# Human interaction



## zcb (Nov 11, 2010)

Do ferals need human interaction? One of my ferals is so sweet. He lies on his bed next to the garage and when I talk to him he will close his eyes and go to sleep. It's almost as if he feels comforted by me talking to him. Am I reading more into it than should be? Guess I feel sorry for him being alone out there. The other cat he hangs with is very wild and she never sticks around after she eats. This is my first experience with cats, much less feral cats, and I know nothing about them. They, however, are fascinating little guys. :blackcat


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

Zcb, I have a feeling that the kitten who likes to hear your voice is a stray who has had to adapt to the feral life. I think she could become a pet.

It would be wonderful if the two cats could be spayed/neutered. Among our stickies is one that will help with feral cats. I wish you the best!


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## Greenport ferals (Oct 30, 2010)

As ferals got used to me, the first sign that they were beginning to trust me was not running away when I came in the barn to feed them.
The second sign was the transition from eyes that were wide and scared to a slow blink when I would say their names and praise them. 

I have a few now that I can't get too close to, but they love to sit and listen to me talk to them after they eat. They also exhibit that sleepy, content behavior that you mention. It is quite endearing.


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## Jeanie (Jun 18, 2003)

That's lovely. I'm sure you appreciate that. It speaks of your kindness!


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## MinoulovesPrincess (Nov 3, 2010)

I talk to my ferals non-stop. I think it helps to hear a human voice. I also talk to my indoor cats and can discern the various meows.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Different cats have different personalities, and different paces at which they adjust. My first feral rescue ended up being my first pet cat...and she's still skittish after 10 years!
Of my new group of ferals, I had kept 2 kittens inside for about a month while they got treated for sickness and spayed. The littlest kitten I _thought_ was tame, but went right back to being wild the moment she was let outside again, but her sister will still let me pet and snuggle her. Some of the adults will hang around while I'm doing stuff like gardening, but won't let me touch them. Another few won't even let me see them most of the time (there's 3 that I've only seen maybe half a dozen times this whole year).


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## Whaler (Feb 13, 2011)

i talk to my feral cats all the time, i tell them that i love them, tell them to make sure to look out for each other when daddy is gone, etc. it certainly does seem to help as far as establishing a level of trust. being that the colony i take care of is 100 yards away from my back door at work i am able to go out and check on them and talk to them many times each day. 

one of my favorite images happened a couple of weeks back. i went out to see them and all four of them were sitting on two of the bales of hay that are in front of their houses and while i was talking to them all four of them, while looking straight at me, closed their eyes and went into that little trance-like state. i have to get a camera!


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