| |
Featured Story
The Predicament of Feral Cats
By Megan Lehman, Forgotten Cats, Inc.
 The mission of Forgotten Cats is to reduce the unwanted cat population without killing and to stop the suffering of the thousands of kittens born to abandoned, homeless cats. The term “feral cat” is used to describe homeless cats living in groups, or colonies. Most of these colonies are the result of un-sterilized domestic cats abandoned by irresponsible owners. The offspring of these homeless domestic cats are considered feral because they live outside with minimal or no human contact. The sad fact is that most homeless kittens live desperate lives of loneliness, fear, and starvation until they eventually die. Those feral cats lucky enough to beat the survival odds are sometimes turned into animal control, only to be euthanized because of overcrowding. Others continue to live outdoors, caught between being domestic and wild.
As long as there is habitat and a food supply, these cats will be with us, living in colonies near restaurant dumpsters, around apartment complexes, and in urban and suburban neighborhoods. Feral colonies provide the major service of rodent control, helping to reduce the spread of disease.
Unfortunately, abandoned domestic cats have few survival skills and are prone to hardships caused by uncontrolled reproduction, hunger, illness, predators, and man-made hazards like automobiles. They often become targets for animal cruelty because they may still trust and approach humans. Unlike wildlife, the population of feral cats continually increases as irresponsible pet owners abandon more unsterilized domestic cats to start new colonies. Owners who allow their unsterilized pets to roam outside add to the feral population.
A female cat can have 2-3 litters of kittens each year, with up to 6 kittens in each litter. Those kittens reach reproductive age as early as 5 months. An unspayed, abandoned female cat can turn into twenty or more cats within a year. Stray cats and feral kittens are often rounded up by concerned people, but in peak kitten season (May to September), the private no-kill shelters are full. Most are taken to SPCAs, which accepts all surrendered animals.
Click here for more information |
