What is a feral cat?
A cat that has been lost or abandoned and has reverted to its wild state, or that has been born ‘into the wild’ by a feral mother.  It may best be defined as any cat which is too poorly socialised to be handled.

Where are they found?
Rubbish dumps, factories, docks, harbours, accommodation quarters, restaurants, schools, hospitals, abandoned buildings. That is, anywhere that there is food and shelter.

What problems do they cause?
Killing of birds (especially ground-nesting birds) and other wildlife – the impact partly depends upon the situation, eg. island ecosystem against urban environment;
Disease transmission is possible to pets and humans –
to pets – cat ‘flu, FeLV, FIV, ringworm, rabies;
to people – ringworm, rabies, cat scratch disease;
• Noise during the breeding season;
• Smell;
• Bites and scratches – unlikely unless trying to handle the cat. Cats may be seen as friends, companions, working animals, pests.

What problems can they get?
• Injuries – from motor vehicle accidents, climatic disasters such as fire and floods, injuries from fighting with their own kind; injuries from other animals such as dogs and baboons; deliberate injuries from people including gunshot wounds;
• Diseases – including feline leukaemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus (feline aids), cat ‘flu and ‘snuffles’, internal and external parasites (worms, fleas), ringworm, enteritis (viral and bacterial), toxoplasmosis, tick bite fever (biliary), rabies, cancer – skin cancer is especially prevalent in white cats from the sun’s radiation.

What benefits can we derive from them?
• Control of vermin (eg. rats and mice).
• This can help us economically by limiting damage to crops.
• It can also limit diseases spread by these animals and prevent the ‘mess’ that they create when, for example, they enter a larder.

What is the difference between a ‘feral cat’ and a ‘free-roaming’ cat?
A ‘free-roaming’ cat is essentially any cat that has access to the outdoors.  Thus most domestic cats in this country are free-roaming as most owners do not keep their cats indoors all the time.  Free-roaming cats can cause the same problems and acquire the same problems as feral cats.  So, for example, free-roaming cats are just as likely to kill local wildlife as feral cats.

What can we do about feral cats?
1.  Poison or shoot them or trap and perform euthanasia.
Some people would like to see all of these animals destroyed.  There are reasons why this is not a good solution. Many of them are healthy animals and there is a moral question mark about destroying healthy animals –there should be a valid reason, although here in South Africa the overpopulation of pets means that many healthy animals are destroyed.  In some countries it is illegal to destroy healthy animals (eg. Italy). If one colony is destroyed more cats will move into the area unless the reasons for them being there in the first place is removed, ie. source of food and shelter. Often one or two cats are elusive and continue repopulating the area.

2.  TNR = Trap – Neuter – Release (Return or Relocate).
Trapping – stressful, may result in injury to the cat.  Darting is not practical in our situation.
TNR is my preferred option in most cases.  Returning to the same site is usually better than relocating:
• difficulty in finding a suitable site;
• cats must be confined in a suitable building or enclosure for a period of time (+/-21 days) to try to ensure that they stay there;
• it is stressful for the cats;

3. Trap and confine (to a cattery or house).
Could try and socialise and place into a home – there are insufficient homes for socialised cats and it is very difficult, time consuming, and stressful for the cat to socialise it.  Very young kittens (under approximately 8 weeks of age) may be socialised but they must then be homed. Many people think that trying to tame and confine a cat is the kindest option.

Many people want to nurture those that they feel are neglected.  But does the cat think the same?  Even if a feral cat comes to be fed by a carer, it does not mean that it appreciates being handled or confined.  When confined it may stop spitting and attacking after a while but this does not mean that it is relaxed or does not want to escape.  The stress of confinement can certainly affect the cat’s physical and mental health.

Quality of life should be considered – how can we decide which is best for the cat?  Zoos are now very different to a few years ago because the needs of wild animals have been considered and studied.

I quote from Donna Bishop, Founder of the Alliance for Animals:
“No one should have to live out in the cold.  We mean well when we take these feral cats in.  We mean well when we expect them to share our homes and lifestyles, join our feline companions, enjoy our food, our shelter.  It may take time, but surely they will come to recognize that we care about them, and mean them no harm.  Surely they will come to thank us for rescuing them from their harrowing lives outside....
But it is we who do not understand.  It is we who mistake our own needs for those of the cat; it is we who need them, not they who need us.  We need to feel important, we need to feel special – we have that “special” touch that will tame a feral cat.  We have “saved” them, we are truly compassionate, even heroic.  We give up hours of our day to sit with them, nurture them.
We don’t see that we are terrorizing them, forcing them into an alien environment because it fits our definition of what is best.”

4. TTVNR – M = Trap, Test, Vaccinate, Neuter, Return and Monitor (or Manage).
This is done in some places in the USA but is not practical in our situation because of financial constraints.

5. Do nothing.
Approaches differ depending on the cat.  They may be grouped as follows:
• Cats born in the wild that have never had contact with humans – management of these may depend upon their age;
• Cats which have been dumped (kittens or adults);
• Cats which ‘got lost’;
• Cats that have abandoned their homes because of abuse or neglect.Humans domesticated the cat and should therefore take responsibility for them.To manage colonies you need:
          reliable feeders
          a safe environment with appropriate shelter
          veterinary assistance
         
Community Program
Appeal to the local community to assist in a plan to agree upon a feral cat management program for the area.We are in favour of early neutering (from 6 weeks of age) and we insist on identification of sterilised cats by ear tipping.A successful program will need a few volunteers to assist with monitoring cat colonies and feeding them.A few fundraisers or a few people or companies that will give regular donations are needed to enable us to finance such a program:
          cost of feed
          cost of sterilisation
          cost of transport (to monitor and feed)In the USA it has been suggested that a well-managed colony in a community can lead to abandonment of cats by owners who believe that their cats will be well cared for in the colony.  In my experience of this area, people who are considering abandoning their cats will do so without considering whether there is any provision for their welfare.In the USA some feral cat colonies have been registered with a local authority or welfare organisation.  This may help to ensure that the cats are cared for properly.

Summary:
maintain a stable population;
monitor for new cats and TNR if necessary;
ensure food is provided;
monitor for signs of ill health / injury – trap and treat or euthanase if necessary.
Thank you to all those of you who have cared for the cats over the years, often at considerable personal expense.
© Dr Yvonne Robson, 2007