Understanding Community Cats and Tame Cats
“Community cat” is a term used to describe feral, stray cats, and owned pet cats who roam outdoors. These are the cats that live outside in our streets, alleys, yards and parking lots. Ferals and strays are cats without owners, often referred to as “homeless cats.”
A true “feral” cat is one that has never been socialized and is living in a “wild” state. Most feral cats have been born on the streets and never interacted with humans. Even though feral cats are wild, they should not be confused with true wildcats, such as mountain lions or bobcats. True feral cats may look like regular house cats but are usually very fearful and distrustful of humans. They tend to come out only at dusk or at night. Some arch their backs and hiss and show aggression, while others just avoid eye contact and run. You can’t pick up or handle a true feral cat without getting bitten or scratched, and very often you can’t even get close to them.
Feral kittens are kittens who have been born to a feral or stray mother. Feral kittens can generally be tamed and adopted into homes, but only if they are socialized within the first couple months of their lives. A kitten around 6-8 weeks old may take just a day or two to socialize and tame. Normally kittens under 12 weeks of age can be easily tamed with a little time and attention, but the older they get, the harder it becomes. If they are not handled at an early age, they will remain feral and therefore unadoptable.
Spaying and neutering the cats will end the cycle of homeless kittens being born so the population stabilizes and naturally reduces over time. Once the cats are fixed, behaviors such as howling, cat fighting, and spraying also subside. TNR is the only humane way to effectively reduce the feral cat population, so that people and cats can peacefully co-exist. Spaying or neutering is the most effective and humane way to help control the population of pet cats and homeless cats. Each year, millions of healthy cats are euthanized simply because there aren’t enough homes to go around.