Species-Specific Management (SSM)

Feral Domestic Cats

Va Tech study on feral cats. As residential areas expand and second homes become major dimensions of all forest edges and roadways within Virginia, there is need to know the role of the feral ("wild" domestic cat). The feral cat is a domestic house cat that has been abandoned to live in the wild or born in the wild. It also include free-ranging cats (even though they are cared for by humans). There is little information on feral cats (Felis domesticus) and their effects on wildlife populations. There are relatively few management possibilities for reducing feral cat populations. Recent studies are reported, but it is important to emphasize that other studies are needed to gain a better understanding of feral cat population and how to control them.

Feral cats are extremely efficient at preying on small birds and mammals. To attempt to increase songbird or small mammal populations and to ignore the potential losses to feral cats is not logical. The general public typically only sees cats as a way of removing pest species and as pets, but they are also direct competitors with declining raptor populations and destructive to native species. Even though cats may be fed by humans, they still have an instinct to hunt. Even cats that consume domestic food may kill large numbers of mammals and birds (One such cat killed 1,600 mammals and 60 birds in an 18-month period.) The growth of cat numbers in the U.S. is essentially unrestricted and, according to the Pet Food Institute, the number of cats in the U.S. numbered 42 million in 1981, a 65% increase from the previous decade (Warner, 1985). George (1974) made an admittedly conservative estimate that 10 million cats were present in the countryside and that they removed an estimated 5.5 billion rodents and 2.5 billion other vertebrates per year from 26,000 square miles of land.

The following are possible management techniques:

Adopt old cats from official humane sources. Care for cats as indoor animals.

1. Promote keeping cats only as indoor pets.
2. Education is the most important of the possible management techniques for feral cats. It is necessary to educate the public about the destructive nature of cats to wildlife populations. This might be achieved by television ads and brochures showing local statistics on the damage caused and actual pictures of cat predation. This might be funded by special interest groups like humane societies and/or wildlife societies.
3. Increase sterilization of cats to reduce the possibility of unwanted cats and growth of feral populations. The cost could be offset by funds from local and state governments.
4. De-claw cats to reduce the success of predation. Using special funds will probably be necessary.
5. Place bells on free-ranging cats to reduce predation success This is relatively inexpensive and may warn prey of a cat's presence.
6. Hunt and trap feral cats year-around to disrupt breeding and reduce the population. This will be very difficult because of current feelings about cats by some people.

It is unreasonable to spend large amounts of money and other resources on wildlife management while, at the same time, ignoring the widespread and harmful effects of free-ranging domestic cats.

Colorado State University has a pdf file on the control of feral house cats.

A contribution by Jeremy A. Kessinger (1992) Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 24061-0321 Revised 8-29-98 RHG

See also: www.dfg.ca.gov/hcpb/feralcat.html
www.abcbirds.org
www.wisc.edu/wildlife/e-pubs.html
www.audubon.org
www.hsus.org
www.fiu.edu/%7Eclarkea/students/castillo/ (a Florida MS thesis not supporting feral cat colonies (Miami))

Humor related to the "stray cat."

This Web site is maintained by R. H. Giles, Jr.
Last revision November 5, 2004.