The large number in the infographic is obviously theoretical but it does emphasise the importance of spaying and neutering domestic and feral cats. The efficacy of spaying and neutering programs and by cat owners varies from country to country. There are still far too many unsterilised domestic cats creating unwanted cats who can become feral at which stage they can become the enemy of the people. They never chose their fate. The presence of feral cats is entirely the product of our carelessness. They should not have been born. Many are killed in shelters. A symptom of our failure. We should be careful in criticising the feral cat because if we do, we are criticising ourselves.
Nice infographic!! Much better than the typical (unreal) pyramid.
The average number of litters per year and kittens per litter are actually a bit smaller, and many don’t wait until 1 year to breed. I think it all balaces out. Thank you for mentioning the attrition rate for cats; for kittens in many areas it’s actually shockingly high as well. In Montenegro we’ve found that between 75 and 90% of kittens die before they reach breeding age sexual maturity.
Thanks for your input April. Useful. Take care.