To stay alive in a possibly unfriendly world, small wild or feral cats feed on a wide range of prey so that they can survive, even if they are only limited to a few types of foods during certain times of the year. This could occur when they are in a harsher environment where there may not be too much variety of prey available.
In the wild, diets usually range from rodents such as mice, rats, plus voles and rabbits, depending on where the cat lives. One breed of cat in Japan eats almost 40 different species of beetles and insects. In India, the fishing cat will lie on an overhanging branch above a river watching quietly until a fish passes underneath. This cat uses its mouth rather than its paws to catch its prey. In sandy areas such as deserts cats have been found preying on small reptiles such as geckos and snakes as well and insects. I have frequently seen my cats eat a spider.
Feral cats will eat just about anything they can get hold of to survive. They quickly learn to keep close to rubbish bins outside hotels and restaurants, waiting for dinner. Where necessary, a wild cat will also eat carrion.
No matter which strategy cats use to obtain their prey, they are all extremely effective hunters, just as you would expect from such a perfectly designed animal. Their ability to use their senses, physique, stealth, patience and cunning when launching an attack on their prey is beautiful to watch. Compare this hunting animal to the domestic cat, which is, normally, non-aggressive and apart from fights over territory or mates, very gentle, even in play.
Your domestic cat may sleep anywhere up to 18 hours per day, which is twice as much as we do or would want to do, even if we could. Of course kittens, like babies, sleep more than this each day.
As cats are carnivores, their meat diet is rich in protein. This means they need to consume much less food than her bed for animals like cattle or sheep, which require long periods of grazing to get enough energy from the vegetable matter.
Have you ever noticed your cat wiggling his bottom before pouncing or leaping? This wiggling provides alternating fields of vision of the cat and gives the brain the impression that the prey is moving and helps him aim his strike better. Cats respond to the movement of their prey rather than the smell so the wiggling bottom the hunting may stop if the mouse or prey stops and remains motionless.
Cats, unlike dogs, can survive and live quite well in an unfriendly world where they have no home. This superb hunting ability means they should never go hungry.
Continue reading about Cats Staying Alive In An Unfriendly World
This cat is being prepared for neutering.
There are many people, myself included, who advocate having their cat spayed or neutered. Despite the ever growing media coverage of having pets spayed or neutered to prevent a feral cat explosion, there are still many people who choose not to spay or neuter their cats and that is their choice.
Too many feral cats is one of the most publicized reason for those advocating the spaying or neutering of cats. In many areas of the country where feral cats exist in large numbers, some neighborhoods are trying to avoid these occurrences by setting up community programs to provide low cost spaying or neutering. This is done with the hope of convincing cat owners to do the responsible thing and have their cat spayed or neutered and I personally applaud this sort of action. We have had the same sort of program running in our small town for many years and I have noticed a dramatic drop in the number of feral cats running wild.
According to 2008 figures put out by The Humane Society of the US, there are around 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 cats and dogs entering shelters each year. Of these animals, 3,000,000 to 4,000,000 are euthanized yearly and around the same number adopted to families. Interestingly, around 30% of dogs are reclaimed by owners but only 2-5% of cats are reclaimed. There are 4,000 to 6,000 animal shelters in the US to service all these feral or lost animals.
The cats that are euthanized are usually not old or ill, although some may be injured. Most are healthy and often you will find young cats, even kittens being abandoned. Their only crime is that there are not enough loving homes for them and with no owners to house and feed them, the relatively few shelters there are become overcrowded it is necessary to then euthanize them to solve this problem. In order to avoid adding to the overpopulation problem, all cats adopted from a shelter are spayed or neutered before you can take them home.
Life can be hard for cats in a shelter.
There are benefits for cat owner who has their cat spayed or neutered. Many cat experts and vets state that a cat that has been spayed or neutered will become a better pet. They are usually better behaved and more responsive to humans. Vets report that cats live longer and have fewer medical problems once they have been spayed or neutered. Because your spayed or neutered cat will be healthier, there will be fewer visits to the vet, a cost saving for you.
Many cat owners find that their spayed or neutered cats are less likely to spray, which is an annoying and smelly trait. Cats are also less likely to roam looking for mates if they have been altered.
Spaying of female cats is usually done around six month of age and general anesthesia is used during the operation. Neutering a male cat should be done by the time the male cat is 6 months of age.
Many owners of specialized pure breds will want to breed from their cat. Reputable breeders will belong to an organization and be certified to breed. Those owners will
not allow their pure bred cat the opportunity to get pregnant to just any male cat. They are closely watched and mated accordingly.
Some individuals choose not to spay or neuter cats based on belief that they should remain unaltered and in their natural state. This, of course, is their right.
To many caring owners, the decision to spay or neuter a cat is that it is something that should be done as soon as the cat is old enough. Remember, a spayed or neutered cat is usually healthier, which means your cat will be around for you to enjoy for many years.
