Almost every street is home to a variety of stray cats that were born and raised on the streets. In their childhood, many people probably wanted to bring an alley cat home and keep it for themselves, but our parents often objected and wouldn’t let us.
But now we are adults and we can decide for ourselves, but from there comes another interesting question: is it possible to turn an adult outdoor cat into an ordinary indoor cat? Will she be able to get along with a human in the house, or will she be begging to get out, to go back to her free life?
Of course, this article isn’t about feral cats, that’s another topic with its own intricacies. These are cats that have lived on the streets all their lives and have not been socialized with humans.
Before answering our main question, it is important to know the basics: outdoor cats that live on the street are not considered feral because they belong to the breed of domestic cats and can be socialized under domestic conditions without problem, but there are nuances.
Experienced cat breeders know that the younger an outdoor cat is, the better the chance of quickly socializing it to home life, and if it’s a kitten – that you found on the street – it will not be at all difficult to make a pet of it.
What if the cat is an adult and has been living on the street for a long time? Specialists believe that these cats can also be socialized and become pets. First of all, an outdoor cat must be sterilized, otherwise, it will run away or beg to return to the street.
Secondly, the cat needs the right conditions: tasty treats, a pleasant environment, toys to play with, care for, and, of course, the love of its new owners. Third, give the cat time to get used to its new life at home and get comfortable, because you shouldn’t disturb it, especially at first.
At first, the cat will feel at home, but it will gradually settle in and get used to its new life. In very rare cases, some people may not be able to house an older outdoor cat. Of course, it can happen, but there are individual reasons for it. For example, the wrong approach was taken, or the cat was not neutered.
The main thing to remember is that in rare cases an outdoor cat may not want to take root in your home, in which case you should not force it. It is possible that the cat has its own reasons for living outside.
In conclusion, we can add that there are many examples of people petting street cats. Of course, there can be many nuances and the older a cat, the more difficult it is to socialize it, but it is possible if you want to.
