What Happens if You Stop Feeding Feral Cats

11 min readFeb 21, 2021

For many people, seeing a cat outside might be a nice little addition. But the problem is, feeding it can be a problem. Lots of times though, when people feed feral cats, they start to grow attached, and that can be a problem. cats may look cute, but it does pose a problem if they’re fed. So what happens if you stop feeding feral cats? And what happens when you do? Well, read on to find out.

Feral cats might seem like they’re mean, but the truth is, it’s really just a cat that isn’t used to humans. They may believe that since they are feral, they’ll be feral to all the other cats around, but usually, they have interaction with other cats, but not with humans.

Usually, feral cats stay away from human interaction, and they usually go into hiding during the daytime. But, the problem is that at night, they come out, and you may see the cute creature, but then you’ll want to feed it. That can be a problem.

Usually, feral cats are quiet, avoid eye contact with humans, and are stealthy. But, usually, if they’ve been socialized before and have been around humans, but then are unsocialized, they can act like this. Lots of cats that are rescued do act like this when they’re initially found.

So what makes a cat feral? Well, here are some qualities:

They aren’t socialized
They’ve never lived or been around humans
They typically show distrust when it comes to humans
They usually are “wild” and act like their ancestors, such as the big cats
They usually have “secret hiding spaces” where they avoid interaction with humans
They are a part of the wildlife of an area

There is a difference between feral cats and stray cats, and the difference is simple:

Stray cats have been raised around humans, but don’t live with them
They can be feral but stray cats are more social
They generally live outside, and they hang out with both feral cats, and with humans

Now, feral cats are honestly best left alone. The next section will discuss why you should just leave these types of cats be.

Why You Should Leave feral Cats Alone

Now, feral cats are actually a big part of the ecosystem of the area. Feral cats do a lot when they’re just living life, and some of the elements that they engage in are as follows:

However, lots of times animal control places believe that they should kill these types of feral cats since they think that their lives are horrible. Yet, usually, they are looking at cats that are sick and abused, rather than cats that are just working on living life. Killing feral cats is like killing wildlife, and something that you shouldn’t do.

Good Things About Feral Cats

So what’s so great about feral cats? Well, they actually exhibit a lot of great elements to them, and they do have some interesting points that should definitely be known.

These cats have less trauma and disease than house cats, despite living outside
The habitat of cats is actually supposed to be outside close to humans, due to the original way cats lived during the time humans were hunters and gatherers, where they would be interested in the grain stores and rodent populaces, rather than living with humans
They are pretty humane, and lots of times, humans just let these cats be
They aren’t necessarily bad, but domesticated cats are actually able to become feral if they’re left outside with other cats, not socialized for a while

With feral cats, you can’t adopt them, because usually they are not too social, and they tend to not really trust humans period. If you see a feral cat, leave them alone, and let them live their life. Sometimes, they usually see a human, and they run away, but sometimes, they like to have some contact with humans. Sometimes, they like to interact with humans every so often.

When it comes to feral cats, usually they tend to stay totally feral, and they are left alone. Sometimes some cats may have interaction with humans early on, but then they revert back to this. Occasionally, if the cat did have good experiences with humans in the past, they usually become social.

These are usually the cats that you may see outside that actually do come up to you if you say hello to them. Lots of times, most cats will run away at the blink of an eye, but there are those rare ones that actually may even reward the humans for giving them attention, and some of the key ways are as follows:

If you notice a cat doing the last one, never go up and actually rub the belly, since this can actually be a huge problem. That’s because, just like with normal cats, they may claw you, or even bite you. The problem is that sometimes, you do touch them, they get you, and then you end up potentiality with rabies and such. You should always be careful when you’re around a feral cat, and if they’re not interested in socializing, leave them alone.

Now, remember that ultimately, the cat decides what they’re going to do with humans. While we may try to say hello, cajole them, show them that we’re not bad, lots of times the best thing to do is to just let the cat come to you. Some cats are hesitant about social, and if you’re going to try and extend that relationship, you should always be careful.

What Happens When You do Feed Them

Feeding feral cats is a huge controversy. You can look it up online, and see so many articles about why you shouldn’t. This is a controversy, because hey, we think that these cats need food, so we should go feed them. Problem is, that actually can be a problem in some cases.

Feral cats can take care of themselves. Remember, they eat a lot of various critters including the following:

The truth is, cats know how to hunt if they’re feral. They know how to not go hungry. If you’ve ever seen a cat that is a barn cat, they know how to catch rodents, to the point where they are controlling the population of the farm, and getting a meal. Sometimes, we may feel bad when we see the cats because we think they’re hungry when in truth, they’re totally fine. Lots of times, there are even local ordinances forbidding this, but lots of times, people will feed these cats anyways.

But here is the problem, you’re starting to domesticate them. Here is exactly what happens when you feed them.

You’re now the “caretaker” of them
You have to be responsible
You’re going to get a lot of other kitties to come forward
The feeding station s will grow
You also may attract the cops if you’re doing this

So yes, it is a bit of a problem. While you may feel bad that they’re not even eating or something, at the end of the day, it’s best to watch out for this.

What To Do If you Do Feed Them

If you do feed feral cats, lots of times, this attracts trouble. There are a few things that happen with this too, and they are as follows:

They can have nutrient-deficient food
They can have unflavorful food
They may become unhealthy

If you’re going to feed, you should always give them something that they tend to eat, and that can be anything that involves this:

No preservatives
Nothing with grain as an ingredient
Meat, fish, or other protein ingredients
Nothing raw since there may be bacteria in them

If you do choose to give them food, they will come back. You should never give a cat microwavable food since that can be a problem.

What About If you Stop Feeding Them

Lots of times, people think that they can just up and stop feeding these cats, that they’ll just magically go away. The problem is, if you feed them, they won’t. They’ll actually create more problems.

