My mother-in-law, Elaine, has been feeding several feral cats in her neighborhood for several years now. Currently she has about four, perhaps more, that hang out near her home. Sometimes we go there to visit and there is a cat, sometimes two, hanging out under her carport. She has even been able to coax a couple of these ferals to come inside at least part-time. Her current cat, Pumpkin, is not too keen on an outside cat coming in and sleeping on the bed, but that’s how it goes sometimes.
We went to visit recently and saw a gold cat she named Benny and I was amazed at how friendly this cat was for a feral. It’s possible he was a pet at one time but that would be unusual since the pattern seems to be feral cats in that area. Thankfully, Elaine has done a good job getting the cats that hang around her house fixed.
When we arrived Benny was outside and I called him over to me and he came willingly. He loved being pet and rolled around in the grass while he talked to me. It was a very cool experience to see a feral cat so happy to get a little attention. I recorded it for your viewing pleasure. Please forgive the bad framing. I could not see the screen while I was recording and guessed a bit high.
Benny does have a bit of a skin condition on his nose but Elaine is treating it with an ointment.
So what do you think of Benny?
Bad Cat Chris 
I love his little meow! So cute!
I love it too.
Benny is NOT a feral cat, even if that is the norm for the area. Has Elaine had the vet check his nose? Kitties with pink noses can easily get melanoma. Loved meeting Benny. Keep us posted about him. XOCK, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo
You might be right but I failed to get enough information about Benny’s origin. I know a couple of cats have been coming around since they were kittens. Perhaps Benny is one of them.
I wish Elaine could keep this sweetie inside forever.
I do too but when I was there he was spraying outside her house and I hear he is spraying now inside the house.
Yeah, I would say Benny is definitely not feral! He is a lover, that’s for sure.
He is affectionate like Chris, only louder.
Benny is a cutie and a sweetie – he obviously was somebody’s pet at some time……lucky ferals in Miss Elaine’s area to have her to rely on!
Hugs, Sammy
Some of her neighbors don’t like it but she is doing everyone a service by getting them fixed.
Benny is a handsome guy. It’s possible he’s not really a true feral kitty…maybe a cat that has had human contact in the past but got lost somehow and is now a stray.
That is possible. I also think he may have been coming around since he was a kitten and got used to humans early on.
Benny is a cute boy… we anyway love ginger cats, so Benny is a 10 in my book!
We too are partial to gingers.
Benny is rather a stray than a feral. What a sweet guy ! Purrs
He sure acts like a stray.
Love the catitude 💕🐈
🙂
I don’t think a true feral would let you touch his belly. It takes a lot of trust in humans to even show their belly let alone let you touch it. Also, why is he spraying if he’s fixed? Sometimes it’s just ingrained habit but usually neutering them stops that. I have heard of cats where the neutering didn’t work because it wasn’t done correctly. Maybe a vet should check that.
He may not be feral but there are many ferals in the area and he is a virtual twin to another known feral, Pip, that my mother-in-law has seen since a kitten. Also, it is not uncommon for a fixed cat to spray, especially if they are fixed older in life. Our cats Chris and Frankie were recently having a spraying contest in the litter boxes of all places. They stopped doing it but I now keep paper towels behind the boxes to absorb it if it happens again.
Benny is very talkative, maybe he has some Siamese blood somewhere in his family tree?
He definitely seems to appreciate human contact. And well done to Elaine for taking the time, and spending the money to help cats in her area. If only some owners would be more responsible there wouldn’t be so many strays.
and a ps
One of our male cats, Merlin was neutered at 7 months (he’s now 10) and he frequently sprays out in the garden to mark his territory, but luckily, never in the house.
Elain is good with cats and so is her daughter, Felice, who is my wife’s sister. I guess it runs in the family.
Reblogged this on Bad Cat Chris and commented:
Here is a Feral story for Throwback Thursday. This is from early May 2016.