When Mom adopted me, I was about sixteen weeks old and I was a feral kit. I had never been handled by people until I was twelve weeks old, and that means I never had the opportunity to know they could be OK. It is a fact that a kitten that has not been exposed to people touch before twelve weeks will always be "feral," and rarely will such a kit grow up to be a people cat.
I am, and always will be, a feral.
My V-E-T says Mom has done an exceptional job with me. (I beg to differ. I believe it is the other way around, but neither one of them understands Cat, so what can I do?) I love my Mom. I sit next to her, sometimes I even sleep next to her. Occasionally I have been known to sit on her lap. I let her give me scritches. Sometimes I let her brush my furs, but not often.
Mom cannot touch me with both hands at once. She cannot touch my feet or my belly. (When we visited her friend Kathy in Maine a few weeks ago, Kathy asked how did Mom trim my claws. Answer: Mom doesn't.) In short, Mom cannot get me to do anything SHE wants me to do.
Mom cannot pick me up, and can count on one hand the number of times she has done so in the almost nine years I have lived with her. (Think about that. Mom CANNOT pick me up. I don't let her.)
To get me to the V-E-T, Mom has to chase me around the house. I hiss, and I scratch. I do not like being chased.
I never sleep with my back to Mom. In fact, Mom has never seen me sleep totally stretched out and relaxed. She thinks I must do it when she is away day-hunting. I'll never tell.
I am no dummy. I never put myself anyplace that does not have an escape route. If Mom comes into a room where I am napping and closes the door, I am instantly awake, and aware. I do not like it if ANYBODY blocks my escape route. I will always leave the area.
THAT'S why I hiss at Mom when she comes onto the porch when I am already there. She is blocking my escape route, and that makes me uncomfortable. If she is already on the porch, then it's OK for me to be there too, because my escape route is not blocked.
P.S., I do have a microchip so if I get out or get lost, if I get caught, I will be able to get back to Mom. Of course, the operative phrase is "if I get caught."
