Feral cats

A feral cat is an unsocialized cat.

Feral cats are either born outside and have never lived with humans, or have been left outside for so long they've reverted to a wild state. Most live with other feral cats in “colonies.” They're afraid of humans and not likely to be adoptable. The incidence of disease in feral cat colonies is no higher than among owned cats. They live healthy, natural lives on their own, content in their outdoor home.

Ear-tipping is vital for identifying feral cats that are already altered and have caretakers. Ear-tipping is the national standard for identifying feral cats managed through TNR. In Woodford County, if an ear-tipped cat is caught by animal control agencies, they know the cat is from a managed colony and simply release it. Ear-tipping also allows a caretaker to easily spot a new cat entering the colony.

Feral cats are wild animals and not adoptable. As a result, most are euthanized when they are removed from their outdoor living environments.

Stray cats are domesticated and have been abandoned or wandered from their homes. Generally, strays are adoptable.

When feral cat colonies are trapped and euthanized, other cats simply move in and take advantage of the available resources. They breed prolifically; quickly forming a new colony to size of the old one. This "vacuum" effect is well documented. TNR is a more effective and humane approach to stopping the overpopulation crisis.

With an estimated 87 million free-roaming, homeless cats in the United States, it would cost the government about $16 billion to trap and kill them as opposed to about $9 billion for supporting Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs run by community rescue organizations and volunteers.