Do You Have Feral Cats Where You Live?

Believe it or not, cats are not native to all parts of the world and in many parts of the world, feral cats are the descendants of domestic cats that have been left behind or simply abandoned by travelers and visitors to a particular country. As a result, these feral cats can and probably do cause harm to foreign environments by preying on local species in the same way as they do in our back yards. This may be especially true on isolated islands where ferals have sometimes had a substantial and deleterious effect on the local fauna such as damaging trees and other plants that the native species use.

A clowder of feral cats and kittens

"Feral" is the word we use to refer to an animal that is not friendly when approached by us but it can also be applied to any domesticated animal that has been without human contact for anywhere from a long period of time to its lifetime. Hissing and growling are their self-defensive behaviors which, over time may change as the animal, whether "feral" or "stray", begins their journey towards a mutual trust between the humans that choose to provide food, water and care and the feral cat(s). 


Feral cats and strays differ only slightly in their behaviors especially if the stray cat has not been completely cut off from human interaction. Feral cats, born and living outdoors without any contact or care by people have been tamed to the point of being adoptable provided they are completely removed from their wild environment before their truly feral behaviors have been established and set into their personalities. Such behaviors are set while the kittens are still being raised by their mother as she teaches them to avoid human contact and that people are something to fear.

Feral cats display defensive behaviors and postures towards any person who ventures to come too close to them, then they run and hide.

Feral kitten eating a rabbit

Lifespans of ferals are difficult to determine with any kind of accuracy. One study states a median age of 4.7 years with a possible range somewhere between 0 to 8.3 years; yet other sources claim a mean lifespan of a meager 2 to 8 years before death, rarely from natural causes. For contrast a people raised cat, at birth, has an average life expectancy of 12 to 14 years for a male indoor cat with females living usually, a year maybe two longer. Some domesticated cats have lived until the grand old age of 25 years being well cared for by their human companions.

Ferals take their toll on native Australian Cockatoos

Throughout the Age of Discovery passing ships released a few rabbits onto islands with the idea of a future food source for other travelers that stopped there. Very generous but ill conceived as over time they multiplied out of control by eating through their habitats so cats were introduced to keep their numbers down along with the mice and rats. The cats tended to favor local species over the rabbits; they were both ecologically naive to the islands and much easier to hunt. Then their numbers began to increase dramatically and they colonized the islands themselves; the very people who introduced both rabbit and cat saw them as pests to be exterminated. A completely human caused problem with the animals losing on all sides! Do we not have the sense not to create situations like this? Or to resolve them without the usual cruelty that we inflict.


Our historical records date the arrival of ferals in Australia to be somewhere around 1824. In spite of this its been suggested that they have been in Australia long before the Europeans settled it; they may have arrived as a result of Dutch shipwrecks back in the 17 hundreds or years before that arriving from present day Indonesia on Macassan fisher ships and trepangers who frequented Australia's shores during the past century. However they arrived, anywhere in the world, feral cats have not lead a charmed life. Rather, its been a very difficult life with nothing but hardships and unkindness from their environments and, most often from human contact. 

They deserve better and its up to us, who claim we care, to rescue and tame them, to provide medical care and a safe home for these 'lost' cats to live out what is left of their lives in relative safety and comfort. Even the wildest feral can be tamed with enough time and commitment - I have managed, these years since, to tame a few; some of the barn cats on the farms and diaries I have lived on had feral cats that eventually came around to my gentle care of them. I have even managed to find homes for a few that finally realized they could have the life of a domesticated cat. Its worth pondering on the next time you see a cat in need, whether a feral, a stray or just lost and frightened. Remember, the responsibility is yours.

This feral won't go hungry today but what about tomorrow?

Catspaw

Owls ~ The Other Birds Of Prey

What's your favorite bird? I mean, if you had to think about it and choose, which one would you consider your fav.


One of my favorites is the Owl. Just because they are so unique and different from other birds of prey. Check these out and you'll see why.

