Feral Cat

Feral cats descended from the likes of domesticated cats. The feral cats were abandoned by the people who owned them for any number of reasons. When the domesticated cats mated with other cats their kittens were never held by human beings and for that reason they became feral kittens. A feral cat then is a cat that has little if any contact with people from birth and onward.

Most adult feral cats cannot be socialized or tamed but a wild feral kitten can possibly be tamed and socialized if it is taken away from a feral colony before they are four to six weeks old. There are many feral cat sanctuaries that have been established across the United States to deal with the many feral cats that roam neighborhoods The Islands feral cat project and various feral cat houses appears to be making inroads in taming feral cats and kitten such as those in Savannah and Louisiana.

Some feral cats do live by themselves but most seek refuge and company with other feral cats. Feral cats generally congregate in big groups in feral colonies such as the Savannah feral cats. Unfortunately most feral kittens do not survive beyond a few months because of such things as lack of food, predators such as dogs and coyotes and flea-induced anemia. A feral cat that does get beyond its kitten days has an expected lifespan of two to four years as compared to a domestic cat that can live anywhere from 12 to 16 years or more. According to the organizations Cat Action Trust and Cat Protection feral cats that are 19 years of age and even 26 years of age have been found. Feral cats that live this long are believed to do so because there is plenty of food available and they have become proficient at dodging predators.

Many places in the United States have instituted "Trap-Neuter-Return" Programs (TNR), which are a humane way to deal with the large population of feral cats. The feral creatures are trapped and then vaccinated and neutered before being released back into the streets again. The ones that can be socialized are done so and then homes are sought for them. Many people believe feral cats are instrumental in keeping the population of mice and other rodents to a minimum, which is one reason why feral cats play a vital role in towns and cities. Think about it carefully and it makes sense.