So, I've been adopted by a feral cat....

[GaryA]

There is a cat that has for years hung around the flats where I live and has always been very feisty, fighting other interlopers and being a bird chaser, if not killer.
In looks she is a very fluffy Scottish Wild Cat with a shortened tail.
For many years I had indoor cats who truly hated her and used to throw themselves at the windows when she would sit and stare.
My last cat died pre lockdown and I held off getting any new ones.
In the last couple of months, this cat which never seemed to like me, suddenly flipped like a switch and started rubbing round my legs and fussing.
Since then she has started jumping in my window while I work at my computer, and I started putting water out when the weather was hot and the odd scraps.
Now she seems to think she sort of lives here, and comes in at all hours and sometimes will settle for a bit.
She is very nervous, the slightest sound will send her scurrying and she will hiss and strike if even slightly provoked.
She supposedly has owners but I found out she is sleeping rough in the trees in our garden.
I am building a cat shelter for her on my patio for the autumn.
But I am in a quandary as to my best course of action. Whether I just accept her as a wild animal in the same way that I feed the squirrels and birds, or if I try and adopt her. She is fairly old but obviously quite tough. I would dearly like my own cat again or even a small dog, for the company.
Maybe the Cats Protection people could find her a barn home for example?
So many thoughts on the best action for her, and me!

 

[Lafone]

If she likes you and you like her why not take her on and see how it goes. As we cat folk know, dogs have owners and cats servants.

She's making a choice and you can see how domestic she wants to be.

When I was a kid we had barn / stable cats rehomed to us from the local cat sanctuary and there were always a few that ended up making their way into the house. Have house cats now. Well just the one since recently.

If you are happy to look after her (and see to any vet needs if they come up) then maybe she's found a home already! Sounds like you are giving her places to go and she can choose. That's kind imho.

 

[birdsandbats]

I hate to be that guy but these are a massive invasive species. I would recommend removing the cat from the ecosystem one way or another. Whether that means keeping her indoors for the rest of her life or euthanasia, either works.

 

[Lafone]

I hate to be that guy but these are a massive invasive species. I would recommend removing the cat from the ecosystem one way or another. Whether that means keeping her indoors for the rest of her life or euthanasia, either works.

I have an indoor cat as it happens but advocating euthanasia is wrong in my view. Domestic cats are not classed as an invasive species in the U.K. even if people who hate cats fancy it being that way.

For the amount of environmental damage man does one could in theory make a better argument to classify people as an invasive species.

 

[birdsandbats]

I have an indoor cat as it happens but advocating euthanasia is wrong in my view. Domestic cats are not classed as an invasive species in the U.K. even if people who hate cats fancy it being that way.

The official government classification is irrelevant, they are not on the list of PR reasons. Feral Cats have massive, measurable, negative ecological impacts in all regions they occur in. This is not in dispute and they are one of the most easily measurable negative non-native species in the world. Pretending otherwise is wrong.

I do not hate cats - I used to have some and think they are beautiful creatures that make great companions. But they do not belong in wild ecosystems, and should be exterminated.

 

[Lafone]

The official government classification is irrelevant, they are not on the list of PR reasons. Feral Cats have massive, measurable, negative ecological impacts in all regions they occur in. This is not in dispute and they are one of the most easily measurable negative non-native species in the world. Pretending otherwise is wrong.

I do not hate cats - I used to have some and think they are beautiful creatures that make great companions. But they do not belong in wild ecosystems, and should be exterminated.

You’re entitled to your opinion but your views are not facts. Pretending otherwise is wrong. There are lots of schemes to neuter ferals and limit their breeding etc.

Anyway I disagree and in a part of the forum that’s meant to be about pets and as I happen to like cats and recently lost one I’ll dip out of this debate.

 

[Strathmorezoo]

I have an indoor cat as it happens but advocating euthanasia is wrong in my view. Domestic cats are not classed as an invasive species in the U.K. even if people who hate cats fancy it being that way.

Couldnt agree more, we have a cat from blue Cross who earns her keep she stands guard over my aviaries deterring Sparrow Hawk attacks,believe me it can be very expensive trying to replace injured or dead birds that's if you can source them

 

[TinoPup]

You’re entitled to your opinion but your views are not facts. Pretending otherwise is wrong. There are lots of schemes to neuter ferals and limit their breeding etc.

Anyway I disagree and in a part of the forum that’s meant to be about pets and as I happen to like cats and recently lost one I’ll dip out of this debate.

Neutering doesn't reduce their impact on wildlife. There's been a multitude of studies done on their ecological roll and the number of animals they routinely kill. I love cats. The best care you can provide is keeping them inside.

 

[birdsandbats]

You’re entitled to your opinion but your views are not facts. Pretending otherwise is wrong. There are lots of schemes to neuter ferals and limit their breeding etc.

Anyway I disagree and in a part of the forum that’s meant to be about pets and as I happen to like cats and recently lost one I’ll dip out of this debate.

I encourage you read some of the papers on this subject - there is no dispute among the experts of this topic. The Wildlife Society has made an excellent fact sheet on Feral Cat populations here, and they site plenty of interesting papers I encourage you to sit down and read.

 

[JVM]

I agree about feral cats being an invasive species that causes serious danage and that removing them from wild environments is best, but given the topic is discussing a specific individual cat a human here has an emotional connection with, discussing euthanasia is not really a solution to the problem at hand. Humans can be very sentimental creatures, especially those raised in mixed habitats.

I would say if the cat has chosen you it may be best to take care for her for the time being, but maybe treat her more as a welcome visitor than a pet. If she is sleeping in your garden, drinking your water and fond of you she is probably not causing a lot of outside trouble. I think calling Cat Protection is also a good solution.