Humans moan about feral cats, but human carelessness created them

Every day on the online news media - every damned day (yes, I am annoyed) - we see hundreds of articles on local, state and federal newspapers and from other countries particularly Australia, about feral cats and the nuisance that they cause. The biggest complaint about feral cats is that they kill birds. But of course, they kill other animals too, sometimes native species, which really irritates local authorities and going higher up to federal authorities.

This sort of picture annoys millions of people, and they blame the feral cat. Let's go one back and blame the people who are careless cat owners. Image in the public domain.

They moan and moan and they criticise feral cats over and over again. The dreaded feral cat is a constant concern to the authorities. They speak of feral cats as if they are monsters from another planet. They just arrived out of the ether, and they are a damned nuisance.

The old saying 'don't shoot the messenger' comes to mind. The feral cat is the bringer of bad news to people in the community. They don't tell citizens the bad news through vocalisations but by their presence. The bad news is that careless people created the feral cat.

But it would help if the people who moan about feral cats sat down and counted to ten and reflected on why feral cats exist and the reason is...wait for it...human carelessness and negligence. They should then moan about the people who caused the feral cat problem! And leave the innocent, persecuted victim - the cat and the messenger - alone or at least treat them decently unlike the bloody Aussies.

If the news media and the local authorities are going to moan about feral cats, they have to moan about people as well because they are the root cause of the problem.

And I want to see some more moaning about people and I don't want to see the feral cat victimised over and over again by ignorant journalists who don't really get to the bottom of these problems. They simply regurgitate what they read on some other online news media site. The articles are often written by a person with very skimpy knowledge of cats and without an opinion of their own.

Let's drill down and see why feral cats exist. It goes back to the beginning in Australia when migrants came to the country, but the problem has been perpetuated and exacerbated to further carelessness in domestic cat ownership and therefore when you talk about feral cat nuisance and that they need to be either eradicated or humanely euthanised after being trapped (or just shot), you have to talk about proactive steps to stop more feral cats being created. 

That can only take place through education. It has to be widespread education, probably part of the general school curriculum if you really want to get to the bottom of the problem.

You have got to change attitudes, fundamental attitudes in a small section of society because it is only in a small section of society, perhaps around 5% of cat owners, who spoil it for everybody else by not spaying and neutering their cats to ensure that they don't procreate. And by limiting the number of cats that they possess. In short, showing some self-discipline and demonstrating to others that they care about cat welfare and are not self-indulgently simply acquiring cats willy-nilly without proper controls and management.

There are even some people - even today - who believe that a female cat needs to have babies before she can be complete which is pure mumbo-jumbo. If all the people who think that that their female cats need to have babies, you have a cat problem and some of those kittens will grow up to be adult cats that are unwanted and some of them will become feral cats.

The more you read about domestic and feral cats the more you have to conclude that the domestication of the Middle Eastern wildcat has been a failure. This is because half the world's population of "domestic cats" are actually feral cats. So, if there are 500 million domestic and feral cats in the world, there are at least 250 million feral cats and that might be a conservative number.  It was never meant to be this way, but humans have learned to reluctantly accept feral cats which means they accept a ton of misery in animals that were created out of negligence.

Although we do not know the number of domestic and feral cats in the world. We have to guess. But my guess is that there are more feral cats than domestic cats when looking at all the world's domestic and feral cats.

This is because in Asia and specifically in India the majority of cats are 'community cats'. They are semi-feral. They are not true domestic cats. They are sometimes fed but they are not taken the veterinarians when they become sick. There is little or no medical care. The level of care to community cats is average-to-poor to very poor.

Two feral cats are desperate to come in the house

A woman on the mumsnet.com website has befriended a couple of stray cats. She calls them feral cats but they might not be. She wants advice about it. She plans to let the cats come into and use her utility room by putting a cat flap in the door to that room. She is asking about how to arrange that and whether to put down a cat letter.

My answer on the mumsnet.com website is repeated below. I think the point that needs emphasising really is that once you get involved with caring for 2 stray, feral or wandering domestic cats you then become their caregiver and by your behaviour you have adopted them. 

You then have the responsibility to be their caregiver for the rest of their lives. Therefore, this particular moment in time for this woman is a very big one. It will change her life to a certain extent. It depends if she has a cat already.

Indeed, if she has a cat or cats already, adopting to strange cats might cause quite a big problem. She might be lucky but it is likely that the resident cat or cats with object quite strongly to the "invasion" of their home range by these two cats. This will cause quite a big complication for the lady in addition to caring for two cats at the same time.

Two feral cats are desperate to come in the house. She wants to care for them. Photo: mumsnet user: Swifey40.

Below is my answer to the question:

It is probably wise to check that they are genuinely not owned which means checking for a microchip. You can buy a microchip scanner on Amazon for about £30 which I think is better than going to a veterinarian to check because it would be difficult if they are genuinely feral cats.

However, if they are amenable to be placed in a cat carrier and taken to a vet, it might be useful because when checking for a microchip you can also ask the vet to check their health briefly for any obvious signs of injury or illness.

If they pass that test, once you let them into your utility room and feed them and look after them you will have two more cats for the life of the cats which is a big responsibility but it seems that it is one that you are prepared to take on.

I think you can train them to use the cat flap quite easily by leaving it open and putting food on the other side of it. And then after a while you close the cat flap and they will be motivated to get through it in the usual way.

As they are outdoor cats, I don't think you need to put down a litter tray at the moment. And if when you adopt them, they are indoor/outdoor cats, once again, you, strictly speaking, don't need to have a litter tray for them.

Although, it is said that a litter tray is useful in being able to check cat poop which allows you to diagnose some potential health problems as they develop. But that's a fairly minor advantage to set against the disadvantages of cat litter which are environmental and cost for example. Also, cat litter can be dangerous to cats because of the dust that they kick up and ingest.

Good luck and well done by the way for being so concerned about them. That's very good of you.

Postscript. I have an afterthought. If you have a cat or cats already the adoption of two new cat into your home of course will cause potential problems. Sometimes resident cat dislike this tremendously because strange cats are coming onto their territory, their home range. Just an afterthought which came to me a moment after I published my comment.

What would your answer be? I would be pleased to hear from you.

Why are some street cats afraid of humans while others are friendly?

This is a question asked on a social media website and it is an easy one to answer so I can be brief. It is all about socialisation. The street cats, or let's call them feral or semi-feral cats, who are afraid of humans are those that have not been socialised to humans. It is likely, therefore, that these feral cats have been born in the wild and never had the chance when they were newborn kittens to interact with humans and learn that humans are friendly and not to be feared. 

