A study of 42 cats by University of Illinois over two years showed a mean home range for pet cats just under 4.9 acres. Stray cats are friendly cats that may appear to be unowned or abandoned, when in fact they could be owned cats out roaming the neighborhood. And left in their natural habitat, cats are beneficial by providing natural rodent control. It prevents unwanted kittens, therefore breaking the breeding cycle, allows the cats to live out their lives in their own territory, and over time actually results in a reduction of the cat population.

The most effective and humane way of dealing with neighborhood cats is leaving the cats where they are and having them spayed or neutered. It is an ineffective use of taxpayer dollars to trap, hold and then euthanize feral cats. Removing cats from an area is not a good long-term solution as the void left by the cats removed will soon be filled by more cats - or other species such as raccoons, opossums or skunks (the 'vacuum effect'). Because feral cats are unsocialized and therefore not adoptable, bringing feral cats to the shelter is not the best option as they will most likely be euthanized. Whatever their origin, most survive where there is food and shelter and do well in a variety of settings, from urban to rural.Ĭats living in the neighborhood, whether friendly or feral, owned or not, are referred to as 'neighborhood' or 'community' cats.

Feral cats can still have a caregiver, someone who is providing food and shelter, or they may seek food and shelter on their own, and consider the neighborhood to be 'home'. These cats may have been former house cats (pets) or may have been born to former house cats or other feral cats. Feral cats are cats that are unsocialized and avoid human contact because they have never had human contact, or over time have lost contact with people.

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