Feral cat

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.