he wouldn’t make a sound at all if left alone in a trap in the yard (after having a door spring shut trapping him in unexpectedly, often for hours)
then would cower in fear from you as you approached the trap, and then would growl and hiss at you, possibly even strike out at you, if you got even closer?
I’ve never met your cat before, but I call b.s.
Never caught him in a trap, per se, but yes, he’s quiet in the carrier except for growling when approached. He’s never purposely attacked anyone, but he definitely cowers when cornered and certainly doesn’t yowl for help from any passersby.
In fact, I’d like to see a cite from something other than your own experience that says you can distinguish feral from domesticated cats this way.
The feral cat is a known danger to my pets. Imagine that your pet was badly injured by any feral animal.
A child could be badly hurt by feral dogs or cats.
I wouldn’t hesitate to humanly kill a feral animal that came on my property.
I understand what you did. My area likely has more resources for feral cats, but I understand.
In terms of cats, yes, I’ve absolutely had grown, domesticated cats behave this way. I have one now. The vet refuses to handle her. I have to do it. She got away from two techs once, hurting them, rampaged around the back area of the clinic, climbed up onto a row of cages to hide (where I retrieved her) and broke a fang off in her panic.
I have, ftr, handled dozens of cats, ferrets, dogs, snakes, possums, and birds, taken from cages, crates, and traps. There may indeed be some other indications of wildness that you are picking up on, but I don’t think the behavior you are describing falls into that category.
All the more reason to keep your own pets indoors. But that’s for another thread.
Strangle it, record the sound of it in its final moments, put it out as a single, and you’ll be sure to have a hit! Next stop: Ferrari dealer!
You’ve described different behaviors exhibited by cats who are afraid of strange humans and by cats who are not afraid of strange humans. You have not shown any proof that all the cats who were afraid of strange humans were feral, and you’re choosing to disbelieve multiple people who report that their loving commensals behave in the fashion you describe as only being shown by ferals.
Some cats who are afraid of strange humans are afraid of all humans. Some cats who are extremely affectionate with humans who they know well are terrified of anyone who they don’t know, and will most certainly not try to attract the attention of strangers when they think they’re already in trouble.
Did you try to advertise the cat, or to check places where other people might be advertising lost cats?
Occasionally there really is no better choice than to euthanize a cat. I’m not at all convinced that you haven’t killed multiple cats for whom there were better choices.