Sunday is National Feral Cat Day and feline friends all over the U.S. are celebrating feral cats! Check out this darling concept from Omaha NE:What is a feral cat? A feral cat is often an abandoned kitty who has been outside for a while and is now wary of humans. Kittens born to an unspayed female who grow up without human contact will become feral adults. The crucial socialization period when kittens need to be handled and loved by people is 5-7 weeks. After 8 weeks of age, it is not impossible to tame a feral kitten but it doesn't happen as quickly. Odin, to the left, is a good example of a kitten humanely trapped a little late. He is perfectly wonderful with me but doesn't approach my human friends when they come over. While tame cats may become feral when left on their own outside, they can often revert back to being housecats with patience and understanding. Truly feral cats should be trap/neuter/returned (TNR) to live out their lives as community cats. The term feral is rarely black and white; each situation is unique and cats develop relationships with different humans differently. For more about TNR and National Feral Cat Day, see www.alleycatallies.org
