Feral cats in the UK

[Dom Tuk]

Are there any established feral cat colonies (domestic type) anywhere in the UK. If the answer is no, how come with so many cats as pets none have turned feral and established themselves in the vast forests/woodland areas. Are they destroyed if found and if so why??

[Gilli]

I don't know the answer to the 1st part of your question but will be interested in reading any other replies.

I'd guess that many stray cats are either "adopted" by neighbours, or picked up by the RSPCA and/or other animal charities before they have the opportunity to turn completely feral. I'd also suggest - in the absence of any reported colonies - that the nearest you might come to feral, or wild, "domestic" cats, might be farm cats who are kept to keep vermin down and aren't therefore allowed inside.

From what I've seen and read, the feral colonies you see in some countries abroad aren't usually found in forests, or the countryside for that matter - but in urban areas where there are more opportunities for food. Think harbourside with fishing boats, restuarant & household rubbish etc., plus, of course, rats, which are attracted to rubbish themselves. Whilst you might argue that in theory there's plenty in the countryside to whet a cat's appetite, what you'd also need to bear in mind is that they themselves would be a meal in the eyes of a fox - and, come wintertime, much of their prey would be hibernating leading to a potential food shortgage (squirrels, dor-mice, etc.)

Well, that's my 2p worth anyway !

[woofgang]

a type of feral colonies of cats do exist in the uk. My friend has one on her small holding. The diff between this and the farm cat scenario is that she does not import them and while they keep her outbuildings free from vermin, she does not tolerate them for this reason. What does tend to happen I understand is that people "manage" these colonies, recognising their place in the eco system for vermin control. People like my friend trap the cats and have them spayed or neutered, then release them back to their territory, she also treats them for fleas and worms via doctored food and will get the vet in to treat any who are injured or ill. If these "managed cats" were eliminated, she would get her vermin prob back and also run the risk of thieir ecological niche being filled by unneutered cats resulting in cat pee everywhere and a proliferation of kittens. There isn't enough food source in woodland to support "colonies" of any small carnivore which is why the biggest increase in fox numbers is found in towns

[dmsjps]

I live out in the country and there are loads of colonies of feral cats. You don't see them unless you live near them because they tend to avoid human contact, but once you know where they are, you can easily observe them. They tend to settle in farms/smallholdings because there will be a guaranteed source of food (both naturally available and given by man), they won't be hassled for cuddles and they will be able to continue to live by their own rules.

Domesticated cats don't decide the wild life is better and leave home (unless they're being mistreated, but even then, not always) because they enjoy the life of luxury. Having said that, if they have to, they can and will survive on their own.

Some feral cats will select a human they feel they can trust (cats instinctively know who is a cat-lover and who isn't), who feeds them regularly, and will actually make friends with them, behaving almost the same as a domesticated cat - even starting to bring extended family members to the human's home; but they will still shun other humans. In that situation, the next generation would be tamer (if it was the she cat and not the tom who befriended the human) and so on down the line.