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Home / What We Do / Care for Cats / Feral Cat Veterinary Resource Center / Feral Cat Behavior

Feral Cat Veterinary Resource Center

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Feral Cat Behavior

Feral cats are not socialized to humans. The fact that feral cats are fearful of humans impacts how you interact with them in your veterinary practice, how they behave around you and other humans, and how other individuals perceive them.

This section explores the nature of feral cats and provides straightforward descriptions, illustrations, and videos to help you and others understand them.

Feral and Stray Cats—An Important Difference - Knowing how to tell the difference between a feral and a stray cat will help inform how best to interact with a cat or what, if any, intervention would be in each cat’s best interest. These guidelines will help you tell the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat outdoors.
Faux Ferals: How to Soothe a Scared Stray to Increase Her Chances of Adoption - With patience and the right approach, you can help frightened stray cats relax and reveal their friendly personalities. These tips will help you put the cat in your care at ease in order to bring out her best qualities and put her best “paw” forward.
Biology and Behavior of the Cat - Cats have lived outdoors for thousands of years—they are part of the natural landscape. Studies prove that cats play important roles in balancing the local ecosystem.
The Natural History of the Cat - Understanding cats’ place in history and human evolution reveals how very recently domestic cats came indoors and how millions of this species—feral cats—continue to live healthy lives outdoors today, as all domestic cats are biologically adapted to do.
Cultivating Cool Cats: Handling Felines in the Shelter so they Look and Feel Their Best - Joan Miller, renowned cat expert, presents tips for how to put the cat in your care at ease and bring out her best qualities to help her get adopted.
Feral Cats – Get Informed
Helping Community Cats - an introduction to feral cats
Special Considerations and Equipment Necessary for Handling a Feral Cat for Vets