That, of course, is provided that the humans with whom they interact are indeed friendly! And there is also the issue of the personalities of the cats. Some are more confident than others. Timid cats are more likely to be fearful of strangers. But the biggest factor by far is socialisation.

It is part of a cat breeders job to ensure that this process takes place. Without it a cat cannot be a human companion.

Child protects a street cat from the rain. Image: Tumblr.

The way you socialise any cat to a human is to ensure that they are around humans and are interacting with humans as much as possible when they are very young and then they learn quickly that they are safe to be in the company of humans. It is quite likely, too, that some feral cats have the exact opposite experience and are therefore justifiably afraid of humans. That's because a lot of humans dislike feral cats.

RELATED: Kitten development – comprehensive discussion.

Those street cats who are friendly to humans are probably stray domestic cats who have been fully socialised to humans (stray domestic cats) or semi-feral cats that are part of a TNR program during which they interact with volunteers who care for them and ensure that they are spayed and neutered. So, it is all about early interactions with humans which if good ensures that the cat is unafraid when in their company.

RELATED: Sensitive Period of Socialisation for Kittens.

In some countries, there are street cats which are in between true feral cats and domestic cats. These are semi-feral community cats who are looked after by people in the community such as shopkeepers. The trouble is that they're not looked after in a complete sense. They are fed but the caregiving does not extend to veterinary treatment and therefore they must have shorter life spans on average than normal domestic cats.

Cyprus: where feral cats outnumber humans

NEWS AND COMMENT-CYPRUS: Cyprus is the place where archaeologists excavated evidence of the first domesticated wildcat. It is believed that the deceased person brought his 'domestic cat' over from the mainland. This would have been a domesticated wildcat and it happened about 10,000 years ago. And now Cyprus is in the news again. They don't know how many feral cats they have but at a rough estimate they think it could be a similar number to the human population of the island which is 1.2 million.

Sadly, Cyprus has a reputation-a long-lived reputation-of having too many feral and stray cats. They are known for it. But it seems that the government has continuously brushed the problem under the carpet. Perhaps they think that it is a tourist attraction! I don't think it can or should ever be a tourist attraction.

Is the breeding season for cats extended in Cyprus? We know that oestrus is brought on by extended daylight hours after shorter hours of daylight. And temperature has a role in inducing ovulation in domestic and stray cats. Perhaps the climatic conditions of Cyprus induces oestrus more efficiently than in the northern European states?

REALTED: Cats may have been first domesticated 14,500 years ago.

Stray and feral cats of Nicosia. Photo: Cyprus Mail.

And when there are that many feral and stray cats sitting around and wandering around the streets of Cyprus you are bound to get the odd person who wants to kill them and abuse them. And in any case, it is simply cruel to create or to allow to create feral cats in these numbers because they live tough lives. No doubt they depend upon kind people to feed them but they're not going to receive veterinary care unless under exceptional circumstances.

What I like about the story is that the policymakers of that island i.e. the politicians, see that the solution is to put money into TNR programs. They admit that the current funding of TNR programs on the island is far too low. They are spaying and neutering between 1500-2000 cats annually. At that rate, is estimated, it will take between 500-600 years to spay and neuter 1 million+ stray and feral cats.

The European Union has a target of 75% stray cats to be sterilised. The government of Cyprus is going to increase state funding of TNR to €100,000. The opposition party states that that is not enough. It almost certainly isn't enough. By the look of it, it is far too little, actually.

What is nice about this discussion is that the government is looking at TNR and not looking at killing stray and feral cats which is the policy in Australia. I don't see any discussion about mass slaughter in online news media. That, at least, is a step in the right direction. And it disheartening to think that the government is involved in TNR. When governments get involved and help volunteers and NGOs you get more effective TNR programs. In the case of Cyprus, it has to be an island-wide TNR coordinated programme. It has to be organised carefully. That is the way I see it working out.

However, Cyprus is well known as having a feral and stray cat problem as does neighbouring Greece. It must be the climate. These warm climates allow feral cats to survive more easily but the back story is straightforward: it's the people of the island who carelessly allow their cats to procreate. If every Cypriot sterilised their domestic cat and looked after them properly, there will be no feral cats. Every feral cat anywhere is the result of careless cat ownership, at root.

Clearly, the government of Cyprus has under-prioritised the feral cat problem. This is completely to be expected. Feral cats are low down the priority list for government expenditure. But there comes a time when something has to be done and that moment appears to have arrived.

And as mentioned, when you have a high visibility of unknown cats wandering around the streets, you're bound to get animal cruelty. There are often reports of stray cats and indoor/outdoor domestic cats being severely mistreated. This puts pressure on the government to tackle the problem because otherwise they are condoning animal abuse through inactivity.

For example, in January 2021, members of the public reported that up to 11 cats were killed near a cat café in Oroklini. And in August a person was arrested for killing a cat. A recent high-profile case has emerged from Greece in which a man kicked a cat into the sea by Taverna. 

The crime was videoed and uploaded to social media where it sparked outrage. As I recall that man has been arrested and charged. The news media states that he faces 10 years in prison. That will not happen believe me. In Greece, an act of animal cruelty can lead to a maximum of 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of €50,000. How many times is the maximum punishment dished out? Never, I would argue.

Taming wild feral cats and kittens - long discussion on socialising

Taming wild feral cats and kittens takes time, patience and commitment but the rewards are potentially high. Cat breeders ensure that their kittens are socialized by gentle and nurturing contact with humans and other pets during the first 3-9 weeks of their lives. This is the time to ensure the kitten becomes truly domesticated. Domestic cats are wild cats at heart and the wild is never far away.

Image in public domain.

This tells us what to do in taming wild feral cats and kittens. Feral cats will require a different taming process than kittens (longer and more arduous).

See 150 and more articles by visitors on feral cats

Taming wild feral cats and kittens - Kittens

Feral kittens are easier to tame if carried out within the first 3-9 weeks of life. It seems that shelter volunteers prioritize the kittens that are more likely to be tamed. Kittens over 5 months of age are neutered and returned to the feral colony normally.

After recovering the feral kitten, he/she should be placed in a pen or perhaps an unused box room. A suitable cage might be a bit like a cat carry cage but bigger and without a top. The room should be one that feels secure to a frightened animal but where they ideally would see people but in a controlled and gentle manner. This is a very gradual and secure introduction to the human race (what a shock!). This said the entirety of a small flat is probably okay if there are no other occupants other than the person doing the 'taming' but they tend to hide where they can't be found!

