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Feral cat

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Feral cat with a tipped ear indicating it was neutered in a trap-neuter-return program

The definition of "feral cat," as it relates to the domestic cat (felis catus), varies in countries worldwide and even between professions. [1]

A 2013 study on some of these variations suggests the following definition to enhance communication regarding the welfare and management of them, as well as providing consistent frames of reference in research and education of the public: "A feral cat is ... a cat that is unapproachable in its free-roaming environment and is capable of surviving with or without direct human intervention, and may additionally show fearful or defensive behaviour on human contact." [1]

A feral cat typically avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans.[2] Some feral cats may become more comfortable with people who regularly feed them, but even with long-term attempts at socialization they usually remain fearful.

Attempts to control free-roaming and/or feral cat populations are widespread. Some advocate trap-neuter-return to prevent the cats from continuing to breed in order to reduce or eliminate their numbers. Others advocate euthanasia.

References, data, or public information may not make clear distinctions between feral cats, street or community cats, or stray or abandoned cats, although some guidelines are available.[3] Stray and feral cats are generally considered to be different by rescuers, veterinarians, and researchers. Stray cats are cats who were, at one time, socialized to humans but no longer live in homes. They could potentially be successfully reintroduced to a home environment.[4]

History

The spread of cats throughout much of the world is thought to have originated in Egypt. Scientists do not agree on whether cats were domesticated in Ancient Egypt or introduced there after domestication. Phoenician traders brought them to Europe for control of rat populations, and monks brought them further into Asia. Roman armies eventually brought them to England.[5] Since then, cats continued to be introduced to new countries, often by sailors or settlers. Cats are thought to have been introduced to Australia in either the 1600s by Dutch shipwrecks, or the late 1700s by English settlers.[6][7] These domesticated cats began to form feral populations after their offspring began living away from human contact.[7]

In the 19th and 20th centuries, several cat specimens were described as wildcat subspecies that are considered feral cat populations today:[8][9][10]

Behavior

Some behaviors are commonly observed among feral cats, although there is disagreement among veterinarians, rescuers, and researchers on their prevalence.[18]

  • In a free-roaming environment they avoid humans.
  • They do not allow themselves to be handled or touched by humans, and back away or run when they are able to do so.
  • If trapped, they may hiss, growl, bare their teeth, or strike out.[19]
  • They remain fairly hidden from humans and will not approach (although some feral cats gradually become more comfortable around humans who feed them regularly).

Colonies

A colony of feral cats

Feral cats often live in colonies, groups of feral cats that live together in one territory, often near food sources and shelter.[20] Researchers disagree on the existence, extent, and structure of dominance hierarchies within feral colonies.[19][21] Different types of hierarchies have been observed in feral colonies, including despotic and linear hierarchies. Some colonies are organized in more complex structures, such as relative hierarchies, where social status of individual cats can vary on their location, the time of day, or the activity the cats are engaged in (particularly feeding and mating).[22][23]

When a human decides to care for a feral colony, it is often called a managed colony. [20][24] This care may include:

  • supplying food and water,
  • providing shelters,
  • helping with trap-neuter-return programs
  • providing continued veterinary care
  • finding foster homes for cats that can be socialized for eventual adoption
  • working to educate people who live in the neighborhood.

Socialization

Socialization is the process of preparing a cat to enjoy interactions and be comfortable with other animals, people, places and activities.[25]

It may be possible to socialize young feral kittens so they may then be adopted into a home. The age at which a kitten becomes difficult or not possible to socialize is not agreed upon, but suggestions generally range from seven weeks to four months of age.[26][27][28]

Older cats may sometimes become somewhat socialized, but it is a very long and difficult process; the cat rarely becomes "friendly" and may remain fearful.[1][28]

In a 2013 study of participants from the United Kingdom, rescuers tended to be more willing than veterinarians to attempt to tame adult feral cats. Veterinarians tended to be more opposed to this practice, with some expressing concerns for the welfare of such a cat in a home environment.[1] In a 2010 study of veterinarians and rescuers in the United States, 66% of respondents had socialization programs for kittens, and 8% for adult cats.[26]

Health

Food and prey

Feral cats can be effective hunters of small animals.

