The Myths About Feral Cats You Should Debunk Today

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Most people tend to confuse a stray cay for a feral cat and there are several myths around feral cats that need to be debunked. So let’s get started!

Truth: Even though cats are commonly adopted or bought at pet stores today, this doesn’t change the fact that a cat is in fact an outdoor animal.You should know that cats have an inherent instinct to hunt for shelter and food and protect itself from danger. This species is born to live in the outdoors and is capable of doing so with just a little help from humans.Cat behavioral experts suggest that not every cat is socialized to share a living space with humans. Therefore, it might be difficult for several feral cats to stay indoors as pets. They might end up feeling stressed and fearful when confronted with human relations and interactions.Takeaway: Feral cats may be able to enjoy a better, healthier life when left in the outdoors.

We’ve already established that feral cats are better off living in the outdoors. Another myth associated with this group of cats is that they can spread diseases to humans. Not true. Majority of the diseases carried around by cats may only spread from one cat to the other. These diseases do not get transmitted to the human body. There is a higher chance of catching an infection from another affected person than from a feral cat.

This is highly unlikely, until and unless you deliberately intimidate or provoke the feral cat. Otherwise, a feral cat is not inclined towards hurting humans. It is important to understand that a cat might be as anxious or nervous as you are around them. It might be a good idea to give the animal some breathing space so that you don’t appear to be a threat.Remember, kittens can be quite shy. You might perceive it to be ferocious, but its soft side is often a surprising revelation!

The fact is that extermination is neither very effective nor very humane. It ends up creating a vacuum in the local ecosystem. With the removal of feral cats, neighborhood cats tend to fill up the void by breeding to the area capacity.On the other hand, the TNR technique seeks to bring down the feral cat number by neuter/spay methods. It also helps improve the quality of life of these animals by offering food and shelter. There is a natural decrease in euthanasia rates and development of a healthy relationship between community members and feral cats.