This Feral Cat Decided She Wanted To Live With Humans, So She Invited Herself Inside And Never Left
The fact that cats wander in mysterious ways shouldn’t come as a surprise. We’ve all heard and witnessed odd feline behaviors, better known under the umbrella term of ‘cat logic.’ But one goofy feral cat has taken it a step further and proved that it’s not us who own cats, but it’s the cats who own us.
You see, when this cute little floof born in a feral cat colony decided it was time to self-domesticate, she waited no longer. According to this Tumblr blogger, her cat simply invited herself in and never, ever left.
Endless belly rubs and spoonfuls of chicken coming right at her mouth were apparently included in the package. I guess the answer to who’s the world’s biggest furry baby is all clear now. Let’s see the full thread right below that sheds light on how feral cats can turn domestic, in a seamless yet major switch of their lifestyles.
This cute little floof was born in a feral cat colony, but according to the Tumblr thread, she decided to domesticate herself
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
The thread’s author said that the cat had enough of her wild life and invited herself into their family
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
The certified feline training and behavior specialist Molly DeVoss who runs “Cat Behavior Solutions” told Bored Panda that feral cats do indeed develop trust over time. “They learn that the person feeding them is reliable, predictable, and not going to harm them.”
According to Molly, community cat personalities range from truly feral, e.g. a cat who has no history of human social interaction, to a neighbor’s indoor/outdoor cat. However, “many people mistake community cats for feral, when they are actually a neighbor’s cat looking for a better meal and companionship.”
And it seems like the cat never regretted her decision
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Molly also said that even though socializing a feral cat is a slow process, it can nevertheless be done. “Over time, a feral cat can discover that a person can be depended upon, provide a good meal and warm place to stay, and begin to show their appreciation with tenderness,” the feline behavior specialist concluded.
Someone suggested this is how cats got domesticated in the first place
A 2017 study of the spread of domesticated cats published in “Nature Ecology & Evolution” suggested that felines lived for thousands of years alongside humans even before they were domesticated. It’s now believed that cats started hanging around farmers about 8,000 years ago as they followed increased mouse and rat populations.
According to the study co-author Claudio Ottoni from the University of Leuven, “It’s not that humans took some cats and put them inside cages,” contrary to what many believe today. “Instead, people more or less allowed cats to domesticate themselves.”
Upon popular request, the author shared more pictures of their beloved former feral named Ghost
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
And although feral and domestic cats possessed no significant differences in their genetic makeup, one of the few distinctive traits became their coat markings. Blotched or striped coat markings appeared in domesticated tabby cats only in the Middle Ages.
According to the evolutionary geneticist Eva-Maria Geig, felines became close companions to humans without changing much. This is in contrast to canines, which became the first domesticated animals who were selected according to the tasks they would perform. Such selections resulted in the current diversity of dogs, but cats have never been selected in this way.
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
Image credits: tchaikovsgay
And this is what others had to comment
She is just gorgeous! I want a feral cat. Those teeth. Knew where she would get lots of Love.
I have a feral cat... he's lived in my house for 10 years, and I have yet to pet him (without him being under extreme duress). It doesn't always work out well.
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One of our cats just walked up to my husband while he was smoking outside one day. Took 5 years for her to ENJOY and seek out attention but she's a great cat!
Same here! My mom was smoking, teeny kitty came up and stretched on her leg. She was my mom's shadow for 10 years until last month. RIP
Load More Replies...
This is how my Kate did it. Just walked up to some humans (my aunt and her family) and decided they have to take care of her. Which they did by giving her to me.
For the record, cats are the protectors of the spirit world (if you're into that) & they say that if a cat comes into your life like that, it's because you needed them.
My cat was the same. Came from a big feral colony behind my partner's old workplace. The cat saw my partner closing up one night and ran to him crying. He was being stalked by some bigger feral cats and had a bit of blood on his nose. He followed my partner around for the rest of the night. Everyone at the workplace fell in love with him instantly, and if we weren't taking him, my partner's boss was. 5 years later he's the sweetest cat I've ever known and is far too spoiled for his own good.
