Cats and hobo culture
Strays come in a range.
True ferals have to be trapped, and remain a “ghost in the machine.” They will rarely be seen at all. The other end of the range is how I got many of my own cats, who were friendly when they asked about coming inside.
This looks like a great place. How about it? Want to start a beautiful friendship?
I always said yes. It’s what I do. But how did they know?
A friend said, only half jokingly, that they must have seen the “hobo signs.”
Hobos have played a big part in the history of America – one that’s often ignored. They were the nomadic workers who roamed the country at the start of the 20th century and through the Great Depression, taking work wherever they could and never spending too long in any one place. In their extensive travels, hobos learned to leave notes for each other, giving information on the best places to camp or find a meal, or dangers that lay ahead. This unique Hobo Code was known to the brotherhood of freight train riders and used by all to keep the community of traveling workers safe, fed and in work.
Anyone who has been chosen by a cat wonders how it came to pass. Whether they were sitting on a park bench and “the cat walked right up to me like they knew I would take them home!” or they were seeing a cat in their yard or doorway who asks to come in, we often wind up saying yes, and discover we have been gifted with one of the great cats of our lives.
their domestic status
Being a stray doesn’t make them feral. In fact, if they approach us, it means they like and need humans.
Many such cats have gotten lost or been abandoned. They would really like the comfort of a home and the love of a human again. They have acquired enough good experiences to seek us out, so even if they act wary, the fact of an approach means they can be won over.
They can test our response by letting us see them more, getting closer to us, and seeing how we react. Or, and I had a lot of these, they yowl by the door as though they already own it, walk in, and start making friends.
I figured I got a lot of that kind because I had an outside chain link room where my cats could enjoy the outdoors safely. These confident cats probably had a discussion before they inquired at my door, like the hobo signs that said, “Soft touch.”
In this post I discussed how Tristan was saved from a feral existence. I learned later that his mother was acquired as a kitten, never spayed, and then left to starve when she was no longer little and cute. She couldn’t possibly care for the kittens she was too young to have.
their background
On the other hand, Mithrandir’s mother is an example of a successful feral cat. She had six kittens who were well fed when she was trapped by our local shelter. She let humans handle her kittens, but she herself is probably not going to domesticate much.
Even though he was five weeks old when he started being socialized in the shelter, and less than three months old when he got extra attention in our home, he’s still got some feral reactions. Though he does love cuddling, asks for things, and sleeps on the bed at night. He’s far more tame than feral, now.
The mother cat’s reactions to things will make a big impression on her kittens. I don’t see ferality as anything genetic, since cats aren’t very domesticated in the first place. Ferality is learned behavior; from mother cat, from being forced to fend for themselves, from switching on the Survial Operating System.
Mithrandir got some strong “humans can’t be trusted” messages. The stray cat who approaches us, makes eye contact, or even lets themselves be seen, are cats who are showing they once knew human care and love.
our signals
What can we do to welcome the cat who wavers between need and trust?
We can send them Cat Kisses. We wait for them seated some distance away, or even on the ground, to reduce our towering height. We keep our hands to ourselves. We Pet with our Voice.
What the next steps will be depends on our ability to merge another cat, how much we can do about finding them a home, and what resources we can draw upon, like the presence of a good local shelter or helpful veterinarian. Alley Cat Allies has a resource page for places to help.
Often, what I hear from such people is, “I was planning to get a cat, but not yet.” But what I tell them is, “You put the cat signal up in the sky. This might just be the cat you were asking for.”
Whatever it is that lets Cat Appreciators draw cats to them, it is undeniable that cats who choose us are incredible gifts.
That keep giving.
Find out more about how the magic happens with my post, Dear Pammy, I have been chosen by a cat.
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There’s more ways to understand our cat with The Way of Cats than the article you are reading now. See all of my posts on WHY CATS DO THAT.
Source: https://www.wayofcats.com/blog/cats-and-hobo-culture/40734