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Feral cats may live
alone, but most are found in large groups called
feral colonies with communal nurseries, depending
on resource availability. Many lost or abandoned
pet cats join these colonies out of desperation.
The average lifespan of these feral cats is much
shorter than a domestic housecat, which can live
an average of sixteen years or more. Urban areas
are not native environments to the cat; most
domestic cats evolved from cats in desert climates
and were distributed throughout the world by
humans, but some feral cat colonies are found in
large cities, for example, around the Coliseum and
Forum Romanum in Rome. Although cats are
adaptable, feral felines are unable to thrive in
extreme cold and heat, and with a protein
requirement of about 90%, few find adequate
nutrition on their own in cities. In addition,
they have little defense or understanding of the
dangers from dogs, coyotes, and even automobiles.
However, there are thousands of volunteers and
organizations that trap these unadoptable feral
felines, spay or neuter them, immunize the cats
against rabies and feline leukemia, and treat them
with long-lasting flea products. Before release
back into their feral colonies, the attending
veterinarian nips the tip off one ear to mark the
feral as spayed/neutered and inoculated, as these
cats will more than likely find themselves trapped
again. Volunteers continue to feed and give care
to these cats throughout their lives, and not only
is their lifespan greatly increased, but behavior
and nuisance problems, due to competition for
food, are also greatly reduced. In time, if an
entire colony is successfully spayed and neutered,
no additional kittens are born and the feral
colony disappears. Many hope to see an end to
urban feral cat colonies through these efforts. |
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