Feral Cats.

Should cats live indoors full-time or is it okay for them to go outside sometimes? How about staying outside? The belief that cats should not go outdoors is in the ascendancy among animal advocates. Some shelters require adopters to sign pledges not to let their new cats outside. Proponents of keeping cats indoors full-time argue that the animals live longer, healthier lives indoors, don't kill wild birds, don't get lost, and can be perfectly happy without going outside. The specters of cars striking cats, predators eating them, other cats and dogs fighting with them, fleas and ticks - all are invoked towards the end of keeping cats inside. Keeping cats inside isn't necessarily easier. ...

I take it to be a sign of desperation: at the same time trap-neuter-return is becoming standard practice across the country, the call from some quarters for lethal roundups is growing ever louder. And more explicit. On October 16, Cat lovers will be celebrating the 12th annual National Feral Cat Day, an event with the long-term goal of bringing greater awareness to the plight of stray and feral cats that are forced to live in the shadows of big cities as well as rural areas. The official definition of feral is: "Living in a wild state after domestication." These cats are also often referred to as ...

At this time of year, it's heartbreaking to see stray cats walking around in the cold with nowhere to go. While many kind people take them into their homes, others can't because of lease agreements, allergies, existing family pets, or other factors. So they do the next best thing-take strays to a shelter or rescue group. RELATED: Helping Homeless Cats in the Winter But some felines can't be captured easily. These are feral cats, who are wild and undomesticated. Feral cats either have never had contact with humans or have reverted to a "wild" state after being away from humans for so long. A feral cat is much like a raccoon: Try to approach him, and he'll bolt. If you do somehow get him ...