The term “Feral Cat” describes a cat that has no owner or one that lives outdoor, particularly a non-domesticated cat or one that lives in the wild.
A feral cat is a once domesticated cat which had been abandoned and now left to fend for itself. The feral cat which could be the offspring of a domesticated cat has never been handled by humans and is now wild and terrified. Most time these cats hiss due to fear when humans get close to them and might run into hiding if allowed. This behavior is sometime considered to be vicious, however it is not true. Virtually all the trapped feral cats will shake in fear at the back of the trap. Inability to control this fear might even result to urinating. The feral cat will run to safety rather than attack if the trapped is opened.
About 10-15% of the trapped abandoned cats are tamed while some are even declawed. Some of them are even old and the only reason they became abandoned is because their owner had passed and the family members had no desire to retain them.
A community cat is a cat that lives a community life or one that was raised in the wild. According to ASPCA, a stray cat is a cat that was once a pet but now abandoned or lost.
Stray cats are tamed cats and they do not feel frightened around humans. Most times they meow or purr and are fond of rubbing against their legs. Stray cats are cats that were once domestic cats but are now left to fend for themselves due to certain reasons. They are either lost or abandoned cats. These cats can go through rehabilitation to become pets once more.
(AKA barn cats) these are cats in feral or semi-feral conditions that are found in agricultural properties. They live outdoor and take shelter in any available building. They feed on vermin like rodents and other small animals living around them.
Perhaps, the foremost reason why cats were domesticated was for the purpose of preventing rodents from feeding on and contaminating food stored for later use. However, cats are still kept for such purpose, to hunt down vermin that might contaminate food particularly grains or feed stock stored for future use.
they are either feral or semi-feral and were previously used in naval, trading and exploration ships. The essence of having cats aboard was to hunt down mice and rats that might damage things like woodwork, ropes and electrical wiring as technology got better. These rodents can as well cause damage to cargoes and food stored for later use if their activities are unchecked. Aside causing damage to food and other materials, they also spread diseases which can be very harmful to sailors onboard for a long time on sea. Although usage of cats in commercial and military fleets has been officially banned, some sailors still take them aboard secretly.
Stray or feral cats are regarded as pest since they habit public places in large numbers and attack each other. The most common complains about them are:
This has made most people demand they should be captured and removed.
1. Cat Repellents / Cat MACE
2. DO NOT FEED CATS
3. ENSURE YOUR CAT IS NEUTERED OR SPRAYED
4, DON’T ABANDON YOUR CAT
stray cats are wild animals. A cat born and raised in the wild can be hardly become domesticated. A group of cats can form feral colonies. Pet cats can live up 15 years but the wild ones have a short life of 2-3 years. Cats are carnivores but they feed mostly on protein. They hunt for preys such as birds or rodents however; most feral cats feed on garbage and human handouts.
No. feral cats are a threat to cats and the ecosystem therefore they must be fed. Do not feed any wild animal. It might be fun to you but such act would result in increase of unwanted wild animals. I’ve seen lots of people feed stray cats and their population which causes their population to greatly increase and they become a nuisance to the society. You can take the cat in and turn it into your pet if you wish to own one but never feed a stray cat or any wild animal.
a lot of persons feel pity whenever they see these animals covered in fleas and shivering. Stray cats are carriers of disease and parasites and spread them wherever they go. They as well pollute the environment with their foul mating scent. Infestation/overpopulation of stray cats in public places has been a very big challenge because some unreasonable people decide to feed them. Stray cats prey on other animals like the songbirds and they pose as threat to other wildlife animal.
rabies and cat-scratch are the most common. However, there are so many other diseases that can be spread by overpopulated wildlife animals.
Call Nature’s MACE at 800-760-0544 and speak with professional to discuss options. Sprayed or Neutering is an option.It is a really not easy to achieve. lots of people hate to see cats in cage and their freedom taken away, but over population of these cats causes problem to our ecosystem. Therefore, it is best not to feed then at all and ensure you do not abandon your cat. In addition, get your cat sprayed or Neutered.
Domestic cats, just like most other cats in the wild have territorial instincts. They do this by leaving scents. They create their territories by scratching, rubbing and in some case, urinating. Cats can learn other ways of marking their territory without using their urine, if well taught. But before that can happen, you first have to understand why they use urine for marking their territory.
Scents serve as a means of communication for cats. They use different methods to establish their presence in a territory.
