If you ’ve befriended a isolated cat you ’d like to bring in as a favourite , you might wonder at what age it is too belated to socialize them . alas , there ’s really no determinate age when cats are too old to be tamed . Most expert say that the kitten socializing window closes around 16 week old , so older kittens and cats are trickier to tame , but not impossible . It really depends on the cat ’s personality and previous experience with people . A lot of big cat who come out feral are actually just frightened .
There Is No Single Age Cutoff
It ’s elusive to say precisely when it ’s too late to socialize aferal cat . Most people agree that kittens over 4 months of age are difficult to naturalise if they ’ve had absolutely no human interaction . But cats who have some familiarity with mass — for example , they were feed by someone , they saw their mother being petted by a human , or they had some other character of incontrovertible experience — are more potential to be successfully tamed .
Think of it like this . A qat ’s socialization window falls on a spectrum . Yes , it ’s easiest to get them comfortable with people before they ’re 16 weeks old , but kitten older than this have been tamed , too . You need to evaluate each kitten ’s personality and go from there . They absolutely may develop into well - adjusted , domesticated PET with the proper mix of love and attention .
How to Tell if a Cat Is Fearful or Feral
Here ’s the kicker , though . You wo n’t experience right on aside whether the kitten or cat you ’ve found is truly wild and untamable or has some electric potential . A tidy sum of kittens and cat who are actually somewhat ( or even very ! ) socialized can play the same as a ferine cat because they ’re terrified . And we ’re not just state that — it ’s backed by science .
By observing ferine cat in a tax shelter setting , researchers get that cats who are socialized but very frightenedshow a lot of the same initial behaviorsas those who are not socialized . It was n’t until the third sidereal day ( when the cats were more unassailable in their environs ) that the more socialised feral computed tomography pop out record signs they were well-heeled with mankind .
What does this mean ? Basically , you should give a feral cat at least three twenty-four hour period of easy reassurance , safety , and care before you’re able to say whether they ’re just frightened or really feral .
qat are think only"semi - domesticated,“which think even house cat have uncivilized inherent aptitude and tendencies . But the more manipulation and fundamental interaction a hombre gets , the meek it will become .
Adult Feral Cats Are Difficult to Tame
If you start working with a feral kitty under 16 weeks sure-enough , there ’s a very good luck they could become a fantastic companion , and when they arise up , you may never have it away they were once savage . But grownup cat may never get to that point . They can sure enough live comfortably with people , but they may not live with cuddles or revel being plunk up . Be patient as you work with a feral cat and permit them set the pace for socialization .