In truth, here is what happens if you stop feeding feral cats:

They’ll continue to congregate
They may bring more with you
They will starve and die potentially

With this, you’re essentially adding in a food source to their life that they may not be used to. The problem is, when you feed them, you’re essentially the one taking care of them. It’s like they’re your cats now, but they won’t be living inside. If you’re giving them food, water, shelter, and companions, you’re basically building a home for these little guys. Lots of times, removing food, it can also cause them to still come in and bother you.

It doesn’t make them move to a new place. They’ve identified your place as their home and place to get sustenance, that they may abandon their feral ways. It can be a huge problem, and it does attract the worst kinds of problems.

Now, what does this also attract? Male cats. Male cats can impregnate female cats, and this creates a problem, because of the following:

Let’s couple that with maybe there are more female cats, and the male cat impregnates all of those female cats in heat. It’s definitely not a good sight, since lots of times, you essentially are giving these kitties the one-way road to never leaving your home. This can be a huge problem, and m since you’re going to be taking care of a lot of cats, and this basically desensitizes the hunting skills and such. If they’re sterilized, it’s less of a problem, but the thing is, since these cats are feral, there’s not really a chance for them to get that procedure, so they will have their reproductive organs.

More Than just Babies Though

the problem is, even if you choose to sterilize the cats, and if they have been sterilized, this will still not fix the situation. The problem is, even if you don’t have the baby issue, it creates this problem:

They will stay in the same area and look for food
They will stay where they’re abandoned
New owners will find the new cat and will have to take care of it

For example, if you leave your home, a new owner takes it over, and they have the cat there, the cat that was fed in the past but now isn’t will actually stay there, and they won’t go away. Hunting will give them a chance to survive, but if human steps in, hey actually are sickly and ill as a result of this, so if you feed them, you’ve got the responsibility, and they often aren’t getting enough nutrients.

The cat will continue to roam around there, begging for food, and they usually will starve, and eventually die. So if you stop feeding, you’re essentially closing the curtain on any chance that they have at living.

What About Calling Animal Control

This is another messy situation since this does pose other issues that can be a big problem, such as the following;

The really sad part about this is that minimally, you can get into some serious legal trouble, but you also can create the issue of people not reporting the cats period, and lots of times, that’s the case with these cats. They don’t get reported, since the removal program skills every cat, and even those who don’t like cats actually aren’t in favor of it.

It creates the following cycle, which really stinks:

The property owner may order a removal
The person is then charged if they’ve been feeding
They may not catch all the cats
They start to breed again
The complaints continue
It also costs a lot of money and time, sometimes taking days or weeks

The problem with removal is it creates an awful situation, and lots of times, if you have this already happening, it can be a big problem.

So what is there to do? Well, there are obvious preventative measures you can take, but also some measures to take if you’ve already made the commitment.

What to Do If You Have This in Place

If you’ve already made the commitment and fed a cat, they’re essentially your responsibility. You have a couple of things that you’re going to have to do, and they are as follows:

If you’ve already been threatened by animal control, the best thing to do is to discreetly give them some food. You can do a few things, including the following:

Move it to a discreet location
Feed in the morning or the late afternoon
Pick up the food once they’re done, or when the sun is down
Feed the cats on either leaves or even some flour tortillas, because the tortillas will be bird food
Make sure never to leave a mess, and instead keep it neat, discreet, and clean
Keep the animal control in good rapport with you

With spaying and neutering, if you have a colony, you need to make sure that they’re all sterilized. This is a definite need, and you’ll want to prevent it if you have other mouths to feed.

Some use TNR, which is a trap, sterilize, and then release, and it’s a humane method of managing this. If you do this, you need to take responsibility, and you should definitely make sure that if you have a big enough colony, and never let it get overpopulated.

You should always make sure that you do other actions too, and they are:

Monitor the shelter so they have enough
Make sure that they’re vaccinated for rabies
Make sure that they have the right healthcare, and not let them die or get sick
Get them to co-exist with humans
Start to create some backup care

Remember, you’re the caretaker, so if you do feed them, remember that you’re the one responsible for them.

The easiest solution to all of this is simple: DON’T FEED THEM. They may look cute, but the problem is, if you feed them, they’re essentially yours. It’s like taking care of a household cat, except it’s a lot worse and way bigger in terms of the damage that this can do.

Lots of people don’t realize the scope of this. They think that these cats are just going to go away, hat feeding one every so often is just going to be harmless. But, remember this causes them to never go away, and it can cause them to also populate your area, and people will complain.

So what’s the best thing to do when you see a feral cat? Well, read below.

Remember, cats can take care of themselves when they’re out in the wild. A cat that used to be a household pet, and then out in the wild may become feral, but they also may come up. This isn’t a chance for you to feed it, but you can give it some attention. Just don’t feed, since it destroys the ecosystem, can cause them to rely on you, and then you have an extra responsibility.

You can always use Scram away a safe harmless way to deter cats from hanging around your property.

At the bottom of it all, you should try to just leave cats alone if you see them out there and they’re not bothering you. If they are interested in saying hi, then sure, interact, but just if you notice one, don’t chase it or try to bribe it with food, but instead, just let them live their life. Feral cats are not bad, and they’re not going to run up and attack you. In truth, they’re probably more afraid of you than you are of them, and they’ll probably just dart the moment they see you. If they do come up to you, be responsible, and don’t put a huge burden on yourself by feeding them. They’re strong, and they can take care of themselves and have been doing so for thousands of years. If you really want to take care of a pet, go to a shelter and choose a cat there. You can meet a new furry friend and one that isn’t feral.

Originally published at https://purrpetrators.com on February 21, 2021.