When a new cat comes into your home, other cats will see the new cat as a stranger –only when they become accustomed to the new cat’s smell will they welcome him to the pack.
It may necessary to get rid of the scent from the previous marking using an enzymatic cleaner. Using another scent to cover the odor of the marking is hardly effective. The enzymatic cleaner is used to neutralize and digest the odor from the previous urine marking to avoid continuity of the behavior. Apply Dog MACE after enzymatic cleaner is used to effectively train dogs to avoid treated areas.
Cats are known to have scent glands on their flanks and checks, and would leave off their scent whenever they rub their body against an object. When they rub their body against you, it’s a way of telling other cats to back away from you.
If there is more than one cat in your home, then expect to see this rubbing habit as often as possible. When two cats meet themselves for the first time, they will sniff each other up, before then rubbing against each other.
Cats do not necessarily sharpen their claws by scratching –they are actually leaving their scents. Their feet contain scent glands with which they use in marking off their territory. Your job is to train them to do their marking elsewhere instead of your furniture.
They mark with their urine in two ways:
When spraying on vertical surface, a cat will stand their tail erect before squirting urine, with their tail quivering as they urinate. Frequent urinating is when they pass their urine on the floor, furniture and horizontal surfaces. Females as well as males squat and spray.
Cats resort to urine marking for several reasons some of which include:
They are yet to be neutered or sprayed: To reduce their urine spraying instincts, you should neuter your cat once it turns 5 months.
For adopted cats, ensure you neuter them almost immediately you adopt them. Neutering can effectively reduce your cat’s urine marking instincts. But you will have to neuter them while still young else the neutering will earn no result.
Cats often spray when they are stressed. Just like human, cats are habitual creatures, reacting negatively when their environment is changed. They get stressed when someone/something new comes into their territory. They mark their territory with their urine to ease up the stress. By marking off their territory, they ease up their anxiety. When you find, them marking with their urine, they are in actual sense saying; “I feel stressed”
Urine marking could also be a sign that your cat needs medical attention. This is more common among male cats. When their urinary tract gets infected or blocked, they tend to use less of their litter box, preferring to pass urine on the floor, often licking their genitals. They may go the length of crying right in front of you or urinating in bathtubs.
Once you notice this, take your pet to a doctor for medical examination. Urinary infection if not properly treated can prove fatal. A cat with a blocked urinary tract can die in a matter of hours or suffer fatal organ damage due to toxin buildup. Don’t wait for the problem to go away on its own because it won’t. Urinary infection must be diagnosed once it is suspected.
But if after examination your pet is certified healthy, then know that your pet is going through emotional stress.
If you have some more cats at home, isolate the troubled one from others and observe it. But this technique should not be completely relied on because they can still get stressed when the source of stress has been removed.
Adding fluorescent dye to your cat’s food can also work, but this should be done one cat at a time. The culprit is the cat whose urine glows when a black light is held over it.
When you find the culprit, what’s the next action to take?
The very first thing you will want to do is to solve your cat’s stress problem. This will definitely taking lots of efforts and time. Here are some tips to do that:
stray cats don’t have a home due to the fact that they escaped from their real home or abandoned. On the contrary, cats which are feral are those which were born by stray cats and have never had homes and also lived with humans. If kittens don’t come in contact with humans even when they get to be 12 weeks old, then its not possible for them to recognize the company of humans which leads to the fear that prevents them from getting caught and finding a home. Similar to dogs, cats also require socialization and during that process they may be come in contact with everything humans would not want it to be afraid of. It is also important to let them interact with more humans and in this process it aids them in staying away from hostile situations which is caused because of the fear of humans at a later stage.
Whenever you try to catch a stray cat, you must be very careful since they possibly have diseases which may be passed to your body when they try to scratch or bite you because of fear.
stray cats regularly travel in small settlements, which let them pass or catch diseases with ease. Most cats are never vaccinated and because of this, diseases like feline leukemia, rabies and feline HIV are easily caught by cats. Of all these diseases, rabies produces the highest menace and threat to the lives of humans because it can make cats to be aggressive and pass the disease to humans. But there are other diseases that may also lead to death through cat colonies. Another disease which is passed across from cats to humans with ease is Parvovirus. This disease leads to a lot of respiratory illnesses that may result to different symptoms like eye and nasal discharge, coughing, vomiting, and diarrhea. Ticks and fleas which also bring about different types of diseases like a variety of worms can also be caught by cat colonies which some can be transferred to other humans or animals.