LOVE IT! I've socialized ferals into indoor/outdoor cats, indoor only, and these weren't abandoned pets ---- born wild, raised wild ---- and it's so worth it. They are wonderful critters! :-) Evenhad one feral boy who figured out leash time meant outside time, and he would sit by teh door and meow to be harnessed up for a walk. :-)
My mom has 6 cats of her own, all kept indoors. She also has a feral colony on her property; it started out with 1 abandoned by the owners, she has over 20 which she is trying to feed and have neutered as part of a catch and release programme. The problem is is the charities don't receive funding from any government organisations and and she is paying everything out of pocket and it is costing her a lot of money. The only shelters available are kill shelters and she cannot
She cannot bring herself to have these cats exterminated. I live on the other side of the world and I really wish I could help her; she's very worried about what will happen when she's no longer around and who will take care of these cats; the neighbours are already complaining and threatening to shoot or poison any other cats they find.
Load More Replies...
Our third foster feral cat I let myself get taken in: after four years and $1200+ in vet bills - never mind toys, treats, beds and food, we got ditched - I'm assuming for a neighbour with more expensive food, because I still see it every few weeks about a block away. I like dogs. I'm less upset about it than the rest of the household.
I had a cat that did this. She would visit us on the front porch & rub on us. If we tried to pet her, she would bite us. One day, she came inside and never left. We had another cat do something similar. He'd been roaming the neighborhood for years. One day he decided to follow the dogs into the house & become our cat.
What a beauty. I had a cat who invited himself in and refused to go back out. He was a white persan with orange eyes... a pure beauty. After he invited himself in, he lived with us 2 years before passing... he was just a love bug... miss him sooooooo much
i wish i could just walk into a rich person home and be like " yeah.... i live here now.... feed me!" lmao
Both of my cats were alley cats who visited when I would leave the door open, and as the weather turned cold, they never left. I leave the door open on nice days and they come in when I call.
The, admittedly few, feral cats I've dealt with went from feral to domestic in a matter of three days, six meals , shelter and a bowl of water. Due to Jack the Ripper, my alpha cat they stayed outdoors but that's Jack's idea not theirs.
This is pretty much how cats in general became pets all those years ago. Of all the animals that have been domesticated by humans, cats are the only animal that domesticated the,selves. Or domesticated humans to look after them.
This girl is just the sweetest❣ I would love to get one of those precious hugs she was giving away in the photo...and those teeth! She is beyond adorable and I'm so glad she chose the pampered life rather than the street life 💗 thank you for allowing the adorable one to make herself a part of your family
a) gotta love that little long toofer and b) ive got a cat that used to be wild, he was raised by a feral cat. really we took him in before he would really be considered a true feral cat, but now he my lazy boi, bob ^^ we felt kinda bad that we had to take him as early as we did (we took him in earlier then a kitten is supposed to leave thier mom) but he was so tiny and skinny, and her mom was way too young to take care of a kitten. also hes a manx, so we were worried that not having a tail would give him problems later on that he wouldnt be able to survive in the wild in. so they caught him, wrapped him in my dad's coat and let him calm down, then as he got used to people we brought over two other kittens about his age so that there would be something familiar for him around! it was fun having 3 kittens running around
I’m so confused??? It was the girlfriends childhood cat...and they’ve just taken her from girlfriends mum... so how was this cat ever a feral?
I didn't read the same piece....it never says anything like that
Load More Replies... She is just gorgeous! I want a feral cat. Those teeth. Knew where she would get lots of Love.
I have a feral cat... he's lived in my house for 10 years, and I have yet to pet him (without him being under extreme duress). It doesn't always work out well.
Load More Replies... One of our cats just walked up to my husband while he was smoking outside one day. Took 5 years for her to ENJOY and seek out attention but she's a great cat!
Same here! My mom was smoking, teeny kitty came up and stretched on her leg. She was my mom's shadow for 10 years until last month. RIP
Load More Replies... This is how my Kate did it. Just walked up to some humans (my aunt and her family) and decided they have to take care of her. Which they did by giving her to me.
