day.

There are over a dozen domestic cat breeds to choose from and finding the one to fit your lifestyle is important.

Outdoors Cats. Stray or Feral?

Stray cats are usually the product of a person’s irresponsibility for dumping a cat to fend for itself and/or neglecting to spay and neuter their cats. Stray cats are often easily tamed in spite of being timid at first.

Feral cats are different from stray cats. Feral cats were probably born to wild parents and are wild themselves.

Nonetheless, depending on the level of their interactions with humans, the feral cats family can be classified as semi-feral, total feral or even a converted feral cat.

Feral cats have had no human interaction and are generally very difficult to tame. If you find a cat that has been feral for a years, then there is little to no chance of socializing it, what makes them undesirable indoor pets. Taming a feral cat can be a hard work because getting them to trust you after being on their own can be very cumbersome.

Feral cats can be found in rural or farm areas, in abandoned buildings and even in parks and alleyways. Taming a feral cat can be a difficult task simply because they are not accustomed to humans. Feral cats very likely to shun contact and even spit, hiss, bite and claw. This is a normal response as they are defending themselves against you as a perceived predator.

Rescue Groups at Work

There are many rescue groups dedicated to the trapping, spaying and neutering of feral cat colonies. These organizations have these cats spayed and neutered and often put them back near where initially trapped. Then, they dedicate themselves to providing food and care to these colonies.

After you have successfully trapped a feral cat, your very first step is to get it to the vet for spaying or neutering and to have it checked for any diseases. This is a necessary step if you have other pets in the house. Once at home, your newly adopted cat needs to get adjusted to you and the surroundings. For that, you should provide it with a safe place to stay it can rest and be by itself.

The feral cats that have had at least some limited contact with humans are the so called outdoor-indoor type of cats. Stray cats can also go to this category.

Converted feral cats are those that were once domesticated, meaning that they probably started life as a pet and then were abandoned, they would probably have the best chance as someone’s pet.

Remember, domestic breeds can be less difficult to adopt as a pet for their natural playful character and urge to socialize. On the other hand, not all feral cats can be socialized; however with love and patience, your time and efforts may be paid off and gain yourself an ideal pet companion.

For more interesting hints about the amazing world of cats  as pets, we invite you to skim through our next note on why cats might fight.

For more in-depth learning see our number one recommendation on Ultimate Cat Secrets