The breeding capacity of a stray cat is a continuous problem caused by them. One breeding duo can reproduce 2 times a year and within 7 years time, they are capable of having almost 420,000 litters. Although all these cats do not live, their colonies may continue expanding. Since food and various recourses become hard to get, majority of these cats die painfully from starvation or diseases. Due to the fact that majority of them where raised under the supervision of humans, they do not have the needed skill to hunt when necessary to hunt and stay alive in the feral.
cats fighting and mating are a very major complaint in some locations.
their urine spray is very powerful.
having pets is one reason you don’t want feral cats on your property
this is a sign found on various stray cats in this country.
stray cats like to live in attics which are not different from opossums and raccoons.
there are frequent calls to properties to remove and trap cats living underneath structures.
many people call for help to catch them and take them to an animal shelter
Stray and feral cats enjoy digging in and around flower gardens, using the place as their personal litter box. Unfortunately, cat urine kills plants and vegetation leaving destruction and a horrible smell behind. Successful homeowners and professional gardeners protect their investment with Cat MACE cat repellent. Together, with simple techniques gardens can be protected and stray and feral cat can be deterred from protected areas.
Powerful Cat MACE cat repellent products are available in spray or liquid formulas. Granules are designed to protect isolated areas such as flower gardens, porches, tree and shrub areas. Simply sprinkle area to be protected. Liquid formula is available in concentrate or Ready-to-Use spray and is designed for large areas such as open fields or large yards. Cat MACE products contain the scent of all natural essential oils that effectively deter cats away from protected areas.
One natural way to keep the feral cats out of your flower garden is planting plans that can repel them. Plant flowers or plants that give off strong odors cats dislike, causing them to avoid the area. Some of these plants include Coleus canina, also known as the “scaredy cat plant”, lavender, rue, and the pennyroyal. These plants produce an odor cats find offensive and will help to deter stray and feral cats.
There homeowners who prefer to take more aggressive actions such as installing of wire fencing and motion detecting sprinklers. Cats don’t like getting wet so the water sprinkler is one of the most effective methods on how to repel feral cats from flower garden. The use of ground cover or stone mulch such as sharp pine cone can also deter the cats from entering the area. Cats don’t enjoy walking on materials that feel bristly on their paws. One thing to reach a compromise with cats is to build a sandbox especially for cats and place it near the catnip plants. The cat will surely be satisfied and will evacuate in the intended area.
There are many ways to repel feral cats from flower garden and some are more inexpensive than other. Using Cat MACE cat repellent products, planting cat-deterring plants, installing of sprinklers and fencing, and using of bristly mulch are the best ways to keep the cats away.
Although you might be tempted to feed a stray dog or cat especially if you are a pet lover however, it is not advisable to do so. A stray dog or cat is one that lives in the wild which could have been a pet. These dogs or cats might have been abandoned while they were still young by their owners who were unable to spray or neuter them their parents. A stray dog or cat can also be one that is wanders freely in the neighborhood or one that got lost. These dogs or cats can cause trouble to you and your family or to your pet animals when they are fed.
The first possible reason for not feeding these animals might be the spread of rabies which is a very dangerous viral disease that could affect humans when in contact with already infected warm-blooded animals. The virus tends to attack the central nervous system and can be fatal in humans if treatment is delayed.
Another reason why feeding them is not advisably is their tendency to display unexpected behaviors. Most times their aggressive and unexpected behavior is displayed when in pain. Also, generally, stray animals do not like to be held and would always defend themselves. When you get hold of a stray dog or cat, there is a high possibility of being bitten or scratched by them so you would let go.
These reasons mentioned above tells you why it is not advisable to feed a stray dog or cat and what might happen if you attempt to do so. However, we might ask, what about the dogs and cats? Is there any good reason why they should not be fed? Stray dogs and cats can feed on various things unlike the domesticated ones. Stray dogs and cats do not depend on humans for their survival, they go in search of food themselves or they could feed on whatever is available to them as food. Commercial food eaten by their pet counterpart might cause digestive problems to them when they consume it.
The normal dogs and cats live in the world with the stray ones hence if you truly care for them you get contact organizations such as animal shelters and humane society for help so as to take care of these stray animals. These organizations are able to find out the significance of the animals enlighten humans on the importance of the stray animals. They as well try to find out the difficulties and challenges of these animals. The organizations also inform those who wish to have the stray dog or cat placed in normal living condition about the importance and consequences of having such animals in a particular environment.