Aside from looking distinctly different from all the other birds in the world, you have to love that 'head rotation' thing they do to 'hear' you better. I wonder if that occurred to the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood?

With a mighty wing span and near perfectly silent flight, cats and dogs are far safer inside at night, for although they hunt smaller prey, to them your kitten, cat or small dog IS smaller prey. 

From a cat or dog's point of view, this would be terrifying! 

Keep in mind however that, like most animals, they are only fighting to survive and it is a daily fight with the odds not necessarily in their favor. A missed meal is a matter, quite literally, of life and death for him, his mate and their owlets. That could also mean another species on the endangered list as well. 

Its also the reason why I put cat collar with bell on all my cats as a warning to the birds, mice, voles and other smaller animals they hunt ~~ another animal or bird needs them more than my cats need to kill them for sport or to pass the time when they are bored outside and looking for something to do. 

Something to consider when watching your cats and dogs playing at stalking outdoors. We need to take more responsibility and not allow our pets to damage our environment. I realize most people don't even give this a second thought, let alone a first and none of us take into account that maybe we should be more aware of what transpires in our own backyards; instead of taking it for granted that our pets only catch a 'few' small critters ~~ really how much of a dent can it make. Over time, it can mean the decrease in population of these small animals that the birds of prey depend on for their only food source. In the end, what you do does make the difference; are you contributing to something good or something that will help another animal to extinction? 

It always starts small...


Catspaw

New Technology For A Cat Collar With Bell

There many people and pet owners nowadays who are concerned that a cat collar with bell is harmful to the cat. Being a cat owner myself, I have four of my own and at times, they have worn a cat collar with bell. There are mixed opinions that these collars are dangerous to the animal so the industry has produced break-away cat collar with bell. These have helped to save many a feline's life because they snap open, giving instant freedom, should the cat become entangled or trapped somewhere. Whether the entrapment is the result of the cat collar with bell itself or just the kitty being caught is unknown. What is known is cat collar with bell that are break-aways have saved lives.

Now there is a new type of cat collar with bell on the market that has become available online. In an effort to help counteract the escalating death rate of masses of wild bird species that are being slowly eradicated by our domesticated pets each year, this new cat collar with bell is a unique new technology. The cat collar with bell in fact sends an audio and visual alarm that is triggered by the cats own mobility when it propels itself at a bird, giving our feathered friends the critical time they need to escape. Seems the modulation of the audio alarm is menacing only to the birds but has no effect, harmful or otherwise, to cats or humans, making the purrfect cat collar with bell for your pet.

One survey out of the UK documents that up to 75 million fowl, of differing species, are dispatched every year by their 7.5 million domestic cat population; not only that but this alarming survey points to the fact that its the songbirds, like thrushes, that have endured the most unrelenting drop in their numbers in recent years. Because our felines employ varying methods to pursue their prey, these movements don't activate the alarm on the cat collar with bell so your pet cat can still stalk mice and rats without any impedance from the cat collar with bell.

Finally owners and lovers of our pet cats have the power to protect and preserve the birds that land in our baths and eat from the feeders we take such pains to put out each spring. We can now make their environment safer for them and for our cats without reducing the little carnivores instinctive behavior to hunt. Another perk is that you can purchase them as a cat collar with bell or without, as only 80 percent of them are fitted with bells. So, what am I going on about? Its called the Liberator®! Lightweight, about the mass of a matchbox, comfy and lasts a long time. Meticulously tested, it forewarns intended prey while at the same time doesn't diminish kitty's natural movements or responses. This new product was created as a reaction to investigative findings that cat collar with bell has absolutely no effect in curtailing the sheer volume of birds cats destroy each year.

The cat collar with bell or without, is £11.95 and a money-back guarantee, you can call the Liberator® hotline @ 01480 414012 to order. For more information go to 

http://www.prnewswire.co.uk/cgi/news/release?id=37901

Catspaw