Feral Cats

Feral cats require a different kind of care because they are unsocialized to people and are not candidates for adoption. 

Know the difference between a feral and a stray: 

• Pet and stray cats are socialized to people. 
• Feral cats are not socialized to people. While they are socialized to their feline family members and bonded to each other, they do not have that same relationship with people.

Stray: 

• A stray cat is a cat who lived indoors and was socialized to people at some point in its life, but has left or lost its home, or was abandoned, and no longer has regular human contact. 
• A stray cat may be socialized enough to allow people to touch it, but it will become less socialized—or even feral—if it spends too much time without positive interaction with humans. 

Feral: 

• A feral cat is an unsocialized outdoor cat who has either never had any physical contact with humans, or human contact has diminished over enough time that she is no longer accustomed to it. Most feral cats are fearful of people and are not likely to ever become a lap cat or enjoy living indoors.