CLICK THIS TO LISTEN TO YVETTE ON HER THOUGHTS ON SOCIALISING FERAL CATS IN AUSTRALIA.

Social contact with the kittens should be gentle and quiet using a quiet and friendly voice. Cats get used to a voice and recognize it as friendly and will warm to it. The tone of a voice is very important in my experience. When out of the room the sound of a radio talk show will speed up the process of familiarization to human activity and presence. I think it fair to say that underpinning the whole process is patience, friendliness and gentleness backed up with good food!

I have always found that it is not a good idea to put one's outstretched fingers towards a strange cat. This can look aggressive and dangerous to a cat and it hurts when your fingertips get nipped! Better to approach (from the front) with the back of the hand which they can smell and get accustomed to. The same would apply to a feral kitten. Alternatively approach from above and behind and stroke the head and upper back. I find cats are more likely to feel OK with stroking if you stay high up on the body (e.g., shoulders, back of head, rather than rump, legs, hind legs etc.).

It may also be a good idea to first start stroking when the cat is distracted i.e. when eating! And using one finger gently at first perhaps. The whole contact thing needs to be very restricted and gently initially building from there. I have seen rescuers use fake mini-hands on sticks. Same thing but safer. This one looks as if it is on a finger.

Taming wild feral cats and kittens using a fake mini-hand as a safe way of first touching to acclimatise the cat to the human touch. Image: Screenshot.

Caution is the byword. And if we get scratched, we shouldn't complain or shout or blame the kitten. It will have been our fault. It is so important to keep things friendly otherwise we just scare them some more and put back the entire process.

Food is useful in the bonding/socializing process. Food should be the kind that a feral cat would normally eat only a healthier version of it. So, it might include the kind of food we throw out as feral cats often raid dustbins and waste areas or restaurant kitchens etc. In other words, suburban feral cats live off cooked human food waste such as cooked chicken and fish. 

Morsels of this kind of food can be fed to the kitten together with a more balanced food (high quality, if affordable, commercial wet food). The cooked human food is being used as a means to bond with the cat. The kitten will begin to look upon us as a cat and mother.

The room should be safe, meaning no escape routes or small spaces and openings into which a frightened kitten might try and hide.

In time the kitten can be taken out of the pen (some people don't use a pen - just a secure room) and play and handling can commence. Handling cats properly is important whether they are feral or not. If a cat is mishandled, she will feel insecure and uncomfortable and try and jump down. 

Handling should provide good support to the cat. You can even pick up a kitten (not an adult) by the scruff of the neck (carefully) to mimic the actions of a mother cat moving her young to a safe place. Also, some cats do not like going on a human's lap. This applies to any cat feral or domesticated cat. A cat should not be forced to go on our laps is she doesn't like it. It may never happen for that particular cat.

Care obviously needs to be exercised when handling so as to not frighten the kitten and nothing should be forced. If the kitten doesn't want to be picked up, fine. Wait for the next day. It's got to be gradual and at the cat's pace. Returning the kitten to the safe haven of his/her pen will should calm things down if she becomes frightened and feel insecure.

Feral cat who has been socialised and come in from the harsh wildlife which has reduced the stress and which is apparent on his face. Image: MikeB

Taming wild feral cats and kittens is not achievable sometimes. This is not a failure on our part. After all domestic cats are essentially tamed wild cats and some want to stay wild. At a certain point in time the kitten will behave like a domestic cat. If the kitten is to be re-homed and therefore have new human parents, the new parents would ideally be involved in the latter stages of the taming process to ease the transference otherwise the cat may become bonded to the cat tamer too much, making re-homing more difficult.

In the process of taming wild feral cats and kittens, changes in environment will upset the cat, however (this also applies to any cat). So, if we move home or the cat is re-homed it will take a long time to adjust. Cats like routine as it provides a sense of security. This applies to us too.

As to litter training, cats have a natural propensity to use litter as it replicates the kind of material (earth) on which they would normally do the business. And they are clean animals so doing it in the litter pleases the cat. Litter training is therefore relatively straightforward and if not, it may be due to stress or an illness (which may be stress related such as Cystitis). This part of taming wild feral cats and kittens should be the least of your problems.

It is presumed that all the necessary steps with respect to cleaning, removing fleas etc. etc. have been carried out. Feral cats will almost certainly have lots of fleas and possibly other parasites (as well as other health issues such as URIs). All these need to be dealt with by skilled people before taming wild feral cats and kittens begins.

A semi-domesticated feral cat. Image: in public domain.

Feral Cats

When bearing in mind the numbers of feral cats destroyed in shelters every year (in the USA over 2 million (as at around 2012 but coming down. Yes, a massive number) it would seem that the human race has more or less given up on socialising feral cats. With the endless supply of cats from unneutered domestic cats, it seems that the only practical solution is to destroy feral cats. 

This is the state of affairs we find ourselves in through a lack of wide ranging, government led, proactive measures over a long period of time. The point is that in taming wild feral cats and kittens we are trying to turn the clock back for these animals and it may be too late or the wrong thing to do.

The prognosis for the outcome of taming wild feral cats is not that good. As mentioned, it is really too late for some feral cats. These cats are hard wired wild cats. It could be argued that it is cruel to try and tame them. To what purpose are we trying to tame them? To improve their lives is the answer. But taming a feral cat may in fact achieve the opposite as a domesticated environment may be too stressful for the cat. 

Let's think of all the wild animals in zoos. Most often these animals have significantly shortened lives in captivity. The trouble with feral cats is that they are betwixt and between domestication and true wild animals. They are not truly suited to the wild as we have domesticated them yet the wild in them allows them to behave as wild animals. We created this uncomfortable situation for feral cats.

It is, though, possible to find a place, an environment that is, in effect, between the wild and domesticity, namely on a farm. A farm cat can live near humans and serve humans by being a mouser. A farm cat can choose when to socialize with humans. It would seem to be an ideal compromise and is a throwback to the beginnings of domestication of the true wild cats some 10,000 years ago. This is where some tamed or semi tamed feral cats should live.

However, not all feral cats are untameable. There is a spectrum of types of feral cat from the fairly recently abandoned cat who has become a stray cat (and beginning to become wild and feral) to the hard-core feral cat who has been born in the wild and knows nothing different. Taming wild feral cats and kittens of the former type will obviously offer a much higher chance of success.

