Cats roaming freely outdoors raise questions about their status. These animals exist in various settings, from urban alleys to rural landscapes. Understanding if they are wildlife or domestic animals is important for their welfare and the broader ecosystem.
Defining Feral Cats
A feral cat is a domestic cat (Felis catus) that lives outdoors and largely avoids human contact. Unlike stray cats, which may have been socialized to humans, feral cats are unsocialized and wary of people. They are self-sufficient, finding their own food, water, and shelter. This behavior stems from never having had human contact or having lost it over time. While the same species as a pet housecat, their lifestyle distinguishes them from owned domestic animals.
Classification as Wildlife
Feral cats are not classified as wildlife, both biologically and legally, because they are a domesticated species. Biologically, the domestic cat (Felis catus) evolved from the ancestral wild species (Felis silvestris) through domestication processes beginning around 7,500 years ago. Despite their independent outdoor existence, they remain genetically domestic animals. Legally, most jurisdictions classify feral cats as domestic animals, unowned property, or a public nuisance. Some state statutes specifically exclude domestic cats from wildlife definitions. This means laws governing native wild species, such as those related to hunting or habitat protection, do not apply to feral cats.
Ecological Impact on Native Species
Despite their domestic origins, feral cats function as efficient predators, significantly impacting native wildlife. They are considered an invasive species worldwide, introduced to environments where native animals often lack defenses. Feral cats hunt a wide array of prey, including birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Their predatory activities contribute to declines in native wildlife populations and have been implicated in numerous extinctions, particularly on islands. For instance, cats have contributed to the extinction of at least 33 bird species globally and impact at least 124 threatened mammal species in Australia. Studies estimate that feral and domestic cats kill billions of birds and mammals annually in countries like the United States and Australia. Beyond predation, feral cats can also transmit diseases and parasites to native wildlife, further disrupting ecosystem health.
Community Management Strategies
Given their status as domestic animals with ecological impacts, communities employ various strategies to manage feral cat populations. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs are a common approach, involving humanely trapping cats, spaying or neutering them, vaccinating them, and returning them to their outdoor habitat. A small portion of the cat’s ear is tipped during surgery to identify it as sterilized and vaccinated. These programs aim to stabilize and gradually reduce populations by preventing further reproduction. Adoption initiatives are another approach, particularly for socialized stray cats and kittens that can be integrated into indoor homes. In some contexts, removal programs are implemented, especially in sensitive ecological areas where the impact on native wildlife is severe. The goals of these strategies include controlling population growth, reducing nuisance behaviors, and mitigating predatory effects on native species.