What
Is A Feral Cat?
A
"feral" cat is one who has reverted in some
degree to a wild state. They originate from former domestic
cats who were lost or abandoned and then learned to live
outdoors or in environments involving little human contact,
such as warehouses, factories or abandoned buildings.
In most cases, feral cats are not completely wild because
they still depend on people for their food source, whether
it's a caretaker who comes by once or twice a day, a dumpster
outside a restaurant, garbage cans, or the like. Relatively
few feral cats subsist only by hunting.
To
what degree a feral cat is wild depends on several factors.
Foremost, is the age of the cat. Young kittens are more
capable of being socialized and successfully
re-introduced to domestic life than a feral adult. Another
factor is what generation feral is the cat. A kitten born
outdoors to a mother who was herself formerly domestic
is likely to socialize easier than one born to a mother
who is seventh generation feral. The extent of daily human
contact also plays an important role in determining how
wild a cat will be. If cats have regular interaction with
people, such as in a community garden, they will tend
to be friendlier and more approachable than if they live
in a back alley where people rarely venture. Finally,
there's the wild card factor, which is the particular
cat's personality. It's not unheard of for someone to
tame an older, multi-generational feral who has been largely
isolated from people, but this is the exception.
It's
important to recognize that if a cat is truly feral, then
the most compassionate choice might be to allow them to
live outdoors. Trying to domesticate them would be no
different than trying to make a squirrel or a raccoon
a household companion - you might succeed somewhat, but
never fully and only with a great deal of time and patience.
Moreover, you would not be permitting the animal to live
in a manner that suits him best. Many well-meaning people,
convinced they are "saving" a feral cat by bringing
him indoors, end up condemning the poor creature to a
life of hiding under the bed and being in constant fear.
TNR
(trap/neuter/return) respects a feral cat's wild state.
The neutering of the ferals prevents tremendous suffering
and shields the cats from the hostility their behavior
might otherwise draw from human neighbors. But the return
of them to their own territory and the providing of adequate
food and shelter gives them the opportunity to live among
their own, to be free and to answer to their own unique
natures.
Trap/neuter/return,
commonly referred to as "TNR," is the only method
proven to be humane and effective at controlling feral
cat population growth. Using this technique, all the feral
cats in a colony are trapped, neutered and then returned
to their territory where caretakers provide them with
regular food and shelter. Young kittens who can still
be socialized, as well as friendly adults, are placed
in foster care and eventually adopted out to good homes.
~Article
Courtesy of Neighborhoodcats.org
A
Little Tabby Speaks for the Feral Cats of the World
By Marcelle Thompson
Caring
for Feral Cats (Best Friends Animal Society - PDF
file)
Compassion
is the Way: Care and Feeding of Feral Cats
(Best Friends Animal Society - PDF file)
Feral
Cat Resources (Alley Cat Allies)
Feral
Cats Part I (Best Friends Animal Society)
Feral
Cats Part II: The Fight Over Ferals (Best Friends
Animal Society)
Feral
Q&A For Veterinarians (Best Friends Animal
Society - PDF file)
Guidelines
for Trap/Neuter/Release (New York City Feral Cat Council)
Helping
Stray and Feral Cats By Cat Rescue.ca
Info/How
to Manage a Feral Colony (NeighborhoodCats.org)
Orphaned
Kittens and How to Care for Them (Sue Freeman's
Guide to Rescue Cats)
Playing
God By Michael Mountain
Preparing
Feral Cats for Winter (Furr-Angels.com)