Shelter or Organised Environment

In should go without saying that the first port of call is a veterinarian to check out heath and neutering. Cleanliness and parasites are next. For the first three days it is generally recognized that a feral cat should be caged and the person doing the taming should allow the cat to become accustomed to him/her by her presence, voice and smell (leaving an article of clothing that has been worn). Interesting bits of food (cooked human food) will encourage the formation of the relationship. Although real cat food should be feed on a more permanent basis. Real cat food is flesh and other bits of an animal which commercial cat food does a rather poor job in replicating.

Some feral cats may recognize a litter tray, while those born feral won't and if they are purely city feral cats may not cover feces. This is not an issue though. It may be wise to initially place earth in the litter tray (potting compost) and then gradually introduce litter (clay litter) in a mix. A feral cat should use the litter but may use soft bedding so initially it may be best to avoid putting soft bedding in the cage. Clearly only we can assess how frightened and defensive the cat is. This may translate to aggression, which should not of course be punished. Precautions may need to be taken like wearing long thick gloves.

Once the feral cat is using a litter the cage can be opened and the long stage familiarization begins. This involves gradually getting to the stage where we can touch the cat. Taming wild feral cats and kittens is a slow gentle process so nothing should be forced. Our simple presence, food and friendly voice and our smell will do the trick in due course. Reaching out to touch should be done with caution and common sense - slowly, gently and low down with the back of the hand or fingers clasped.

Private Environment

It may be the case that we bump into a feral cat who has been raiding our food supplies or waste food. These cats may be not at the extreme end of wild but fully stray cats nonetheless. Initially they will probably run if they see us. But if there is a bit of domestication in them, they will respond, I have found, to the sound of a low, quiet and friendly voice. Placing food out will start to create a routine for the cat. This routine will naturally develop to a relationship over time. And the time frame should be relaxed and long. Eventually they will let us touch them but we should always approach very carefully initially, approaching slowly with the back of the hand and at a low level. We are giants and frightening, so we should lower ourselves to their level and become generally less threatening.

A cat will instinctively want to make survival easier and if there is food and warmth (in cold weather) he will return and become friendly. Eventually he will rub against you and purr. Then he is saying, Hi there, I'm back and where's my breakfast? This is after all how the wild cat became domesticated at the beginning.

Taming wild feral cats and kittens - Source:

• Own experiences
• Adopted from a Sarah Hartwell article

Waseca Police Department will no longer transport and impound feral cats. Discuss.

NEWS AND COMMENT-WASECA, MINNESOTA, USA: This is an interesting little snippet of a feral cat story coming out of America. The Waseca Police Department has in the past been handling feral cats; specifically transporting and impounding feral cats. It seems that they have been involved in the management of feral cats by taking them off the streets and sticking them in shelters. A version of animal control as I understand it.

Generic police car image in the public domain.

Waseca Police Dept. announced:

Starting today, with the guidance of the City Council at their January 18th meeting, The Waseca Police Department will only transport and impound cats with collars. Hopefully, their collars will also have a City of Waseca license on it since cats should be licensed with the Waseca Police Department (City of Waseca ordinance 95.17). The Waseca County Sheriff’s deputies will no longer impound cats from the County.

They've announced a change in their policies. They have declared on Facebook that they will no longer be transporting and impounding cat without collars because of the cost to their organisation and because it's inhumane to place feral cats in shelters. There is also the additional and unjustified cost they say of keeping feral cats in shelters where they will often be unadopted. No doubt many of them are killed anyway.

As we start 2022, we would like to share with you some important decisions regarding the impoundment of feral cats by...

Posted by Waseca Police Department on Wednesday, January 26, 2022

They refer to "cats with collars". What they are saying, on my understanding, is that feral cats don't have collars and therefore it's a sign that they are feral cats. Whereas domestic cats have collars and therefore they don't mind transporting domestic cats to shelters.

I find this to be very odd. What percentage of domestic cats have collars? It might be quite a low figure. There are many stray cat without collars who are owned cats.

On the basis of what I have read their policy is too imprecise to be effective. If it simply turns on whether the cat wears a collar or not it is certainly not going to work properly. 

The police have addressed this issue by requesting that residents get a collar for their cat:

Here are some suggestions: If you are a cat owner, please license your cat and place that license on a collar and put it on your cat(s). There are some exceptionally good collars on the market that will not bring harm to your cats.

Note: it seems that they have a cat licensing policy in the city. I hate to say it but cat licensing does not work; too hard to enforce.

They received some reaction from residents of the area. My gut feeling is that the residents don't understand the change in policy properly.

Arguably, in any case, the police should not be involved in managing feral and domestic cats in this way. That should be the work of people specialising animal welfare such as TNR volunteers and Waseca County Animal Humane Society. There are many charities that deal with these matters. In America, as I understand it, it is the ASPCA.

The police should be focusing on crimes against animals, people and property. That is their core business. Rescuing feral cats would seem to be outside of their core business.

Comments please 😉.

Feral cat eats a small Australian native mammal and is poisoned by a PPI

The Aussies have created another novel way of killing feral cats. They spend many thousands of hours dreaming up new ways and this is the latest. They inject into a native small mammal such as a bilby, a rice-sized implant. They call them population protecting implants or PPIs. They are placed under the skin of the animal. These small mammals are dinner-sized creatures for the feral cats of the Australian continent.

Note: this is me reporting and commenting on the news. Journos call them op-eds.

Bilby - Credit: UniSA.

When inside the prey animal nothing happens. The pellet is covered by a protective coating. It contains a toxin derived from a natural poison in native plants. PPIs are harmless to tolerant native mammals they say.

However, once the mammal is eaten by a feral cat they become a deadly toxin as the implant is activated in the predator's stomach. They don't tell me how that transformation from a passive object under the skin becomes a deadly poison in a cat's stomach. I guess it must be the stomach acid of the feral cat which breaks down the coating.

Neither am I told whether the poisoned cat dies an agonising death or quietly. I'll presume it is the former but who cares 😕.

Thought: when my cat eats a mouse he leaves the gall bladder as it contains bile. Will feral cats learn to leave behind the PPI when they eat the bilby? They might. If so the project would be an expensive washout.

The technology has been developed by the University of South Australia. The objective: to curb feral cat predatory behaviour. It is the small ground dwelling mammals who are most at threat and it seems to me which most concern Australia's conservationists. It seems that the ulterior or higher objective is to teach feral cats that these small mammals are poisonous and therefore to be avoided.

Feral cat Australia. Photo: Pixabay.

Two other native species in this bracket are the bettong and quoll. They've been forced to think about alternative methods of controlling feral cats because current schemes to remove them from the landscape have had limited success. This is despite throwing frozen sausages containing 1080 poison from helicopters. This particular poison causes a painful death. That doesn't concern the scientists of Australia.

