INDEX

Feral Cats

As well as house cats that have strayed or been abandoned we see a lot of cats that have been born in the wild and grown up as such. These cats are used to taking care of themselves and do not really want a great deal to do with humans. However, from time to time these cats find their way to us and we try to find somewhere for them to live out their lives.

While these cats do not make pets in the usual sense, they will congregate somewhere where they are fed. These cats make very good pest control officers - for two square meals a day they will keep barns, stables and food storage areas free from mice and rats.

For the small price of feeding these cats they will take the place of environmentally unsound rodenticides, a valuable asset for anyone who is worried about accidentally poisoning animals for whom it is not meant.

Feral cats are nervous of human contact. As they have been reared in the wild, they prefer the rigours of the outdoor life to a comfortable lap in suburbia. More relevant however is the wide range of benefits that they can potentially offer to their human employers.

A pair of working feral cats can provide a very efficient and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical pest control. Their presence can even count towards obtaining an organic green badge for those farms working to become pesticide-free. As working animals, they can also be counted as a tax-deductible expense. Garden centres, nurseries, horticultural businesses, smallholdings, farms, stables, country homes with outbuildings - anywhere where there is room to roam and rats to catch - will provide a feral cat with a suitable environment in which to live and work. However, potential owners must be prepared to provide their working felines with food, water, a warm shelter and veterinary care when needed.

Contrary to popular belief, regular food and neutering will not adversely affect a feral cat's hunting ability. We like to assure people that neutering and feeding a feral cat does not affect its desire or ability to find prey. It will not go soft on you and become a cuddly lap cat..

An estimate of the current UK feral cat population is around 1.2 million. Left unchecked, numbers can increase rapidly and animals can suffer through a lack of veterinary care. Neutering is the only practical way to control the UK cat population. Our volunteers have been active in responsible feral cat management programmes for many years, developing considerable expertise in this area. Whilst feral kittens aged up to 12 weeks can be successfully 'socialised' and re-homed in a normal home environment, this is not often possible with adult ferals. Once they have been neutered our policy is to return them to their colony where a sustainable urban or rural one exists, or, find them a new home in a suitable outdoor environment where they can thrive and work hard doing what they like best!

Anyone interested in providing a local home for a feral cat should telephone us on 01580 241632 or 0870 777 6837

Or email us on info@cats.rolvenden.org.uk

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Thank you