So Tidy

[GranolaLouise]

so this is my second time with cats. The first one was a senior who was very passive due to illness.
These I have now are teen Mom and daughter..1+ yr and the other 5 months.
They came from a shelter on the west coast. and were on the street. So much of the behavior is street-wise ..so I am thinking when comparing her to my well domesticated senior.
Here are 3 examples : when eating from their bowls, they take a mouthful and look to the side, take another and look to the side..almost like looking for predators.
After eating they take the flat of the paw and do a thorough sweeping motion all around their eating placemat and area. Even the baby does this. They don;t leave until they inspect and see there is no trace of food left...my guess is they are trying to erase any trace for predators to find them???. Or...they are marking that spot with their scent?
When it comes to the litterbox my older cat would step in,do her thing, cover up and exit.
These hop in the box (I clean it after every poop deposit), dig to the bottom like dachsunds, turn around, frantically dig some more ..they do this digging and turning at least 3 times before using the box ! Forget it when I change the litter! It is like they are trying to decide if this is THEIR spot because they can't find their scent. "Has someone strange used OUR box ?"
These are just 3 examples out of several more.
But I ask as a new young(them, not me) cat owner and was wondering if your cats exhibit this behavior? Is it common or is it 'street smart' behavior?
What are some weird things your rescued cats do that are different from those raised domestically from birth?

 

[susanm9006]

My Willow is just a wierd rescue cat in so many ways. She was one when I adopted her from a shelter thirteen years ago. She still runs to hide under the bed when I walk into the room. She will only eat if I leave the room and sit down elsewhere. She has never sat in my lap. Any change in routine totally unsettles her and she will find a place to hide.

 

[GranolaLouise]

My Willow is just a wierd rescue cat in so many ways. She was one when I adopted her from a shelter thirteen years ago. She still runs to hide under the bed when I walk into the room. She will only eat if I leave the room and sit down elsewhere. She has never sat in my lap. Any change in routine totally unsettles her and she will find a place to hide.

The kitten just started to warm up to me. She would always be skittish and RUN! But this morning as I slept on my back she laid down on my torso and fell asleep (but only with her mom at my side) Today we reached a milestone!
As they eat I stand nearby(usually) to assure them of safety and say "Good Girl ( name)". when I say that they really tuck in!
But they still look off to the side as if watching for predators.(??)

 

[rubysmama]

That's really interesting GranolaLouise and does sound like feral cat traits. My Ruby was a stray before being taken to the shelter, but as far as I know, she wasn't feral. And she has no feral instincts at all, as in she doesn't even dig or cover when she uses the litter box, just does her thing and jumps out.

Thanks for giving these mom and daughter cats a home. Do you have any pics of them you can share?

 

[di and bob]

The looking around is a feral/stray trait, they must be constantly alert for dangers. Or for other cats coming to steal it away. The frantic digging is just a thing that some cats, not all, do Mama most likely taught her kitten. They have to have the hole 'just right'. I have two cats that do that, and one outside cat that I have seen do that. The sweeping with the paws could be several things, checking for hidden morsels or trying to cover the scent of the food to avoid attracting predators. Really all these things you mention are all natural with most cats, but not all. i don't think they will ever 'get over' these actions, but it may lessen as they get more secure. Some differences in my stray cats from the ones that were always around humans are that my strays will not want to go outside anymore once brought in, they are more likely to get overweight because they eat everything, a holdover from not having enough. Most cats are strays, once around humans who socialized them and then dumped them or they became lost. Feral kittens can be socialized if caught and tamed or around humans at a young age, usually under 4-5 months. Truly feral cats, like the mama to my outside cats never truly warm up to humans like socialized cats do. They can be tamed but it takes a huge amount of time and interaction. My mama will never come closer then 6 feet from me, she stares intently and runs off at the slightest move her way. This has been for 4 years, and she showed up as a kitten. She is definitely more wild then her kittens. I can touch one of her kittens, one is definitely more friendly than the others. No touching at all with the rest of them but they roll and come close. Your cats are more than likely strays that have been fed or been around humans. very few adult ferals can be socialized. Bless you for taking in these two, I pray they give you many years of love and devotion!

 

[VAMama]

One of my rescues had been attacked in the wild. He mostly recovered, until one day he saw his reflection in the glass door of the fireplace. He thought he was being stalked. He started doing the same thing you describe. Scarf down a bite of food, look around, scarf another bite, look around.

 

[Kieka]

Rocket was feral until she came to me around 4 months old with absolutely zero direct human interaction. She's been with me 9 years and the first year was really intense socialization. She:

• Won't eat if someone is watching unless it's her wet meal, but that must be eaten under a chair or around a corner from everyone else. Note, under a chair can be within inches of someone else because the chair will protect her. She wouldn't eat at all if a person was in the room for the first year or so.
• Shakes her head when eating dry food.
• Will take a mouthful of dry food to another location to eat it.
• Will take treats to another location to eat them.
• Has never (she's been with me for 9 years) pooped or peed in my presence. She does sleep on me nearly every night and is velcro kitty when I am home.
• Won't let me pick her up (although within the last 6 months I can pet the belly is she's on my lap or asleep in a safe spot).
• Anyone in a safe spot can pet her but no one can pet her if it's not a safe spot except for me. Safe spots are generally within a foot of a chair or table, so she can be under them or dart around them if she needs to escape. Sitting humans are generally safe as long as they don't make eye contact and are indoors (even strangers).
• Stares intently at anything unusual and will run away immediately if it makes any move towards her. Oddly, she is okay with power tools and vacuums if she recognizes the operator.
• Doesn't like eye contact despite staring unblinking at anyone in her territory.

 

[GranolaLouise]

Rocket was feral until she came to me around 4 months old with absolutely zero direct human interaction. She's been with me 9 years and the first year was really intenseY socialization. She:

• Won't eat if someone is watching unless it's her wet meal, but that must be eaten under a chair or around a corner from everyone else. Note, under a chair can be within inches of someone else because the chair will protect her. She wouldn't eat at all if a person was in the room for the first year or s
• Shakes her head when eating dry food.
• Will take a mouthful of dry food to another location to eat it.
• Will take treats to another location to eat them.
• Has never (she's been with me for 9 years) pooped or peed in my presence. She does sleep on me nearly every night and is velcro kitty when I am home.
• Won't let me pick her up (although within the last 6 months I can pet the belly is she's on my lap or asleep in a safe spot).
• Anyone in a safe spot can pet her but no one can pet her if it's not a safe spot except for me. Safe spots are generally within a foot of a chair or table, so she can be under them or dart around them if she needs to escape. Sitting humans are generally safe as long as they don't make eye contact and are indoors (even strangers).
• Stares intently at anything unusual and will run away immediately if it makes any move towards her. Oddly, she is okay with power tools and vacuums if she recognizes the operator.
• Doesn't like eye contact despite staring unblinking at anyone in her territory.

Oh my! The trauma she expdrienced in her early years was so damaging. we don't realize what they go through.