The University has collaborated with researchers from local ecology groups, Ecological Horizons and Peacock Biosciences and the University of Adelaide.

At present 30 bilbies have been implanted with PPIs at the Arid Recovery. This is a 123 km² wildlife reserve in the north of South Australia. This is a trial. The results will hopefully prove the effectiveness of this technology.

Comment: it seems to me that they have to trap these small mammals to implant the PPI. That is going to take a lot of effort and money. Will the reward i.e. the killing of a single feral cat each time be commensurate with the financial and manpower cost? My prediction is that this is cost ineffective and it is a project that will fizzle out. Unless feral cats, as mentioned, learn that these mammals are poisonous and avoid them. That would be a major success but it will take a long time.

Feral cats in managed colonies are as healthy as domestic cats

The feral cats in managed TNR colonies in North Florida are as healthy as, if not more healthy than, domestic cats in America according to a study titled Prevalence of infectious diseases and feral cats in northern Florida. I think that information is a little surprising but very good to hear. But I have heard this before from good sources. Peole are told that feral cats live short, diseased and miserable lives with a lifespan of 3 years. PETA push out this information in fact. They are wrong to generalise. They can lead lives as good as those of domestic cats.

The study was examining the most common infectious diseases in feral cats in northern Florida and how they compared with the health of domestic cats. There were 553 participating cats. They came to the following conclusion, in their words:

"Feral cats in this study had similar prevalence of infections compared to those published for pet cats in the United States. This suggests that feral cats assessed in this study appear to be of no greater risk to human beings or other cats than pet cats."

So they are saying that taken as a whole, domestic cats in America are not healthier in terms of carrying infectious diseases than the feral cats of northern Florida when those cats are within a colony cared for by a volunteer under a TNR program. I have added the information about TNR colonies as the report states: 'the results of this study should be interpreted with some caution as the samples were collected from feral cats that were trapped by caretakers for the purpose of neutering'. This must mean TNR programmes.

Ear-tipped feral cat - a badge that he is part of a managed colony and as healthy as a domestic cat. Photo: Pinterest.

That qualification is quite important because feral cats looked after by volunteers certainly improves health. These cats are spayed and neutered and returned to where they came from. Sometimes they are vaccinated and of course during the spaying and neutering operation they can at least be checked out by a veterinarian or vet tech. 

It is probably fair to say that feral cats in a TNR colony managed by volunteers are not entirely typical of all feral cats in America. That said, there are many volunteers managing feral cat colonies performing TNR programs. 

The information, I think, is important because there are many detractors of the feral cat. One of the reasons for criticising the feral cat is that they spread disease. You hear this a lot from residents of any location in America. 

But it seems, on the basis of this study, that they don't spread disease any more than any other cat including domestic cats. And importantly the study indirectly praises TNR programs. It is the kind of information that needs to be presented in council meetings up and down America's towns when discussing how to deal with the ubiquitous 'feral cat problem'. There is hardly a problem if the cats are as healthy as domestic cats and provided they are fed at set times only to avoid attracting wildlife.

The study found that the prevalence of FIV and FelV was lower in feral cats than in domestic cats. They also found that the most prevalent or common infections in feral cats within their study were as follows:

• Bartonella henselae, which causes cat scratch fever in people;
• Feline Coronavirus (FCoV), which is a common viral infection in cats generally asymptomatic which can cause mild diarrhoea. Pathogenic oronavirus ccan lead to feline infectious peritonitis (FIP)
• Mycoplasma spp., which is a bacterial infection usually of the respiratory system and urinary tract, as I understand it;
• D. immitis, which is heartworm, a blood-borne parasite that resides in the heart or adjacent large blood vessels of infected animals;
• T. gondii, which is toxoplasmosis, a well-known, usually asymptomatic disease in cats and in people which has been well discussed on the Internet.

This is a cross post so if you like to look at the first post on this topic then please click on this link. 

And if you'd like to read the original report from the scientists then please click on the link below:

Infectious diseases in TNR colony feral cats in N. Florida 

It is published on the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (2004) 6, 287e296.

Sweet American village of 180 don't know how to deal with feral cats and they argue about it

This is a post which is about drilling down to a small community in Lawrence County, Missouri, United States. It is the village of Freistatt. They have a population of 180. The village goes back to 1884. It's a small community and they have feral cats. The feral cat problem is everywhere.

Freistatt. Photo: Google Maps. A beautiful place.

At a council meeting they argued about how to deal with feral cats. They tried to figure out who was responsible for them. One council member, Richard Knight, told a resident that her complaint about feral cats should be taken to the housing authority because it is not the responsibility of the village council. The recipient of that information, Shannon Jones, disagreed and said that it was the responsibility of the village as a whole as did Debbie Schoen. They are correct.

The Board President, Elmer Conway, said that the village had tried to contract with an animal control organisation. They reached out to try and hire an animal control officer at the city of Mt. Vernon and the city of Monett but they weren't interested.

Board members Holly Hughlett and Larry Howard said that it was impossible to identify a stray or feral cat from a domestic cat. If you're going to catch and control feral cats how can you distinguish them from owned cats? On that basis Mr Howard said he doesn't know how the village can control them. And he said that most cats don't have collars.

Another problem they discussed was the fact that some people at Freistatt Housing fed feral cats. There were two colonies of feral cats living under a shed on the Freistatt housing property. A resident at Freistatt Housing, Schoen, said that she would tell people not to feed feral cats.

It all sounds a bit confused and confusing. And it is a very typical conversation between the managers of the community and the citizens regarding feral cats.

Comment: as there are people who are feeding feral cats, I would have thought it might be possible for those people to be trained on TNR work. They could be volunteers doing trap, neuter and release work on the feral colonies mentioned. This includes feeding them. What I'm suggesting is that they add to the feeding of the feral cats the neutering and spaying of them. This could be paid for by the community.

As part of that process, the cats' left ear flaps are tipped i.e. the top of them are cut off so that people then can identify feral cats from domestic cats. If that process were carried out for 10 years in such a confined are relatively small area as Freistatt, I would hope that the feral cat numbers would go down gradually to the point where they were no longer a subject of discussion in council meetings.

Note: Freistatt, as you can tell from the map, is an isolated village. This would be ideal territory to practice successful TNR because it is an island community. They're just going to need a veterinarian who can provide the spaying and neutering services at a discount. There would appear to be enough volunteers to do the TNR work. The council could pay their expenses. I'm sure the residents of this village would approved because they see that there is a feral cat problem which they want to resolve. A small contribution shouldn't trouble them.