Feral cats primarily subsist on food scavenged from garbage when it is available to them.[29] They also eat animals they kill, and carcasses of animals already dead.[30] Feral cats living in managed colonies are fed cat food by their caretakers.[31]

Domesticated and feral cats have been observed to prey on a wide variety of both vertebrates and invertebrates. Cats typically prefer smaller animals with body weights under 100 grams (3.5 oz), particularly mammals, birds, and lizards.[7][32] A meta-analysis of studies of cat diet found that cats preyed on over 1,000 species. The analysis found house mice, European rabbits, black rats, house sparrows, and common blackbirds were some of the most commonly observed prey species.[30]

Feral cats in Australia prey on a variety of wildlife. In arid and semi-arid environments, they eat mostly introduced European rabbits and house mice. In arid environments where rabbits do not occur, native rodents are taken. In forests and urbanized areas, they eat mostly native marsupials (particularly the common ringtail possum) and rodents.[7]

Feral cats may be mesopredators or apex predators in some local ecosystems.[33] In others, they may be preyed upon by animals such as feral dogs, dingoes, coyotes, and birds of prey.[6][34]

Life span and survival

There is no reliable data to establish the average or general lifespan of feral cats. Cats simply disappear while others may immigrate in.

Studies found that that 50 - 75% of the kittens born to free-roaming cats died or disappeared within 6 month to 1 year.. Trauma was found to be the most common cause of death.[35][36]

In some studies, adult feral cats without human assistance have been found in surprisingly good condition. In Florida, a study of feral cats admitted to a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program concluded that "euthanasia for debilitated cats for humane reasons is rarely necessary".[37] Another of over 100,000 community cats (feral and stray) admitted to TNR programs in diverse locations of the U.S. resulted in the same 0.4% rate of euthanasia for debilitating conditions.[38] The body condition of feral cats entering a TNR program in Florida was described as "generally lean but not emaciated".[39] However, many community cats had suffered from parasites such as fleas and ear mites before entering TNR programs.[40]

Some feral cats in managed colonies can live long lives. A number of cats in managed colonies in the United Kingdom died of old age.[41] In the U.S., the last cat in a managed colony in Washington, D.C., died at age 17, and Zorro, the last cat of a colony at the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Massachusetts, died in 2009 at age 16.[42][43]

A long-term study of a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program on a university campus in Central Florida found that, despite widespread concern about the welfare of free-roaming cats, 83% of the cats studied had been present for more than six years, with almost half first observed as adults of unknown age.[44]

Disease

Types

Feral cats, as with all cats, are susceptible to diseases and infections including: [45]

Research has shown that the prevalence of FIV and FeLV mong feral cat populations is low and is similar to prevalence rates for owned cats in the United States.[46][47]

Researchers studying 553 feral cats in Northern Florida in the United States tested them for a number of infections that could be detrimental to feline or human health. The study found the most prevalent infection to be Bartonella henselae, the cause of cat-scratch disease in humans, with 33.6% of the cats testing positive. Feline coronavirus was the next most common infection, found in 18.3% of the cats, although they noted that the antibody levels were low in most of the cats who tested positive, and concluded that the cats they tested did not appear to be a greater risk for shedding the virus than pet cats.[47] Researchers studying 96 feral cats on Prince Edward Island in Canada found that feline roundworm was the most common infection in cats in that colony, afflicting 34% of cats. This was followed by Toxoplasma gondii, which was detected in 29.8% of cats, although only one cat of the 78 for whom fecal samples were available was shedding T. gondii oocysts. They did note that most fecal samples collected indicated the presence of one intestinal parasite, with some samples indicating the presence of multiple parasites.[48]

Risks of disease transmission to humans

Main article: Feline zoonosis

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has warned about the rabies risk associated with feral cats. With 16% of people infected with rabies from exposure to rabid cats, cats have been the primary animals responsible for transmission of the virus to humans in the United States since the efforts to control rabies in dogs in the 1970s.[49] In 2010, there were 303 rabid cats reported within the United States.[45] Although some colony management programs involve administering rabies vaccines the need to revaccinate every few years makes this challenging to maintain.[49] Lack of linked cat-to-vaccine documentation can mean that contact with vaccinated feral cats may still require post-exposure treatment.[45]

