What is a feral cat, and how are they different from stray cats?

Did you know that the terms ‘feral’ and ‘stray’ mean different things?

This may seem obvious to many of our rescue-minded and cat-loving supporters, who likely possess a better understanding of feline behaviour than most, but believe it or not, there are large sections of the public who use these terms interchangeably. 

For example, it’s not uncommon for our volunteers, in interactions with the public, to hear offhand comments like “my cat is a bit feral” - meaning that their cat is not especially friendly or may be exhibiting behaviours such as biting or scratching. We may also receive emails or calls for help about feral cats who are in fact just ordinary stray cats - or vice versa. 

In reality, however, an unsociable, unfriendly or shy cat is vastly different from a feral cat, and the majority of strays share a similar background and temperament to that of your average house cat - the only difference being that they have lost their home or family, possibly due to a variety of factors, and have been forced to learn to survive on the streets.

To clarify, when rescue organisations refer to a cat as feral, they are alluding to a cat of a very specific background, temperament, and even genetic make-up. Not merely a cat who is timid or unsociable.

Putting it simply, a feral cat has been born outside of a domestic or home environment, or abandoned at a very young age, meaning they have had no contact with humans in their early weeks or months of life. 

Why do cats become feral?

Kittenhood is a pivotal period for cats, and the experiences and interactions that they have during this tender age will potentially shape their behaviour for life. In order to grow into friendly, sociable cats, kittens need to be consistently exposed to humans, having direct and indirect contact with them from birth. If this window of socialisation is missed, and kittens have limited or no human interaction before the age of 12 weeks, they will become what is known as feral.

Feral cats regard humans not as a source of affection or security, but merely as unfamiliar and potentially threatening animals. Their behaviour around people is closer to that of their wild feline ancestors than to domestic animals - we inspire a flight or fight instinct in them. A bit like urban foxes, they may learn to associate humans with food, but they are nearly always on their guard around people, and will maintain a level of distance and caution at all times.

Feral cat populations often begin with an irresponsible cat owner allowing their unneutered cat outside. Being compelled by their hormones to roam long distances, the cat may become lost, breed with other unneutered cats in the area, and subsequently give birth on the streets. If their offspring survives to adulthood, they will grow into feral adults. They will also continue to breed - sometimes leading to the creation of entire feral “colonies”.

Given that domestication also occurs on a genetic level, through continued selective breeding, cats whose feral background dates back generations - whose parents and grandparents were also feral, for example - may also have a greater genetic predisposition towards “wild” behaviour. In a sense, a kind of reverse domestication of cats may be occurring in our own back gardens, all due to a lack of neutering and responsible ownership.

A feral kitten being socialised by a volunteer.

Can a feral cat be “tamed”?

It is possible to socialise feral kittens, transforming them from wild to domesticated, and from scared and defensive to friendly and comfortable in a home environment. However, past the age of approximately 10-12 weeks, this becomes increasingly difficult. It requires daily, prolonged and direct contact - handling and stroking - over a period of months, sometimes even years. It is difficult, frustrating work that has no guarantee of success.

Remember that a feral cat will regard a human as a threat, so will try to flee or defend him or herself if approached. This makes the kind of hands-on contact needed for socialisation very difficult, even dangerous to an unskilled or inexperienced individual, particularly as a kitten grows older and larger. Once a feral cat reaches around six months old, it becomes a nearly hopeless endeavour to ever truly ‘tame’ them.

It is a massive commitment and time of energy for rescue centres to socialise feral kittens, and requires a lot of training and experience for volunteers to be able to safely handle them. Due to these challenges, many rescue organisations do not even attempt to socialise feral kittens - they may simply neuter and release them at best, and euthanise them at worst.

Why bother socialising feral kittens - why not just neuter and release them?

There is research, like this 1995 study on the welfare of feral cats, suggesting that feral cats can enjoy a basic quality of life in the “wild”. This is particularly true of neutered feral cats, as neutering removes some of the biggest threats to their welfare - like constant pregnancies, the subsequent death of kittens born outside, and frequent fighting between males, which leads to injury, abscesses, and viruses like FIV. Neutering also prevents feral cat populations from expanding exponentially.

“TNR” or trap, neuter and return programmes are therefore incredibly important for feral cats, and one of the best ways to prevent them from leading lives that are short and marred with suffering. Nonetheless, at Catcuddles, we believe that a life spent in a home will always be preferable to a life spent on the streets, and so we are among the minority of rescue centres that do attempt to socialise and rehome young ferals, in spite of the considerable commitment of resources it requires.

Cats are domestic animals, and as the species responsible for domesticating them, we have a duty of care to them. Although neutering will improve their overall health and quality of life, feral cats are still at risk of injury from road traffic accidents, they are still often without a regular source of food, and they will still likely go without veterinary treatment should they become unwell or injured.

We don’t feel that this is acceptable.

As a result of their keen wild instincts, feral cats are also prolific hunters, and may predate on wildlife due to a lack of alternative food sources. This can negatively impact biodiversity and is yet another, often overlooked argument in favour of both neutering and socialising and rehoming feral cats where possible.

Why are feral kittens such a challenge for rescue centres?

As mentioned, feral kittens require weeks, if not months, of direct, hands-on contact from specially trained volunteers in order to acclimate them to interaction with humans.

However, even after weeks of intensive socialisation with experienced foster carers, formerly feral kittens will often remain timid and shy around new people. They almost always require understanding and dedicated adopters, willing to continue socialising them in their new homes.

Unfortunately, since so many people approach the adoption process with an image of a perfect, cuddly kitten in mind, adopters willing to continue the work of socialising shy kittens are often very difficult to find.

Alternatively, rural, largely outdoor homes, such as farms or smallholdings, offer an alternative for ferals, when socialising them isn’t an option. In such a set-up, a feral cat will have a regular source of food, monitoring for illness and injury, and the option of an indoor space to access for shelter and warmth. However, these homes are also extremely hard to come by, particularly for rescue centres that are based in cities.

As a result, even after they have begun to trust and bond with humans, ex-feral kittens may endure a long wait for a new home, taking up rescue spaces for months that long waiting lists of cats are often in desperate need of. They require huge amounts of time, resources, funds and volunteer hours to both socialise and rehome.

So what’s the solution?

There is an obvious way to prevent so many feral cats from being born, and being in need of neutering, socialising, and rehoming, at great cost and difficulty for rescue centres.

Simply neuter your cat before you let them outside for the first time.

Failing to neuter not only impacts the welfare and health of your individual cat, it has the potential to impact cats everywhere. Until the public at large understands the ripple effect of their irresponsible cat ownership, feral cat populations will continue to grow, cats will continue to suffer, and rescue centres will continue to struggle, day in and day out, to repair the damage wrought by these careless decisions.