Feral Cats
by Dominicia and Robert
Feral cats are the wild offspring of domestic cats. They are the result of pet owners' abandonment or failure to spay and neuter their animals. Some pet owners throw their cats out of the house. The cats run around wild. They live all over the place. Feral cat colonies can be found behind shopping areas or businesses, in alleys, parks, abandoned buildings, and rural areas. Feral cats do not like people. So you cannot catch them and tame them. Feral cats will fight and bite you. Feral cats cause a big problem for people. They cost a lot of money to control. More than $50 million, largely from taxes, is spent by animal control agencies and shelters for feral cat-related expenses.
The enormous number of homeless cats could be reduced if people didn't let their pet cat go free. For example, a pair of breeding cats, can have two or more litters per year. Over a seven year period, this pair of breeding cats, and its offspring, can produce an amazing 420,000 cats. And all of these cats are wild, feral cats! Therefore, it is important to spray or neuter your own pet. In addition, people can volunteer to trap feral cats and have a veterinarian spay or neuter the cats. Once the feral cat is spayed or neutered, it is released to live in the wild. Volunteers also build shelters and feeding stations for the wild cats. This helps control the activity of the feral cats and reduces unpleasant human encounters with the wild cats.
If you have a cat, take care of it. Never let it go free. Cats will
run around wild if people reject their pet cat. The cost of caring
and controlling feral cats is increasing daily. You can volunteer to
help minimize feral cat problems.
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