Note 2: Freistatt seems to have been named after a German town.

Source: The Monett Times.

Senoko Energy, Singapore, have an enlightened approach to feral cats

The Straits Times reports that 20 feral cats have made the Senoko Power Station their home last August, in the middle of the Covid pandemic, because adjacent food processing factories had closed. It is pleasing to note that the CEO and president of Senoko Energy, Mr Graeme York, is a self-professed animal lover. He understands how to deal with feral cats in a humane way. He understands TNR and he also allows some feral cats to occupy his business premises.

Beautiful feral cats trapped from Senoko Powerstation under a TNR program. Photo: Cindy Lim.

He said that he is not against a small population of cats occupying the power station provided they are cared for. And quite rightly he says that it is important that they are neutered. The 20 cats that have come across from other businesses included individuals who weren't neutered.

This was picked up by Miss Cindy Lim, the senior vice president and head of legal and compliance at Senoko Energy. With other employees, she cares for about 10 resident cats at the power station. She said that she noticed "a few pregnant cats among the new strays. This got me worried  as, if left unchecked, cat numbers can easily double or triple in a few months."

The site is not ideal because there's lots of heavy machinery and bulldozers. There are rusty metal objects lying around and a couple of cats have suffered injuries resulting in the amputation of limbs. Notwithstanding that, they are being cared for by an enlightened management.

The company contracted with a professional cat trapper who works with the Cat Welfare Society. The unsterilised cats were trapped and sterilised and then returned as per TNR methodology. The Cat Welfare Society say that they have a backlog of TNR cases because of Covid restrictions.

There is no doubt that Covid has had quite a deep impact on TNR feral cat colony management because volunteers have been restricted in their movements. The president of the Cat Welfare Society said that they have a problem and that often businesses with unsterilised feral cats on their sites do not allow them to enter to trap and sterilise them because they are uninformed about TNR.

There seems to be need to educate certain sections of the business world in Singapore on the benefits of TNR which is also described as TNRM, with the last letter denoting "manage".

I'm just pleased to read a story about senior management in a big company being enlightened about how the deal with feral cats on their property. Other businesses would do well to learn from them. Not infrequently, the news media reports on business management employing a contractor, a pest controller, to remove and kill feral cats. This is both inhumane and less effective I would argue because you create a vacuum and more feral cats move into it. The more decent and sensible approach is to manage the population. The cats provide a service in keeping down the rodent population.

The Senoko Power Station is the largest station in Singapore. It is owned by Senoko Energy PTE Ltd. It began operations in 1976. Senoko Energy PTE Ltd is owned by Lion Power Holdings which in turn is owned by a consortium of enterprises led by Japan's Marubeni Corporation.

Residents say that feral cats on this street are causing a foul smell of cat poop. Are they exaggerating?

REIGATE, SURREY, UK - NEWS AND COMMENT: The residents of pretty Nutley Lane, Reigate, UK, have been complaining about the all-pervading pong of feral cat poop that wafts down the entire street and they've demanded that something be done about it. They have got their way. Cats Protection have a team of volunteers who are trapping the cats. They'll be sterilized and vaccinated and relocated away from Nutley Lane.

The stench is "occasionally unbearable and environmentally unsound" according to one resident.

Residents say that feral cats on this street are causing a foul smell of cat poop. Are they exaggerating? Photo: Surrey Live.

Although they've said that the number of feral cats has greatly increased only 5 have been seen by one resident who reported that some residents have installed cat deterrents which emit a sound only audible to cats.

Feral cat numbers do increase because they are unneutered which is where TNR volunteers do vital work. There are no TNR volunteers in Reigate apparently. But Cats Protection will do a good job. They are looking for farmers willing to take on feral and semi-feral cats as mousers and barn cats.

Relocating feral cats can be problematic. I think they'll have to relocate them a good distance from Nutley Lane to ensure that they don't go back.

I have a feeling, but no evidence, that one resident or some residents have made a fuss over this and exaggerated the stink because they saw one or two stray cats and wanted them gone asap. 

There are those who genuinely feel that feral cats spread disease and are a nuisance and others who accept them as part of the community, hence the description 'community cats'.

If they've been there for a while someone is probably been feeding them. Feral cats congregate where there is food. 

Source: Surrey Live.

Iceland has its own discussion about indoor/outdoor cats and feral cats

You might have thought that with the relatively cold temperatures in Iceland that feral cats would not be an issue on that island country but they are. They do exist in that country and I know because the country's Parliamentary ombudsman received a complaint about The Housing Complaints Committee's decision not to restrict free movement of cats in the "summer residence area". I don't know what that means but there appears to have been a parliamentary discussion about restricting domestic cat movement, which I take to mean keeping cats indoors. The ombudsman rejected the complaint which means that domestic cats can wander. The conventional method of cat ownership. There is continual pressure on legislatures to review this status. Uniquely cats are allowed to wander freely - c.f. domestic cats.

ASSOCIATED PAGE: Icelandic government proposes changes to the law regarding feral cats. The information on that page may differ because of sketchy reporting.

Icelandic cat. Photo by Natalia Chrzanowska.

Also, there has been a discussion about the feral cats of that country. One of the points made was that if a TNR volunteer takes care of cats, they are deemed to be owners of those cats. This is a point which has come up before. It is a barrier to the work of TNR volunteers which is so vital in stabilising feral cat populations. That concept has been rejected as I understand it.

They also discussed what is called 'ear-tipping'. This is surgically removing the tip of the left ear of a feral cat to indicate that they have been through the TNR program which includes trapping, vaccination, sterilisation and return to the location from where they came. There appears to be a discussion about whether NGOs were allowed to do it which seems very strange to me but it has been approved. Although sometimes it is done badly and it has been considered to be cruel.

A report on an Icelandic website tells us that, regrettably, feral cats have been exterminated in certain parts of the country. In fact, it states that they have been killed in many municipalities. The reporting is sketchy because it is a translation by Google of Icelandic but it is clear that Iceland has the same polarisation of viewpoints regarding how to deal with feral cats. There are those who want to kill them which doesn't work by the way and there are those who want to deal with them in a more humane way which means TNR, which in turn means ear tipping as mentioned.

It appears to me that in Iceland there are many volunteers as there are in other countries who wish to support feral cats in TNR programs and at this juncture it seems that their argument is winning over the extermination argument. That should always be the case because even though TNR is a slow process, and humankind does not like slow processes, it is the most humane and currently the only known and successful way of dealing with feral cats.

