Feral cats, on the other hand, are cats of the domesticated species who have been raised apart from humans or separated too long from human company and have returned to “wild” ways. They cannot be socialized and are not adoptable as pets, although kittens born to feral cats, if taken before about the age of eight to 10 weeks, can be socialized and adopted. Some people attempt to “tame” feral cats in order to make them adoptable, but this has been shown to be virtually impossible, as a feral cat’s nature is to live independently among other cats and to range freely outdoors, avoiding strangers and escaping from confinement. A feral cat may rarely learn to accept human companionship and live inside a house, but it is not the cat’s natural home, and the situation is far more stressful for the cat than living outside in its colony. Further, the amount of resources spent on trying to make a few feral cats adoptable could be better used in other ways, such as spay and neuter services.
To read more on this story, click here: Feral Cats: The Neighbors You May Never See
