Feral cat adoption

Question
we were feeding a feral cat in our neighborhood for about a month. We finally caught it and brought it to our vet to be neutered and vaccinated. cat was very heathy but showed aggression to anyone but my wife. we have the cat separated form the rest (5 female cats and a mountain dog)
Do we have a shot of this cats attitude turning around or as you answered the feral cat question. Is this just not a house cat type of cat. How long should we wait before we release him back on the streets. I live in a suburban area with a large greenbelt. Thanks Bill

Answer
Bill,

That is a nice thing you did for the cat! It is typical feral behavior for the cat to just bond (as much as a feral can!) to just one person.

It depends on the age of the feral. The older the cat is the less chance you have of taming it. The cat would probably be happier outside. You can let the cat go anytime. If you want to try introducing the cat to the other members of the household it has to be done VERY slowly. Here are a couple of good links on how to go about it:
(copy and paste, or type the whole links into your address bar)

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=cattocatintro...

A feral cat is one that has had little or no human contact and is usually unapproachable by people.   
Wild cats are cats that once had owners and were abandoned or became lost.

Ferals CAN become affectionate and loving, but it takes a long time for them to reach that point. And when they do they do not like to be held, restrained, and rarely even petted. There is human distrust inherited and inbred into them. They will never be a typical housecat. Eventhem as newborns or young kittens you have a better chance for a friendly kitty, but even then they still carry the feral behavior with them.

I have 4 feral cats who I have had since they were born (they are about a year and a half old) that were from a vicious feral mother who sneaked into my house and had kittens under my bed! The mother lived in the house for 6 months because she wouldn't go back outside. In all that time I only touched her once...and she bit me hard! She was as wild 6 months later when she died of her feral illnesses as she was from day one. We learned to co-habitate. She was fine as long as I NEVER looked at her or acknowledged her presence. When she came out to eat I had to freeze until she was done and went back under the bed. The kittens are all sweet and loving but still won't be held for longer than 2 minutes. And they are varing degrees of spooky with people and noises.

I currently have a trap/neuter/release stray that wandered here from somewhere. She stayed outside then decided to come in too. I can pet her and pick her up for a short time, but usually it's when she wants something different to eat than what is available. The rest of the time I can pet her maybe twice before she comes out swinging with her paws and she pins her ears back. She also ruins the harmony of all my cats getting along because she is a grouchy cat and has picked 2 of mine that she tries to intimidate, and growls at the others. Luckily she stays and sleeps in one spot and doesn't roam around.

Keeping a feral can be difficult. They take special handling because of the emotional problems they can have. They are natural hunters and enjoy being able to do it. If you keep them inside all the time then you have to satisfy that hunting urge inside to keep them mentally well-balanced. Giving them a raw beef rib bone (I have the butcher cut them in half) satisfies the "fresh kill'. Plus the fibers help clean their teeth. They need stuffed toy mice you can throw so they can chase it and "catch" it. A pet laser light is great for letting them try to catch the "little red bug" on the walls, floors, and ceilings.

You may want to take these things into consideration when thinking about keeping a feral.

If you put the cat outside and put food out for him he probably won't go far. And maybe, if you give him the option, he may not even want to go outside anymore. It all depends on the cat...his experiences, his personality, and temperment.

I don't know if this helps answer your questions or not, but I hope it helped.

Tabbi