Feral Cats





   Feral cat colonies arise when lost or abandoned domestic cats form social colonies and breed feral or "wild" kittens.
  • An estimated 50 million feral cats live in alleys, lots, abandoned buildings and parks of the US.
  • The lack of proper nutrition, shelter and medical care, along with fighting among the unaltered cats, contributes to high disease and kitten mortality rates and drastically shortened life expectancy for feral cats.
  • Attempts to care for feral cats are hampered by the animals' severe fear of humans.
  • Given physical contact with humans beginning by three to seven weeks of age a feral kitten can develop into a friendly, trusting companion. Attempts to socialize older feral kittens may be somewhat successful, but reports of adult feral cats being transformed into "normal" companions are extremely rare.
Feral cats live in alleys, lots, abandoned buildings and parks.Most feral cats are left to fend for themselves, with or without food handouts. The consequences of this approach are tragic enough to make this the least humane option for handling feral cats. Unaltered cats produce a steady stream of feral kittens, leading to generations of illness, fear and misery. Many people believe it is most humane to trap all feral colony members and euthanize them. This task can be overwhelming and emotionally draining. Another difficulty; unless the food source is eliminated, other cats may move in to replace the euthanized cats. Other individuals have attempted to manage feral cat colonies; trapping young kittens to be socialized, neutered and placed in homes; trapping adults to be neutered and returned to the colony; and taking ongoing responsibility for the health and well-being of the colony's members. This approach is expensive, logistically difficult and requires a never-ending commitment. Many caring people have abandoned such projects.

Whatever your approach with feral cats, as with other difficult situations, it is far kinder to try to do something than to ignore the problem. Enlist the help of others to work with you in addressing this most challenging issue. Credit ACA "The Hands-On Handbook"		    
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