Feral cat

Some cats live outside.

They stay away from people. These cats like to hide. They do not like to be touched.

These cats hunt for food. They eat small animals. They can be very good hunters. This can hurt other wild animals.

Many cats live in cities. Some live on big farms.

Farm cats live in barns. They hunt rats for food.

Some cats live in groups. They are called colonies. These cats stay near people. They find food near homes.

It is hard to help these cats. People try to help them. They want to keep them safe.

A feral cat is a pet cat that lives outdoors.

These cats avoid people. They stay hidden and do not like to be touched. Some cats may become more comfortable if people feed them. But most stay aloof. They are often most active after dark.

Many cats live in groups called colonies.

Some live on farms. These are called farm cats. They often live in barns. They hunt rats and mice for food.

Feral cats can be a big problem for nature. They are one of the worst invasive species on Earth. An invasive species is an animal that moves to a new place and causes harm.

In Australia, feral cats hurt many native animals. They have caused at least 28 types of mammals to go extinct. This is because they hunt birds, reptiles, and small mammals.

There are about 480 million feral cats in the world.

People try many ways to help. Some use trap-neuter-return programs. This means they catch cats, fix them so they cannot have babies, and then let them go.

A feral cat is a domestic cat that lives outdoors without an owner.

These cats usually avoid any contact with people. They stay hidden and do not like being touched or handled. Some cats might get used to people who feed them regularly. However, most stay aloof and prefer to be alone. They are often most active during the hours after dusk.

There are about 480 million feral cats in the world today. This is a huge number out of 700 million total cats.

Feral cats live in many different types of places. They often settle near human homes like cities, towns, or farms. On farms, they might live in colonies inside barns. These farm cats hunt for food like rats and voles. In the wild, they can become top predators in many areas. This is especially true on islands where native animals have no natural enemies.

They stay in certain areas called home ranges to find food. Male cats usually have much larger home ranges than female cats.

History shows that cats have traveled with humans for a very long time. People in ancient Egypt valued cats for killing snakes and rodents. This need to protect grain may be why cats were first domesticated. Traders from places like Phoenicia and Etruria carried cats on ships. Roman armies also helped spread cats to new lands like Britain. Eventually, sailors and settlers brought cats to places like Australia. In Australia, these cats became feral after their offspring lived away from people.

Feral cats can cause big problems for the natural world.

Scientists call them one of the worst invasive species on Earth. This means they move to new places and harm the local wildlife. In Australia, feral cats are a very high threat to mammals. They have helped cause the extinction of at least 28 mammal species. Every year, they kill billions of native birds, reptiles, and frogs in Australia. This makes them a top priority for many conservation groups.

People use different names for these cats depending on where they live.

Some people call them street cats, alley cats, or community cats. Rescuers often say a stray cat is different from a feral cat. A stray cat might have once lived in a home and wandered away. A feral cat has lived in the wild for a long time. In Italy, it is even illegal to kill feral cats. People work in many ways to manage these large cat populations.

A feral cat is an unowned domestic cat, known scientifically as *Felis catus*, that lives outdoors and avoids human contact.

Unlike pets, these cats usually remain hidden and do not allow themselves to be handled or touched. While some may become more comfortable with people who provide regular food, they generally remain aloof. They are often most active during the hours after dusk. Out of the estimated 700 million cats currently living in the world, approximately 480 million are considered feral.

Feral cats follow specific behavioral patterns to survive in the wild. They tend to establish a home range, which is the specific area where a cat lives and hunts. The size of this range varies based on several factors, including the cat's age and whether it has been neutered. Generally, male cats maintain home ranges that are two to three times larger than those of females. These ranges can span from very small areas to several kilometers. Most feral cats stay near human settlements to ensure they have access to food or prey.

There are different ways to categorize these animals depending on their relationship with humans. Some people use terms like "street cat," "alley cat," or "community cat" interchangeably with feral. However, rescuers and veterinarians often distinguish between "stray" and "feral" cats. A stray cat is typically an owned cat that has wandered away from its home. In contrast, a feral cat has lived in the wild for a long time. In some environments, like agricultural farms, cats may live in colonies.

These "farm cats" often live in barns and hunt rodents like the black rat or common vole. Female farm cats sometimes show allomothering behavior, where they use communal nests to care for kittens that are not their own.

The history of the domestic cat is closely tied to human civilization. Many scientists believe cats were first domesticated because they protected grain crops from rodents. In ancient Egypt, cats were even venerated for killing venomous snakes. The spread of cats across the globe likely began in Egypt. Phoenician and Etruscan traders carried cats on ships to the Mediterranean islands. Later, Roman armies helped spread cats to places like Britain.

Eventually, sailors and settlers introduced cats to new continents, including Australia, where they formed feral populations.

In some regions, feral cats have been mistakenly classified as unique wild species. In 1929, Louis Lavauden proposed the name *Felis reyi* for a specimen from Corsica. This cat was smaller and darker than the European wildcat. In 1930, Ernst Schwarz proposed *Felis lybica jordansi* for a specimen from Mallorca. These were later determined to be feral populations descended from domestic cats. Similarly, a specimen from Crete was once called *Felis silvestris cretensis*, though it is now considered an introduced feral cat.

Feral cats are a major concern for environmental conservation. Biologists rank them among the 100 worst invasive species on Earth. An invasive species is an animal that moves into a new area and causes harm to the local ecosystem.

This is especially dangerous on islands where native animals did not evolve alongside predators. In Australia, feral cats are a massive threat to native mammals. They have contributed to the extinction of at least 28 mammal species. Each year, they kill over 1.5 billion native mammals, birds, reptiles, and frogs, along with 1.1 billion invertebrates.

Different countries have different rules for managing feral cat populations. In Italy, it has been illegal to kill feral cats since 1991. In cities like Rome, veterinarians use surgical neutering to manage colonies. In Australia, the government identifies tackling feral cats as a top priority for its Threatened Species Strategy. Some groups suggest "trap-neuter-return" programs to control breeding, but scientific evidence shows this is not effective at controlling populations. The way we talk about these cats, such as using the term "community cat," can also influence how much public support they receive for management.