So much this, yes! We've had a few cats show up on our porch who didn't display feral behaviors at all. They went to the shelter and went up for adoption when no one reclaimed them, not TNR.
Makes me think of Hamlet, our (indoor) black cat. I brought him in as a stray, saw him at the shelter myself, and he absolutely acted like a feral cat when he was there. I agreed with the decision to TNR! Then he got back here and decided he wants to live in human laps forever. 😆
To be fair, I'm also sometimes a bad example of how to gauge feral cats. If I have a little time, I can usually form an understanding with them; so literally just because a cat likes me doesn't mean it's not actually still pretty feral. That's not just my opinion, it is a Known Thing at work. 😆
Seems like the difference is whether their primary social group is other cats or humans. Some, it seems, are too alert to ever relax entirely around humans but can still be friends.
It's a spectrum, really. Claudius here lets me touch him, but I can't move too fast and I wouldn't be able to easily pick him up or handle him for a vet check. He's scared of inside, and was terrified at the shelter. He's too feral to be adoptable in a shelter, but he's "feeder friendly" with me.
The black and white kitten I post a lot is another one if you just saw my pics you wouldn't thinks she was feral at all! But she was so stressed at the shelter she got sick, and I was the only one who could reliably pick her up and handle her. She's still scared of other humans, and will bite.
But two of our indoor cats acted too feral at the shelter to be adoptable, and then when they got into a quieter environment they did well enough to come inside - at least at our house, and they're still a little wild sometimes. So you never know, and it can change over time!
Comments
We have two indoor cats who are behaviorally feral. One moreso than the other.