Nature Lover Patiently Finds a Solution to his Feral Cat Problem

The handsome feral cat in this American's backyard
The handsome feral cat in this American’s backyard
Two useful tags. Click either to see the articles: Toxic to cats | Dangers to cats

This is an interesting video of a feral cat preying on garden wildlife, in America, which highlights some of the conflicting attitudes people have in respect of the feral cat. However, it is a video in which the maker demonstrates his love of nature.

This sensitive and aware American video maker says he loves the wildlife in his garden but can’t abide seeing a feral cat hunt this wildlife despite admitting that the cat is a wild animal as well. So why doesn’t he love the feral cat as much as the other wild animals and let him do what nature intended? I wonder if he dislikes seeing tigers attacking prey in Asia?

Well, this man can’t let this impressive feral cat hunt in his backyard and so he decides to find a win-win solution which is to socialise the cat by feeding him and eventually making contact. At the end of the video the cat accepts him and they have a respectful relationship; the beginnings of socialisation.

The cat was eventually trapped and luckily adopted by a family (lucky because the cat was not completely socialised). The solution was to turn this handsome tabby feral cat into the sort of cat he was meant to be: a domestic cat. I suspect he was adopted because he is large and handsome.

Well done to the video maker. However, this ending isn’t really the ending because we know that domestic cats prey on wildlife too because it is entirely natural, so quite possibly this cat is still hunting wildlife but in someone else’s garden.

Early in the video this nature lover says he can’t abide seeing a feral cat attack wildlife. I can understand that, I really can but why does he think like this? Like millions of other people he prefers birds to cats. I think he is an amateur ornithologist. This is speciesism. A form of animal racism if you like.

However, it has to be said that he overcomes his bias to respect the cat and find, as mentioned, a decent solution.

If we are true animal lovers do we have the right to prefer one animal over another or should we like and respect them all equally because they are all part of nature and “God’s creatures” as are we?

Some people will answer that question by saying that feral cats are pests and shouldn’t exist. Therefore they should be eliminated and don’t deserve our respect. I say we created the feral cat and therefore we have an obvious obligation to interact with them respectfully.


My thanks to Dee for telling me about the video.

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19 thoughts on “Nature Lover Patiently Finds a Solution to his Feral Cat Problem”

  1. I am pleased that he has sought a solution and his video was well made. I wonder when people who dislike, hate or are indifferent to feral cats will realise that humans have created the issues that these cats bring?

    It is not their fault that they need to eat! They need to eat because they want to stay alive! Why the hell can’t people understand that? Its just so basic!! If they become a ‘nuisance’ with the predatory instincts then its because they are hungry they don’t hunt for the sheer hell of it 🙁 I am not a vegetarian but I totally see Ruths point we are all predators but we don’t have to hunt for ourselves if we did then maybe we would be vegetarians.

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    • I was very impressed with the way he handled this situation with such a beautiful lady cat. He made a real turnaround in what I felt, initially, was his thought that the cat was invasive. He found a win-win way to save his beloved wildlife and the cat as well.

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  2. The cat’s body shape is highly suggestive of a neutered animal. Perhaps the animal wasn’t ‘feral’ per se, but in fact simply errant and having found a good wicket it became an aloof regular.

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    • Good point Garry. You could well be correct. Perhaps this cat was more a roaming domestic cat turned stray who preferred the outside because the cat was adopted soon afterwards indicating non-feral character.

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      • Cats will often leave home with the rise of a new toddler in the home intent on menacing the cat constantly. The process of being menaced (tail pulled, hit over the head with whatever’s handy) also caused them to develop a skittish character. Your ‘feral’ was too keep on human contact and seemed well versed in how to deal with it…how to interact with you, although with reservations. This combined with the “saddlebags” it carries at its hind quarters are indicators of a stray rather than a feral. I once spent 9 weeks trying to gentle a Siamese that was a self-imposed exile….and I still carry the scares to prove it!

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  3. You need more than a kindergartner’s imaginary world to comprehend why the man-made species of the house-cat is an alien invasive-species predator…..

    remainder deleted as it is a delusional rant from a irrational birder (admin)

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    • Seriously, Jim?
      You’re asking a group of people who are fully aware that there is an overpopulation of unwanted cats to explain why they are pro neutering?
      If I had more time to spare (I’m very busy caring for my “vermin” ferals), I would take up the cause for neutering racoons, mallards, crows, squirrels, gulls, etc.
      All need to come under control without resorting to killing.
      Perhaps you should write and have published another book containing your very unique thoughts in regards to controlling the cat population. I would love to read the reviews.

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  4. I wonder if this man and others who complain about feral cats hunting wild life and birds, sit down to eat animals and birds themselves?
    Very hypocritical if so!
    The flesh those people eat is of creatures who had no chance of escaping their death, to be turned into ‘food’ because they are born and reared to be killed with no hope of escaping their doom.
    Feral cats hunt because they have to eat to live, their prey has a chance of escaping, it’s the law of Nature like in days long gone when humans had to hunt to survive.
    Nowadays humans don’t have to, their ‘prey’ is bred, killed and neatly packaged for them and they can turn a blind eye to the fear and pain their ‘food’ suffered.
    Humans caused the feral cat problem, they should look to themselves and help, not malign, those cats who are only following Nature’s plan because humans let them down.
    The number of wild life and birds killed by cats, both domestic and feral, is miniscule in comparison to the number killed by humans.

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    • I agree it is long but as you say it is worth viewing and it kept my attention because I was keen to see the outcome. It is well made too. He did as good as he could except for one possibility; he could have adopted the cat himself.

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        • Yes, I didn’t want to mention that – the reference to “it”. Everyone who loves animals and cats find it hard to use “it”. Perhaps he treats the cat as a wild animal and I am sure he calls birds “its”. Even animal lovers call wild animals “it”. No always but a lot of the time.

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          • I really hate “it” in reference to any living being. It’s so demeaning and reduces them to an object.
            Actually, I even name some objects. My vehicle is Sonja.

            Reply

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