A Michael Broad Blog
A true domestic cat, i.e. a cat that has been thoroughly socialised and who has lived with their caregiver, cannot become a true feral cat because they cannot lose that initial, early several weeks of socialisation before they are about 7-weeks-of-age. That will remain with them all their lives. The process is immutable. However, …
Do cats need to socialise with other cats in order to be happy and healthy? What the question is asking is whether a domestic cat needs to successfully live with another domestic cat in a good relationship in order to be happy and healthy. And the answer is no because there are many millions …
Introduction: this test requires that the cat’s owner has never used their hand as a toy for their cat. If that has happened, their cat will instinctively want to attack it. I am referring to a test to assess cat domestication in interactions with their owner. I accept that all domestic cats have a …
This is a quick note and no more because there is not a lot of information about this due to a dearth of studies. However, the presence of a mother cat during the socialisation of her kittens can have a negative or positive effect upon the socialisation process. There is evidence to suggest that …
We hear a lot about positive reinforcement in socialising feral and stray cats. Positive reinforcement is a way of training cats and it can be used to train a cat to trust a human and people in general at which point the cat is socialised and therefore domesticated. A cat called ‘Journey’ was a …
This is an awesome FIV senior TNR cat story. He’s a great looking, jowly, beat up, male cat with a huge heart full of love that never had a chance to shine…until he was saved. And when he got the opportunity, he melted the hearts of those who came into contact with him. I …
A woman’s lifelong project. Socializing a blind feral cat. And what a project; which had an interesting beginning full of love and generosity.
What does raised underfoot mean? It means to raise kittens in your home, literally under your feet, as a process of socialization to prepare them for their new home and owner.
