Do feral cats get into people’s homes

Feral cats get into people’s houses. Yes.

There are things that increase the chances of stray cats getting into your house.

The number of stray cats in the area

There are huge colonies of feral cats in the Tel-Aviv vicinity where I live, which greatly increases the chances of stray cats getting inside houses. The neighbor next door told me a cat had leap in her apartment through the window.

Domesticated cats in the house

Feral cats don’t get into people’s homes looking for human contact. They’re looking for food. When there’s a domesticated cat in the house, stray cats outside smell the cats’ food and let themselves in. Water doesn’t attract feral cats as much as food, maybe because they can’t smell the water.

Living close to the ground

I live on the first floor, ground-level, and three feral cat have leapt in through the window. I kept them as pets. There are more cats who’d tried getting in, but I can’t keep them all.

Having an alpha cat who chases them away

I used to have a huge, aggressive, and very territorial male cat, Angel, who used to chase all the feral cats who’d gotten into my apartment. He’d fight them and chase them even after they ran away. The cats have learned to stay away.

It depends on how aggressive the cat is, and to what length he’ll go to protect his territory. The cats I have now aren’t as aggressive and territorial. They hiss and may swat at an approaching cat occasionally, but they don’t fight really hard.

Lack of food anywhere else

Feral cats will get into people’s homes if that’s the only way they can get food. If they can’t find anything in the garbage because the cans are in a locked room, or because the cans’ lids are always closed tightly. If there are no cats feeders in the area, and if there’s a shortage of mice, squirrels, rabbits, and rats, the cats will become hungry and desperate. That’s when feral cats start getting into people’s homes, the only source of food there is.

Whether or not you chase them away

It depends if you treat the feral cats that get into your house like welcome guests by allowing them to explore the house and look for food, and whether you chase them out. This will determine whether or not they’ll come back.

Experience with previous houses

If the feral cats have gotten into humans’ homes before, and haven’t been chased away, and have found food in those homes, they’re more likely to keep getting into humans’ homes than if they have rough experiences in the previous homes, such as not finding any food and being chased away. That makes them think twice before getting into a human’s house again.

Beds

If there are cats’ beds in your house, or anything a cat can sleep in, like a cardboard box or a laundry basket, especially if they’re padded or placed on a table or desk or chair, anything that’s higher off the ground to give the cat a sense of security. Cats love lounging in these places.

Mice or rats

Feral cats will get into people’s homes if there are mice or rats in there, or even a pet hamster in a cage or a parrot. This can be dangerous to the small pets.

Catnip

If you happen to grow this particular plant in your house, well, that’s an invitation to the feline population wherever it is. The cats will keep leaping in the window like junkies needing their next fix.

These three adorable mice will spark up your cat’s life, providing entertainment and much-needed exercise. Have a blast watching your cat swat them and carry them around. Fill with catnip that’ll energize your cat and then put it into a mellow mood. To learn more, watch a video of a cat playing with this toy, and view other options, click here.