= Feral cat
A <feral cat> is a domestic <cat> living outside direct human care. In ecological usage, independence from provisioning is central; other classifications also emphasize lack of socialization to people. The category describes a living condition and relationship with humans, rather than a separate <species>. A <feral cat> remains distinct from the naturally wild <European wildcat> or <Afro-Asiatic wildcat>.
Definitions should be stated explicitly. SPCA New Zealand distinguishes self-sustaining <feral cats> from <stray cats> that still depend to some extent on people, even when no person owns them. Thus unowned, unsocial and independent are not interchangeable observations.<Know the difference: companion, stray and feral cats by SPCA New Zealand>[Companion, Stray and Feral cats sections: dependence-based terminology]{ref}
Movement measurements provide an ecological example. A 2011 study used radio <telemetry> and collar-mounted activity sensors to compare owned and unowned free-roaming domestic <cats> near an Illinois city. Unowned animals had larger <home ranges> and greater activity in the reported sample. The study's operational category was ownership status; that should not silently be substituted for every stricter definition of <feral cat>.<Home Range, Habitat Use, and Activity Patterns of Free-Roaming Domestic Cats by Jeff A. Horn and others>[Abstract and Introduction: classification, telemetry and activity sensors]{ref}
A collar record measures where an animal moves; it does not by itself reveal its complete feeding history, social experience or inherited ancestry. Combining these observations produces a more useful biological description than assigning the category from one sighting.
Back to article page
