Is wildness inherited?

[dragonchilde]

I've got a cat. Her name is Wobbles (long story) She's a wonderful, beautiful longhair, gray with cream and tan markings. She's got fantastic amber eyes. (no scanner hooked up, I'll get pictures up eventually).

My question is this: Can the kittens of wild (feral) cats inherit their parent's feralness? Wobbles behaves very - flaky, sometimes. She only lets us touch her at certain times, usually after long periods of separation from us, for example, in the morning when we wake up. The rest of the time, if you pick her up, she will hiss and growl rather violently. She won't let you pet her. Attention is given on HER terms. During her okay times, she purrs and loves to be picked up. She is very aggressive, and when you hold your hand up and make claw motions at her, she'll puff up, turn her body to the side, and sidle up to you.

Its not a problem, at all, and lord knows after six months I'm used to her. I'm just curious if she could have inherited this from her mother.

She was a rescued kitten who was going to be killed if she wasn't removed from under the house where her mother had had the litter, so she was 3 weeks when I got her. they could not catch the feral mother, so she's been handraised (by a vet tech) from about 2 days old. I got her from my vet tech, and I bottle fed her myself for several weeks (several weeks of h***) and weaned her, trained her to litter box, and everything. She's always been lively, and smart. She's very clever...not very smart, but clever. She's a hunter at heart, although her most dangerous prey is a 20 ounce bottle cap. She's strictly indoor. It aggravates the heck out of me, because she loves my husband more, and I'M the one that bottle fed her. He flat out refused to help me. Now, when he sits down in the recliner, she'll jump up in his lap and knewd. :rolleyes: Ungrateful little monster. Anyway.

I'm just a little curious where the behavior might have come from. She didn't get it from my other cats...the only cat contact she's had is from a schizophrenic male who ran every time he saw her (Ozzie, mom's cat), a 13 year old who just sleeps all the time (Tinkerbell, my cat but I couldn't bear to make him leave his home when I moved), and a very sweet, very stupid female. (That's Minette, my other cat) She didn't pick it up from the others.

Any theories? I'm not trying to change her. We love her just like she is. She's just -- quirky. :D

[NoahsMommy]

Hi Heather,

Welcome to Pet Talk!! :)

I am thinking that it may be inherited. I dont know, Im a first time kitty mommy myself, but it seems like it could be that. My husband coaxed a tortie cat into his house with lunchmeat when he was younger, she's still there and is more skidish than the cats we have. In her old age though, she's much more loving, but as always, its on HER terms! :)

[purrley]

My Panda is a feral (domesticated by me) and she is extremely skiddish and distrustful of strangers. The doorbell sends her a running upstairs. She likes to lay by me, but doesn't like to be held, she likes her ears scratched and will nuzzle my hand, but she is constantly on the alert. Her boy Braydee, even though he was born in the house and has never been outside is a lot like her. He runs from people, the doorbell, etc and also isn't extremely loving or friendly - so I'd say that feralness is inherited to a certain extent, but a lot just depends on the personality of the cat.

[wayne0214]

I have had kittens, and still do who were the offspring of feral moms who are loving and friendly, and kittens the offspring of not feral moms who are mistrustful and otherwise feral. I believe it depends on the personality of each cat.

........wayne:)