Expert: Jessica - 9/2/2010

Question
After 5 months I got the feral cat to accept us and she after that brought us her 3 babies and had no problem with us being with them.When the babies were 4 mo. old she left them and was gone 3 days,when she came back to eat she hissed and growled at them,and now a month later she will not come in the yard if they are present and will run if they sneak up on her.I really miss her as she is a very affectionate cat and I worry about her with winter coming on.Will she ever come back with the kittens here again?

Answer
Hi Barb,

That's strange behavior!  Feral cats are usually very accepting of other cats, especially of those they've known.  I can't say what might have triggered her behavior, so it's difficult to say whether she'll ever get over it.  Cats who are unhappy with their company often do move on.  The best I can suggest is to try to feed her some extra special canned food to keep her interested in her home base.  Also, try to get everybody neutered.  My ferals are much more high-strung and distrustful with each other before they're spayed and neutered than they are after they're fixed.  The hormones seem to magnify all of their fight or flight reactions, and they calm down quite a bit after they're spayed or neutered.

Best of luck!

Jessica