An argument is then made for abandonment of any generalized approach and in favor of local policies and ordinances focused on root causes.įor Felis silvestris catus, the domestic cat, there is a very large group of individuals which holds an uncertain status somewhere between "wild" and "domestic." ( Click here for a brief biological summary). Feral cats have been defined as cats which were once domesticated, but were abandoned, lost, or ran away. This paper examines the character of the feral cat problem, the legal ramifications of cat ownership and care, and competing viewpoints on how best to deal with non-domesticated cat populations.
A thorough and intricate problem necessarily requires a comprehensive and sustainable solution. The difficulties which attend problems such as dealing with the volatile population dynamics of cats cannot be avoided by use of cursory and ultimately ineffective methods of control. More important, however, are the preservation of local species diversity for its own sake and the creation of humane policies toward solving human-caused problems of cat overpopulation. Loss of wildlife by cat predation is a concern not only to conservationists, environmentalists, and bird lovers, but also to all members of the public who, knowingly or not, depend on the health of their neighborhood ecosystems to sustain their quality of life.
Legal issues of property ownership, causation, and classification of cats are central to the question of human liability for feral cats.īecause feral cat colonies are of great concern to communities where they reside, and especially because of their potential to dramatically alter the makeup of ecosystems through predation, the question of who is legally responsible for these animals must be addressed. While cat advocates fight against killing cats, bird advocates and others see them as destructive to protected species. Controversy has arisen over how best to deal with populations of feral cats.
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