Perhaps one day humankind will be able to genetically engineer feral cats so that they are sterile. That would be I think the best solution. However, the better solution would be for domestic cat caregiving to be of a much higher standard such that domestic cats are never allowed to wander and stray and become feral and procreate. This is the root cause of the feral cat problem in any country. It is a failure in domestication of the cat which causes feral cats to exist.

Cats with concrete pillows

Clearly, this is a couple of street cats but curiously they are using concrete parking stops as pillows.

Cats with concrete pillows. Photo in public domain.

The lumps of concrete are designed to stop a driver driving into the low wall at the edge of the parking lot. The tyres contact these blocks to remind the driver that they are at the limit of the parking area. They remind me of my cat actually. My cat likes to rest his head in this position on my leg. It's an alternative to the curled-up position. However, it does not look that comfortable. I have a feeling that they are siblings. 

Probably like you, when I see this photograph, I want to help them. They should not be living like this. It is an interesting photograph but also a sad one.

For how long have feral cats been in the United States?

Common sense dictates that feral cats have been in the United States since domestic cats have been in the country. And domestic cats have been in the country for less than 500 years. I'm going to be a bit vague because we know that European settlers brought ship's cats. Cats were brought over in the early 1600s but there were earlier settlements. However, we don't know whether there were ship's cats on these boats. I think it is fair say that feral cats have been in the US for less than 500 years, say 400 years.

Early settlers into the USA with a boy playing with a black cat. Image in the public domain.

I think it is fair, too, to state that as soon as domestic cats were landed onto American soil with English settlers, it is likely that they mated and created offspring and some of those offspring became feral. That's a reasonable assumption. They didn't have spaying and neutering of domestic cats in those days. The connection between cat caregiver and cat was looser. Full-time indoor cats were not on the radar.

All the ingredients were there, less than 500 years ago, for the creation of wondering domestic cats leading to stray cats leading to feral cats. To be a bit pedantic, we could argue that around 400 years ago there was one feral cat in America and today they are too numerous to count. Some people say that there are an equal number of feral cats to domestic cats which could put the number of feral cats at around 90 million! I think humankind screwed up cat domestication.

Other people quote much smaller numbers. Dr. John Bradshaw in his book Cat Sense states that the number of stray and feral cats in the United States is somewhere between 25 and 80 million. Feral cats obviously find living in America very conducive to procreation.

This may be because they have some distinct advantages such as decent weather in certain parts of America were it never gets too cold and the numbers are constantly added to by cat straying from the domestic cat population. Also, as they are less fearful of humans than genuine wild cats, they end up scavenging from human waste to sustain themselves when prey is difficult to find.

Thirdly, because feral cats should be domestic cats cared for in the home and because they resemble domestic cat unless they are very dirty, and because there are kind people in America, they are looked after by volunteers in TNR colonies. These good people spend their own money feeding them, neutering and spaying them, vaccinating them and providing veterinary care on occasions. A far cry from the life of the first feral cat.

P.S. Early illustrations of the era normally show dogs but not cats. Dogs were more popular in those days as they were distinctly utilitarian. The feral cat population in Australia is unknown. The authorities believe it is far too big at around 12m.

4 scientists deserve praise for saying the truth about feral cat predation in Australia

This band of four scientists deserve praise for pushing back against the doctrine as disseminated by the Australian local governments and the federal government, which is that feral cats on the continent are decimating native species and killing wildlife in the billions. These four scientists have written an article for the website The Conversation which I think puts the record straight. I've been writing about this for years and it almost seems that they have got some ideas for me but I am being big headed. These are the four I'd like to praise.

• Arian Wallach, Lecturer, Centre for Compassionate Conservation, University of Technology Sydney;
• William S. Lynn, Research Scientist, Clark University;
• Francisco J. Santiago-Ávila, Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Wisconsin-Madison and;
• Joann Lindenmayer, DVM, MPH is an associate professor in the Department of Public Health and Community Medicine at Tufts University

Their article is titled: Don't blame cats for destroying wildlife-shaky logic is leading to moral panic. The moral panic aspect of the title is interesting. It implies that shooting, trapping and poisoning feral cats in Australia is morally unjustifiable. It certainly is. And they mention, as I have, that Australia has declared war on cats, particularly the feral cat. 

Mad bad and sick as far as I am concerned. Man carries tabby feral cat back to where? He's just shot it at night. He's having great fun saving Australia from native species Armageddon at the hands of feral cats. He is a member of the Sporting Shooters’ Association of Australia with a cat he shot. Photo: Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

This has been going on for donkeys' years. It is almost as if the governments of the various states of Australia are minded to indoctrinate their citizens into believing that the feral cat is their enemy. I had the pleasure of interviewing an Australian on the topic of feral cats and she almost recited like a mantra what she's been taught by these governments. Although I respect her point of view.

But the experts that I mention on this page say that they have a shaky case against cats. They said the claim that feral cats kill billions of animals causing a catastrophe in conservation does not stand up to scrutiny. Feral cats fit into the ecology of the Australian continent and it is complex. For example, when humans denude places of its vegetation small animals are more at risk of predation by cats because they can't hide. That is a single example.

And they say the small animals are vulnerable when people kill apex predators such as the feral cat. There is a knock-on effect. In Australia dingoes hunt feral cats which relieves pressure on native small animals, they say. If you got rid of the cats would the dingoes hunt small animals? And cats can contribute to the conservation of endangered birds by killing rats and mice. Rats are very efficient predators themselves and they prey on birds.

They say that cats play different roles in different environments and you can't assume that because feral cats are a problem in one place that they are a problem in all places on the Australian continent.

And you can't extrapolate from one small study about feral cat predation on native species and say that that happens across the entire country. In the words of the experts that I want to praise, they say that "many scientists take specific, local studies and over-generalise those findings to the world at large."

They state that there should be a far more rigorous approach to the study of feral and domestic cats and such studies should be "mindful of the importance of ecological context and avoid the pitfalls of faulty reasoning".

These guys deserve praise because they're pushing back against the conventional mantra of these governments which, as mentioned, is indoctrinating the citizens. It is time that this stops and a far more nuanced approach is taken which is also ethical. Almost everything that these governments are doing in relationship to feral cats are unethical and cruel. Their slogan is to kill them anyway possible. Crude and stupid, I'd say.

