Feral Cats: What Do They Eat, Anyhow?

Odd. My Barney (formerly feral) is the most people oriented of the pack.

Yeah, if you feed one, you're going to have more, and all out of proportion to normal birthrates.

Yeah, definitely a difference between the truly feral and the former pets who've been turned out of doors. In addition to random folks like rog feeding them deliberately, I'd suspect they also are able to pilfer occasional dog food from outdoor dogs.

Don't forget the dumpster divers.

Rose was feral but as she was orphaned at just 2 weeks and i raised her, i suppose she looks on us as family. She's very loving and comes flying to meet us when we come home.

She's a very picky eater and wants chicken all the time which himself keeps giving her. I would be harder hearted and make her have cat food more often!

Her teeth feel like a sabre tooth tiger she likes to play rough

The one I adopted had a sibling who, when they were both kittens, was much more curious about me when I'd go out to feed them (and the mom). Winifred, as I've named her, was much shyer, so I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that she's stayed that way.

Cats, like people, probably has some innate personality traits.

oh yes that's true. ours were all totally different personalities and intelligences. Some traits are inborn and some a reaction to their environment I think. Rosie is totally trusting with us but runs in terror from loud noises or strange things, the evening paper arriving each night always frightens her and she hasn't accepted that noone is coming to 'get her'. Still better to be careful than too confident.

Agreed. Living with this cat has taught me to move smoothly and slowly, not a bad skill for the rest of my life, I guess. Though a bit of a challenge after an evening at the pub...

Can feral cats kill squirrels?
There are four sibling feral cats that live around my house. I don't feed them but they look quite healthy. Where I live is a large squirrel population. I saw one of the cats attack a squirrel up in the branches but the squirrel got away. I've also seen them stalking squirrels on the ground. I've never witnessed a kill but I'm wondering if a cat can actually take on a squirrel and kill it.

Good question, lacytess. I've similar stalkings in my yard, but never a kill. Nor a carcass, and I've seen dead mice from time to time...

On a more happy note, welcome to A2K!

I've known a cat that killed birds routinely, including a blue jay, which it dragged, still living, before us, and dispatched for our entertainment and edification. For those who experience does not extend that far, blue jays are one of the most agressive and territorial of birds, and i've seen them fight it out with squirrels for the claim to a tree.

I have to guess that I differ in thought about wild animals, which includes cats. I feed wild birds and squirrels. Why would a feral cat differ, if hungry? I will feed them also.

I have seen a vast difference between a feral cat and a house cat. They may be the exact same species, but never mistake a house cat for lack of survival instinct if left abandon. They can and will fend for themselves. An abandon house cat may not be able to do the same, being so human dependent, as they were taught very young. A feral cat greatly differs from a house cat.

I strongly believe wildlife needs a bit of help given the fact that humans take over and destroy their natural habitat with a strip mall and expanse of concrete to park cars. By Darwinism theory, they should starve and be extinct. I also believe humans as selfish taking much more than what they need out of life, which no other animal does. Humans are greedy, not a hungry animal.

When humans stop with self indulgence for lifestyle, not any need to exist and live, I will take down my bird feeder. I will also stop feeding any animal living, without human intervention, that is hungry and needs help with survival only because humans think they deserve much more out of life that just food. Wildlife does not think like this at all or they would be driving gas guzzling SUVs. No, humans do that!!

This is all a feral cat wants, food. Is that really asking too much out of any wild animal? It isn't. Human greed has extinct many animal life. I feel humans should offer these lives something as simple as food, which they need to exist. Humans really have taken their existence from so many animals that are weaker and less intelligent. They have as much right to life as we do, yet we take from them without care as long as a new WalMart is built for our use.

A feral cat does not wish to be a spoiled housecat, like the one I adore. They wish to be left alone living among nature. They are not household pets. Cats can and will survive without humans. Dogs starve and die.

When people stop being so greedy with wants, not needs, I will take down my birdfeeder. I will also stop feeding hungry wildlife, which a feral cat is and wishes to be. Let them live and quit being a dominating, selfish human claiming they are either homeless or stating Darwinism extinction because of human destruction of their species.

People are the problem, not a stray cat!!

Feral cats are a non-native species in the Americas and should be treated as such.

Kill 'em.

KILL ALL HORSES!! They are not native to us either. Horses were brought to the US by ship from Europe. Horses did exist in North America for a period of time, but were extinct. Obviously, they don't deserve to live either, by this warped logic.

KILL ALL OF EUROPEAN AND AFRICAN DECENT. That means only pure of blood Native Americans deserve to live in North America or the US, which probably includes you. There only a very few surviving Native Americans. They happen to live on Indian Reservations. Many are of mixed bloodline and should die as well. It isn't natural to have this occur. Shouldn't they die too?

Stand by your words and put a gun to your head and please, do our environment a huge favor, pull the trigger and make sure the gun really is loaded.

What idiot made that post??? Check yourself into the nearest hospital for the Ethically Challenged!!

Feral cats are a huge problem and can destroy entire populations of native birds. They will kill anything that moves that they can kill, whether hungry or not. You are the uninformed and challenged one.

Kill 'em.

Cats suck.

No, you suck. You are another self serving human with no respect for life other than your own. I bet you also drive a gas guzzling SUV!

Believe it or not, all life has merit, not just human life or yours. Respect that.

Wildflower:

My neighbor starting feeding feral cats. When they reproduced she soon had to feed a dozen or so, and if she kept on feeding them she would soon have dozens. She couldn't bear to have them killed, so she trapped every one and had them spayed or neutered and turned them loose again.

I would, therefore, advise you to do the same or you will soon have dozens of feral cats to feed.

They are very destructive to wildlife.

There is a similar problem in state parks. People like to feed the wild animals, such as raccoons, skunks, and opossums. Soon they multiply to large numbers. Then during the off season without campers to feed them, many of them starve to death.

As for the original question about what feral cats eat, besides the obvious birds and rodents, I suggest that insect probably form a major part of their diet. They are very common, easy to catch, and are very high in protein.

I have some small experience with ferals. Nothing to build a data structure on. I tamed, in my human point of view, a really grizzly feral just before I had to leave my home and move north. I considered til the last minute taking him with me (couldn't find him right then, plus was over the top emotional myself), but that was selfish, as I wasn't the only person who adopted him. Schoolcat, his name. What an explosive fellow, not to mention matted and homely, at the beginning.

In time, he'd sit while I'd brush him, there was trust.

And now in my new place, we have the remnants of a big feral cat colony in our parking lot area. Mostly we have gotten them to the proper veterinarian treatment and/or adopted. Still, there are now two left...

They eat well, where I am, gourmet restaurant across the alley, catlovers in the artcenter, and then us, catbeserk. And then the print shop, cat fanatics.

these are really attended ferals.

Here ya go Wild. The best cat is a free cat.