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What is a Feral Cat?
A feral cat is the "wild" offspring of a domesticated cat. Feral cats live in warehouses, allies, around apartment
complexes, fields, campuses, and parks. Feral cats start congregating in one place and form a "colony". Once breeding
begins, the colony size greatly increases, and the kittens born become more "wild" and afraid of humans with each
litter. Feral cats are largely the result of animal abandonment and owner's failure to spay and neuter their animals. Since
feral cats are nocturnal and distrustful of humans, most people are unaware of feral cats' existence even though they may
be living in their own backyard and around their communities.
Feral vs. Stray
Feral is not another word for stray. A stray cat was a pet at one time and has either been lost or abandoned. Strays are more
tolerant of humans, may be seen during the day and are sometimes more vocal and meow at humans. However, feral cats usually
have had no human contact, come out primarily at night and would rather not draw any attention to themselves.
The Life of a Feral Cat
Feral Cats have extremely difficult and usually short lives which usually do not exceed 4 years. Fighting is common among
male intact cats which causes injury and spreads transmittable and oftentimes fatal diseases like FelV and FIV. Female feral
cats can have more than two litters per year and spend a large portion of the year either pregnant or caring for and nursing
kittens. It is a constant struggle for these female cats to find enough food for themselves and their kittens. Feral cats
in unmanaged colonies are often sick, hungry, or injured, and must scavenge for food in dumpsters and allies and will sometimes
catch insects and mice.
Fostering and Socializing Feral Kittens
Fostering and socializing these kittens must be done in people's homes. It is a very rewarding and fun experience, but at
the same time, it takes a lot of work, commitment and responsibility. Exposure to different things and people is essential
to the socialization process of kittens and helps them to be more confident and less afraid of new things as cats.
We make sure the feral kittens we trap are young enough to be socialized and are able to make a smooth transition between
outdoor life and life of a normal pet kitty. Kittens stay in foster homes and are not put up for adoption until we are sure
that they are well socialized. Some FFO kittens are so young when they are found that they never really have a chance to
be feral. The kittens that are just a few weeks old and need to be bottle fed make very outgoing kitties and may think they
are humans! Feral kittens trapped when they are a little older still make wonderful and loving companions, but may form a
stronger bond with their immediate caregivers.
Trap, Neuter, Return
The goal of TNR is to reduce the number of feral cats while increasing their quality of life. After they have been spayed
or neutered, screened for FeLV and FIV, and have received a rabies vaccine, feral cats are returned to their colony caretaker
where they can live out a full, healthy, non- reproductive life. TNR has been practices for decades in the UK, part of Africa,
Australia, Europe, and has recently spread to the US. Most TNR programs in California began relatively recently, in the early
1990's, so it is still a relatively new idea. TNR is endorsed by many animal oriented organizations including the American
Veterinary Medical Association and has been proven to be the least costly as well as the most efficient and humane way of
stabilizing feral cat colonies. The standing alternative to TNR is extermination, which is not only inhumane, but inefficient
as well as costly. Repeated attempts to catch feral cats, house, euthanize and dispose of them costs much more than to trap
the cats and spay or neuter them. Another problem with extermination is that once a colony has been exterminated and their
territory is vacant, more cats come to the area and breed to capacity, this called the Vacuum Effect.
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