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Felis catus
A feral cat is a descendant of a domesticated cat that has returned to the wild. It is distinguished from a stray cat, which is a pet cat that has been lost or abandoned, while feral cats are born in the wild; the offspring of a stray cat can be considered feral if born in the wild.
We saw this small colony of feral cats in Hatta heritage village, Dubai.
Spotted on Oct 28, 2006
Submitted on Dec 2, 2011
14 Comments
Thank you fede!
Thanks Leuba!
KarenL, thanks for the info. I like pics1 & 4, with the tongue out . It is sad what people do or not do with domestic pets.
Absolutely right Ava! The other crucial thing is for pet owners to neuter their pets - we have so many pregnant strays brought into the shelter where I volunteer simply because their previous owners didn't do this. I sure there are countless kittens born to former house cats that end up adding to the feral problem.
Wherever you live, being part of a trap, neuter, release program for feral cats is the best thing you can do for local wildlife. It brings the number of feral cats down dramatically in just a few years: http://www.feralcat.com/michelle.html and as feral cats are hunters, this is good for birds, lizards and rodents.
Thanks Angela!
Nice pic!
Thanks CherreyMae!
Leuba, Ashish, these were definitely feral. Hatta village is a heritage site but no-one actually lives there. Feral cats hang around the site in the hope of food from the tourists but will run if approached. Some of the older cats there didn't look in particularly great shape but these kittens were very cute.
After Cows, Horses and Dogs... Cats are impacted with Human lifestyle. They are dependent on Human colonies.
KarenL - are these feral or " free-ranging" ?? like the dogs and cats in asian countries. They don't belong to anyone but hang around the towns and villages. They don't feel threatened by people necessarily.
Cherrey if these Cats are urban must categorized as Pets.
That's an interesting info!
They definitely rule our home!
Cat is always my lord. lol