For the record, cats are the protectors of the spirit world (if you're into that) & they say that if a cat comes into your life like that, it's because you needed them.
My cat was the same. Came from a big feral colony behind my partner's old workplace. The cat saw my partner closing up one night and ran to him crying. He was being stalked by some bigger feral cats and had a bit of blood on his nose. He followed my partner around for the rest of the night. Everyone at the workplace fell in love with him instantly, and if we weren't taking him, my partner's boss was. 5 years later he's the sweetest cat I've ever known and is far too spoiled for his own good.
LOVE IT! I've socialized ferals into indoor/outdoor cats, indoor only, and these weren't abandoned pets ---- born wild, raised wild ---- and it's so worth it. They are wonderful critters! :-) Evenhad one feral boy who figured out leash time meant outside time, and he would sit by teh door and meow to be harnessed up for a walk. :-)
My mom has 6 cats of her own, all kept indoors. She also has a feral colony on her property; it started out with 1 abandoned by the owners, she has over 20 which she is trying to feed and have neutered as part of a catch and release programme. The problem is is the charities don't receive funding from any government organisations and and she is paying everything out of pocket and it is costing her a lot of money. The only shelters available are kill shelters and she cannot
She cannot bring herself to have these cats exterminated. I live on the other side of the world and I really wish I could help her; she's very worried about what will happen when she's no longer around and who will take care of these cats; the neighbours are already complaining and threatening to shoot or poison any other cats they find.
Load More Replies... Our third foster feral cat I let myself get taken in: after four years and $1200+ in vet bills - never mind toys, treats, beds and food, we got ditched - I'm assuming for a neighbour with more expensive food, because I still see it every few weeks about a block away. I like dogs. I'm less upset about it than the rest of the household.
I had a cat that did this. She would visit us on the front porch & rub on us. If we tried to pet her, she would bite us. One day, she came inside and never left. We had another cat do something similar. He'd been roaming the neighborhood for years. One day he decided to follow the dogs into the house & become our cat.
What a beauty. I had a cat who invited himself in and refused to go back out. He was a white persan with orange eyes... a pure beauty. After he invited himself in, he lived with us 2 years before passing... he was just a love bug... miss him sooooooo much
i wish i could just walk into a rich person home and be like " yeah.... i live here now.... feed me!" lmao
Both of my cats were alley cats who visited when I would leave the door open, and as the weather turned cold, they never left. I leave the door open on nice days and they come in when I call.
The, admittedly few, feral cats I've dealt with went from feral to domestic in a matter of three days, six meals , shelter and a bowl of water. Due to Jack the Ripper, my alpha cat they stayed outdoors but that's Jack's idea not theirs.
This is pretty much how cats in general became pets all those years ago. Of all the animals that have been domesticated by humans, cats are the only animal that domesticated the,selves. Or domesticated humans to look after them.
This girl is just the sweetest❣ I would love to get one of those precious hugs she was giving away in the photo...and those teeth! She is beyond adorable and I'm so glad she chose the pampered life rather than the street life 💗 thank you for allowing the adorable one to make herself a part of your family
a) gotta love that little long toofer and b) ive got a cat that used to be wild, he was raised by a feral cat. really we took him in before he would really be considered a true feral cat, but now he my lazy boi, bob ^^ we felt kinda bad that we had to take him as early as we did (we took him in earlier then a kitten is supposed to leave thier mom) but he was so tiny and skinny, and her mom was way too young to take care of a kitten. also hes a manx, so we were worried that not having a tail would give him problems later on that he wouldnt be able to survive in the wild in. so they caught him, wrapped him in my dad's coat and let him calm down, then as he got used to people we brought over two other kittens about his age so that there would be something familiar for him around! it was fun having 3 kittens running around
I’m so confused??? It was the girlfriends childhood cat...and they’ve just taken her from girlfriends mum... so how was this cat ever a feral?
I didn't read the same piece....it never says anything like that
Load More Replies...
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