Feral cats tend to be not much larger than domestic cats, though male feral cats can grow into very large tom-cats. Overall, feral cats may be slightly larger than domestic cats, but may look leaner depending on the abundance of available food in the area, and the exercise exerted in hunting down that food. If food is short, or the cat has to travel long distances to find food, then of course it will be leaner and thinner.
Feral cats are indistinguishably the same genetically as a domestic cat, though their appearance can be quite different. This is no surprise though as a feral cat, living in the wild, fending for itself, always on the alert for other predators and constantly looking for food, has a very different life from a traditional family-owned pet like a domestic cat.
How Different Are Feral Cats and Domestic Cats?
A domestic cat, is usually a household cat that is tied to a human family, and that family will look after the cat, providing regular food and health care, and love, and in return, the cat will bring pleasure to the family. The cat may work to earn its keep by hunting and irradicating pests like mice or rats that may become a nuisance, so therefore, the cat can feel an essential part of the family. A domestic cat can be a great pet for a family, especially with children, but a cat though, will never be quite as tame as a dog. Cats tend to have their own personalities and idiosyncrasies and the human family tends to adapt to the cat rather than the cat adapting itself to the family.
Feral cats, on the other hand, are not socialized to humans and will be fearful of humans and rarely approach a human even if encouraged. Urban feral cats will tend to live away from people as far as possible, sometimes congregating in a colony in a dilapidated building or at the edge of town. Although some feral cats may be domestic cats gone wild for one reason or another, most feral cats, especially those born in the wild, may have never had any interactions with humans, whether positive or negative, and will flee from or fight against any human that tries to get too close. Feral cats tend to be free-living, hunting and fending for themselves, and therefore their quality of life and health relies a great deal on the abundance or lack of available food in the area where they reside.
Are Wildcats the Same as Feral Cats?
As feral cats were once upon a time, domesticated cats, whom for whatever reason have moved out of touch and proximity of humans and reverted to a wild state, and now live and breed in the wild, and their subsequent generations are wild with little or no interaction with humans, they are still though feral cats. A feral cat is the result of a domestic cat that has gone wild.
Wildcats, however, are breeds of cat that have never had any contact or interactions with humans throughout history. They live their lives completely wary of humans and as they avoid humans at any cost, they are often unseen and unnoticed and therefore their numbers are hard to define, and usually only discovered when their hunting has begun to impact an area or farmland. There are two main species of wildcat, the European wildcat, and the African wildcat.
The global population of wildcats is estimated to exceed 20,000 individuals, though there is increasing worry that the true wildcat is increasingly being threatened by their interactions and breeding with feral cats, as well as localized persecution and their hunting areas being eroded by human expansion into their traditional territories.
Should You Take in A Feral Cat?
If you decide for one reason or another that you have found a feral cat that you want to make a home for, be prepared for a long hard slog, for a cat that has become feral, will never resort back to becoming a nice domestic pussycat. Many experts believe that an adult feral cat can never be tamed. They are wild animals in their feral state, and that is how they will remain, no matter how hard and how much effort you can spend on trying to socialize them into an animal you could call a household pet.
It can be done though, but it will be a long slow process, and may in the end, fail. Remember, most feral cats have never bonded with any human in a positive way. People, in the main, to a feral cat, are considered other predators that they have to defend against, so a feral cat will hiss, bite, and scratch, at any human that comes too close.
If taking in a feral cat is something you are determined to do, then seek professional advice and work out a plan of action, and be prepared to spend a great deal of time slowly building up trust between you and your feral cat. If you have the time and patience, and most importantly, food, then you may make little gains in trust each day until the cat decides that living with you is less of a hardship than fending for itself in the cold harsh world it was used to.
See Also: What Is the Difference Between Feral and Domestic Cats?
And: Why Does My Well Fed Cat Hunt?
Can You Turn a Feral Kitten into A House Cat?
Ultimately, it may depend on the life a feral cat has lived up till now, whether you are successful or not in turning it into something that resembles a family pet. An adult feral cat, while it may be possible to tame after a great deal of time and effort, will never become a totally subdued and cuddly bundle of fur. If you find after much time and effort, that your project to take a feral cat off the streets has failed, then don’t despair too much. You may have a better chance with a feral kitten that has as yet had no negative experiences with humans.
Again, seek professional advice and work out a plan of action. A kitten may be easier to deal with and, for example, take to a vet for a health check, but the kitten has still come from wild stock and will still require a great deal of patience and gentle care until it can become a housecat.
It is estimated there are between 50 – 70 million feral cats in the US, and around a quarter of a million feral cats in urban areas of the UK. So, if your ultimate goal is to take a feral cat off the streets and give it a better life, then there are plenty of feral cats out there to choose from.
Featured image: A Feral Cat Climbing a Tree