A study of feral cats on Prince Edward Island warned of "considerable zoonotic risk" for transmission of intestinal parasites. Although the authors noted that their study did not provide evidence for great risk associated with T. gondii in cats, they advised that the risk should still be considered, as the infection in humans can cause significant health problems, and cats who are not otherwise transmitting the infection can begin shedding the virus in times of stress.[48]

Distribution and habitat

Feral cats live on all continents except for Antarctica.[50]

The worldwide feral cat population is estimated to be at least 100 million. The United States' feral cat population is estimated at 60 million, Australia's at 12 million, and Britain's at one million.[51]

Cats are found on many remote islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, where they are an invasive species. Based on microsatellite genetic tests it was determined that these cats have a mainly European ancestry. This can be attributed to their travel on ship trading routes in the 19th century.[52]

Some locations have become known for their feral cat populations, such as the Japanese island of Aoshima.[53][54] The multiple, managed, feral colonies at the Colosseum in Rome exceed 250 cats. Other notable colonies include the Canadian Parliamentary Cats, and the cats of Jerusalem.[55]

Most feral cats have small home ranges, although some are more transient and travel long distances. The home ranges of male feral cats, which are generally two or three times larger than those of female cats, are on average under 10 hectares (25 acres), but can vary from almost 300 hectares (740 acres) to under 1 hectare (2.5 acres). This variance is often due to breeding season, access to females, whether the cat is neutered, age, time of day, and availability of prey.[30]

Control and management

Attempts to control, manage or eliminate feral cats varies worldwide. Efforts may include trapping and euthanasia, other forms of lethal control, or trap-neuter-return.

Effects on wildlife

Main article: Cat predation on wildlife

Numerous studies have shown that free-roaming cats can have a significant derogatory impact on native wildlife. They cause considerable wildlife destruction and ecosystem disruption, including the deaths of hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.[56] They have been linked to the extinction of 63 species and pose a threat to 360 more[57] and are now thought to be the single largest cause of anthropogenic bird mortality in North America.[58]

Free-roaming cats have been documented hunting and killing prey without eating it.[59]

Sometimes feral cats kill non-native pests. Feral cats have been intentionally introduced to some areas as a pest control strategy. In the 1800s, thousands of cats were introduced near settlements in Australia that had developed near gold dig sites and farms as an attempt to manage populations of mice, rabbits, and rats.[7]

Hybridisation with wild felids

A Kellas cat, a feline landrace resulting from crossbreeding between a domestic cat and a Scottish wildcat (F. s. grampia).

Feral cats have interbred with wildcats to various extents throughout the world, the first reported case occurring more than 200 years ago. The significance of hybridisation is disputed. Older documentation suggests that the wildcat was a separate species from the domestic cat, but modern genetic analysis[60] has shown that the domestic cat is a domesticated version of the Near Eastern wildcat. In some locations, high levels of hybridisation have led to difficulties in distinguishing a "true" wildcat from feral domestic and domestic hybrid cats, which can complicate conservation efforts.[61] Some researchers argue that "pure" wildcats do not exist anymore, but others dispute this.[62]

One study in Scotland suggests that while "true" Scottish wildcats are unlikely to exist, the current wildcat population is distinct enough from domestic cats to be worth protecting;[63] genetics research is still underway as part of the Wildcat Haven project in Scotland, which has reported success protecting wildcats from hybridisation with widespread trap-neuter-return work.[64] Wildcat populations' notable gene introgression exists also in Italy, Hungary, Spain and Portugal.[65]

See also

References

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  63. ^ Genetic diversity and introgression in the Scottish wildcat. Molecular Ecology (2001) 10: 319–336. Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  64. ^ (Herald Scotland 'Haven to Save the Wildcat from Total Extinction')
  65. ^ Domestic gene introgression into wildcat populations in Europe. Petsaspests.blogspot.com.es. Retrieved on 2015-11-01.

Further reading

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