How Feral Is Feral: Project Cats Part 2

Whilst there is no general consensus on what differentiates feral cats from their stray counterparts, I tend to follow the guidelines of a number of feral cat rescue groups in Europe and the US and divide feral cats into the following groups:

Feral - A completely feral cat is one which has been born wild, and experienced little to no positive human interaction in their formative months.

Semi Feral - A semi feral cat is one which has also been born wild, but that has had the benefit of at least some positive human interaction in their formative months.

Reverted Feral - A reverted feral is a former pet, who has found themselves on the streets for a period of time long enough for them to 'revert' to a wild state.

So how do you tell the difference?

Generally speaking you will only catch brief glimpses of a truly feral cat, and if they do happen to allow you to see them then chances are they will be crouched down with their tail tucked tight against their body in a defensive posture. They will not show any of the typical signs of a cat who has been used to having once been in a home, such as running up for food at the sound of a can opener (at least not until it has learnt to associate the sound with mealtime), meowing, holding their tails aloft, and so on. More often than not if a feral cat has found a good scavenging and/or hunting ground then they will look reasonably well fed.

A semi feral cat will show a lot of the same traits as a feral cat, but with a few differences such as allowing you to see them from a distance, showing some curiosity towards you (albeit again from a distance), and attempting to mimic certain behaviours of pet cats (usually to elicit food, at least at first). Depending on whether or not they are part of a colony, or a lone cat eking out an existence, they can either appear well fed or be somewhat on the scrawny side.

A reverted feral will show typical signs of a former house cat in its body language and vocalisations, but will be difficult if impossible to approach at first. They are, in effect, not that far removed from a semi feral or feral state, and should be approached with as much caution in terms of attempting to handle them until they are resocialised to a certain degree.

Next in part 3, how to resocialise a feral cat and what to realistically expect from such an undertaking.

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