Frequently Asked Questions:
What is a feral cat?
A feral cat is a cat that has never had any contact with people. She is not socialized to people and survives on her own outdoors. Most feral cats are not likely to ever become lap cats or enjoy living indoors, however, feral cats with consistent caregivers can become very friendly and trusting towards their caregiver.
Feral cats are members of the same species as pet cats—and are therefore protected under state animal anti-cruelty laws. The difference between feral cats and your pet cat is that they have had little or no contact with people, and so they are wary of us, and cannot be adopted. They have a home—outdoors. Feral cats are not adoptable, they should not be brought to animal control or shelters, because they will likely be euthanized.
What is the difference between a feral cat and a stray cat?
Stray cats are socialized to people and can be adopted into homes, but feral cats are not socialized to people and are happy living outdoors.
A stray cat:
Is a cat who has been socialized to people at some point in her life, but has been abandoned or lost her indoor home.
A feral cat:
Is a cat who has either never had any contact with humans. This cat is not socialized to people and survives on its own outdoors.
Kittens born to feral cats can be socialized at an early age and adopted into homes.
Why can’t feral cats be socialized and then adopted into homes?
A feral cat is a cat who never had contact with humans. They are not socialized to people and cannot be touched, except sometimes by a regular caregiver. The ideal window for socializing feral kittens is 10 weeks of age or younger—beyond 10 weeks, feral cats may never socialize completely or at all. As a result, we do not recommend attempting to socialize feral cats older than 10 weeks, unless you intend to care for the cat for its lifetime regardless of its level of domestication. Please never try to domesticate a feral cat with the intention of finding it a home. This can be very detrimental to the animal and generally ends up failing. Feral cats desire to live outdoors, as free roaming animals.
The feral cats I care for are very friendly towards me, why can’t you find them a home?
Over time feral cats can build a very trusting, loving relationship with their caregivers. This does not mean a feral cat has accepted all humans, or that the cats desire to live outdoors has changed.
What happens to feral cats when they are brought to most shelters?
Because feral cats are not socialized to people, they are unadoptable as pets. In most shelters, feral cats are euthanized 100% of the time. There are exceptions, like our own Macomb County Animal Shelter that has instituted a Trap, Neuter, Return program to control the overpopulation of feral cats, keeping feral cats out of the shelter, thus cutting their euthanasia of feral cats down dramatically.
Why doesn’t removing feral cats from an area or euthanizing them work?
Animal control’s traditional approach for feral cats—catching and killing—is endless and cruel, and it does not keep an area free of cats. Cats choose to reside in a location for two reasons: there is a food source (intended or not) and shelter. Because of a phenomenon called the “vacuum effect”, when cats are removed from a location, survivors of the catch and kill effort and new cats who have moved in breed to capacity.
What is a feral cat?
A feral cat is a cat that has never had any contact with people. She is not socialized to people and survives on her own outdoors. Most feral cats are not likely to ever become lap cats or enjoy living indoors, however, feral cats with consistent caregivers can become very friendly and trusting towards their caregiver.
Feral cats are members of the same species as pet cats—and are therefore protected under state animal anti-cruelty laws. The difference between feral cats and your pet cat is that they have had little or no contact with people, and so they are wary of us, and cannot be adopted. They have a home—outdoors. Feral cats are not adoptable, they should not be brought to animal control or shelters, because they will likely be euthanized.
What is the difference between a feral cat and a stray cat?
Stray cats are socialized to people and can be adopted into homes, but feral cats are not socialized to people and are happy living outdoors.
A stray cat:
Is a cat who has been socialized to people at some point in her life, but has been abandoned or lost her indoor home.
A feral cat:
Is a cat who has either never had any contact with humans. This cat is not socialized to people and survives on its own outdoors.
Kittens born to feral cats can be socialized at an early age and adopted into homes.
Why can’t feral cats be socialized and then adopted into homes?
A feral cat is a cat who never had contact with humans. They are not socialized to people and cannot be touched, except sometimes by a regular caregiver. The ideal window for socializing feral kittens is 10 weeks of age or younger—beyond 10 weeks, feral cats may never socialize completely or at all. As a result, we do not recommend attempting to socialize feral cats older than 10 weeks, unless you intend to care for the cat for its lifetime regardless of its level of domestication. Please never try to domesticate a feral cat with the intention of finding it a home. This can be very detrimental to the animal and generally ends up failing. Feral cats desire to live outdoors, as free roaming animals.
The feral cats I care for are very friendly towards me, why can’t you find them a home?
Over time feral cats can build a very trusting, loving relationship with their caregivers. This does not mean a feral cat has accepted all humans, or that the cats desire to live outdoors has changed.
What happens to feral cats when they are brought to most shelters?
Because feral cats are not socialized to people, they are unadoptable as pets. In most shelters, feral cats are euthanized 100% of the time. There are exceptions, like our own Macomb County Animal Shelter that has instituted a Trap, Neuter, Return program to control the overpopulation of feral cats, keeping feral cats out of the shelter, thus cutting their euthanasia of feral cats down dramatically.
Why doesn’t removing feral cats from an area or euthanizing them work?
Animal control’s traditional approach for feral cats—catching and killing—is endless and cruel, and it does not keep an area free of cats. Cats choose to reside in a location for two reasons: there is a food source (intended or not) and shelter. Because of a phenomenon called the “vacuum effect”, when cats are removed from a location, survivors of the catch and kill effort and new cats who have moved in breed to capacity.