Using padded-jaw traps to capture feral cats and then shoot them

One way that Australia's conservationists are controlling feral cats is to trap them in padded-jaw traps. They call this 'live trapping' followed by euthanasia but the euthanasia is a bullet to the brain. If the shot is accurate. Obviously, a padded trap is going to cause much less injury than the standard jaw traps which are excruciating. 

But they admit that these leghold traps cause pain and distress. They can cause injuries and of course padded-jaw traps will trap animals other than feral cats. And therefore, the experts have advice on how to use them to minimise distress and pain (pestsmart.org.au).

Feral cat caught in a padded jaw trap ready to be shot. Photo: Chris Rumpf.

It's quite instructive. For example, once they are trapped feral cats should be killed as quickly as possible. This means inspecting the trapped daily. This prevents the animal dying from exposure or thirst and starvation. The traps can be set in places where there is some shade. Trapping should be carried out in reasonable weather conditions to avoid feral cats being trapped under harsh conditions. 

Trapping should be carried out when females are lactating, I guess to avoid trapping females with dependent kittens. If a female with kittens is trapped, the conservationist should find the dependent kittens and kill them quickly and humanely. That's interesting because there is no attempt in that advise to find homes for the kittens. Feral kittens can be socialised quite easily.

Padded-jaw traps can capture a whole range of non-target animals such as wombats, possums, bilbies, rabbits, kangaroos, ravens and magpies et cetera. Wallabies apparently experience serious injuries while trapped birds and rabbits can be preyed upon by foxes and feral cat. Ironic.

If a non-target animal is trapped and severely injured or suffering from thermal stress they should receive "appropriate attention". They recommend taking the animal to a veterinarian or registered wildlife carer for treatment. If they can't be treated, they should be euthanised. I bet the last option is favoured.

If a domestic cat is caught in a trap, they should be taken to the nearest animal shelter, pound or veterinarian to be examined for their injuries, scanned for a microchip and the owner contacted. Comment: I wonder how they compensate the owner if the cat is injured? Or killed? Do they compensate cat owners under these circumstances? They should do. Technically it would be a crime. It would be the crime of criminal damage but no doubt there are exemptions to the usual criminal law when conservationists kill domestic cats in the furtherance of conservation of native species in Australia.

Padded jaw traps should have no teeth. They recommend no smaller than a .17 calibre rimfire with hollow/soft point ammunition for euthanasia. They are advised also that they can use 12-gauge shotguns with shot size of BB or AAA. The bloody world of conservation in Australia. The feral cat is their arch-enemy.

Should feral cats be regarded as wild cats?

Are feral cats wild animals? No, they are not. It is wrong to regard feral cats as wild cats as one journalist has in an article about TNR in New Zealand (which Kiwis nearly always criticise). Feral cats are really domestic cats that have gone feral. It is important to distinguish between feral domestic cats and true wild cats. They are very different animals. Often feral cats are semi-domesticated at which time they are referred to as community cats.

Feral cats of a well-known Mumbai park. Photo: Mid-day.

A young person may become 'feral' if the parenting is neglectful. Essentially the feral cat is a domestic cat but because they've not been socialised and domesticated, they become fearful of people. This gives the impression that they are wild cats. However, there is a distinct difference between the character of feral cats and wild cats. Note: of course, feral cats are born feral too.

THAT SAID, SOME PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT SOME AUSTRALIAN FERAL CATS HAVE EVOLOVED INTO TRUE WILD CATS!

You can domesticate, through socialisation, a feral cat. It may take a short time if you are dealing with a kitten. If you are dealing with an adult cat, it may take several months or even a year. But it can be done. If you try and domesticate a wild cat you never get to the same point that you would with a feral cat. The wild cat retains their wild character because they do not have 10,000 years of domestication behind them.

10,000 of domestication has resulted, in my view, in the domestic cat carrying that domestication in their DNA. It is gene memory. So, when a domestic kitten is born, all it takes is a little bit of socialisation in the first seven weeks of their life for them to become domesticated. You try doing that with a wild kitten, say a bobcat kitten, and you won't get the same result.

The feral cat and the small wildcat are different animals even if they are pets. Sometimes people like to keep exotic pets and this includes servals, caracals, cheetahs et cetera. These true wild cats always retain a different character when semi-domesticated compared to a feral cat that has been domesticated. Essentially, it is wilder. For the wild cats, that harsh, predator personality is not removed by socialisation.

I say "semi-domesticated" because that is how it happens for the wild cat species when they been socialised. But they feral cat can be completely domesticated to behave exactly like a domestic cat.

Extinction of mammals on islands by introduced domestic and feral cats

When the predation of wildlife by feral and domestic cats is raised as a topic the devastating impact of cats on islands is invariably a major issue. Wildlife species on islands are particularly vulnerable because they are isolated from many of the diseases, predators and parasites that plague mammals on the mainland.

Stewart Island - Photo: Getty Images / tsvibrav

Dr. Bradshaw states that island species account for 83% of all documented extinctions of mammals. However, scientists can only implicate feral cats in the destruction of wildlife on these islands in about 15% of such extinctions. And further, within that 15% of such extinctions to which the blame is only the feral cat, other introduced predators should take their share of the responsibility according to Bradshaw in his book Cat Sense.

He says that mongooses, cane toads and especially rats are equally if not more devastating than feral cats on wildlife predation. Black rats a.k.a. ship rats, it is claimed, can do more damage than any other introduced predator. It is ironic, therefore, that it may be beneficial or there are at least some benefits to not slaughtering feral cats because cats are reasonably effective hunters of black rats according to Dr. Bradshaw.

If you attempt to exterminate feral cats (as is currently the objective of Australian legislatures) you might find that the outcome is far worse than imagined in terms of the population of black rats. He cites the example of Stewart Island off the coast of New Zealand. On that island feral cats have existed for more than 200 years with an endangered flightless parrot called the kakapo (owl parrot Strigops habroptilus). The cats mainly fed on the introduced species of the brown and black rat. Those species of rat have been held responsible for the extinction of several other species of birds in the same area.

Removing the cats in these places might lead to an increase in the rat population which in turn might lead to the extinction of the kakapo.

That's just an example because sometimes eradicating cats from an island can lead to a dramatic recovery in the population of certain vertebrate species. Bradshaw cites examples such as iguanas on Long Cay in the West Indies. Also, deer mice on Coronado Island in the Gulf of California.

Although, there is no doubt that the sheer number of feral cats in most places must have a significant impact on wildlife. The difficulty, as I see it, is quantifying that impact and the way that ornithologists and their organisations latch onto biased or estimated predation rates in rather poor studies to further their agenda which is to in effect kill large numbers of cats.