A wild cat is a cat that lives outside and has little or no human contact. They do not let themselves be handled or touched by humans, and will run away if they can. They usually remain hidden from humans, although some wild cats become more comfortable with the people who regularly feed them. Even with long-term socialization efforts, stray cats usually remain fearful and shy away from humans.
Wildcats often live outdoors in colonies in locations where they can access food and shelter. These colonies are called managed colonies when they are fed and treated by humans. Several animal rescue groups provide care for wild cats by applying an eternal trap program, feeding cats, socializing and adopting young kittens, and providing health care.
Attempts to control wild cat populations are widespread, although the techniques differ significantly. Some advocate a trap-neuter-return program to prevent cats from continuing to multiply; others suggest euthanasia.
Video Feral cat
Definisi
The meaning of the term stray cat varies between profession and state, and is sometimes used interchangeably with other terms such as free roaming , path , > gang, or community cat . Some of these terms are also used to refer to wild cats, although wild and wild cats are generally considered to be different by rescuers, vets, and researchers. Wildcats are socialized cats that no longer live at home, but are potentially successfully reintroduced into the home environment.
A 2013 article in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery found that UK rescuers and veterinarians tend to distinguish wild cats from pet cats based on traits such as their level of socialization, ownership, and confinement, and on the number of fears , interaction with, and dependence on humans. They found that saviors and vets tend to agree that wild cats are cats that do not have much human contact (especially before the age of eight weeks), will try to avoid humans, and prefer to escape rather than attack humans. However, veterinarians and rescuers disagree on whether wild cats will tend to hiss and spit or attack humans during meetings, and disagree if adult corals are potentially tamed. The article provides a combined definition of a stray cat as a cat who would choose not to interact with humans, be able to survive with or without human assistance, and would hide or defend himself when trapped rather than allowing himself to be dealt with.
A survey of rescuers and veterinarians in the United States found that there is no widely accepted definition of stray cats. Many facilities use waiting time to evaluate whether the cat is wild by observing whether the cat is becoming less fearful and dodging over time. Other indicators include the response of cats to touch with inanimate objects, and observation of the social behavior of cats in various environments (in response to human contact, with nearby humans, or when moving to a quieter environment). The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals defines community cats as cats born and raised in the wild, or domestic cats that have been abandoned or lost and turned into wild ways to survive.
The Australian government categorizes cats that have no interaction with or help from humans as stray cats, and un-owned cats that rely on humans as semi-wild or lost.
Farm cats
Agricultural cats (also called cats shed) are cats that live on farm property in wild or semi-wild conditions. They mainly live outdoors, usually taking shelter in other buildings. They pursue pests such as rodents and other small animals that live in or around the outer buildings and farm fields.
The need to prevent rodents from consuming or contaminating wheat crops that are stored for human consumption later in life may be the original reason for tamed cats. They are still commonly stored for the purpose of catching unwanted pests found on farms and farms, which otherwise would feed or pollute the crop, especially wheat or feed stock.
Some animal rescue organizations maintain cat breeding programs, where they place cats in granaries whose owners agree to provide basic care for animals. Cats in this program are often wild cats that can not be safely restored to their colony, or cats that are semi-wild or difficult to adopt due to behavioral problems.
Ship cat
Ship cats are usually wild or semi-wild, and have been a common feature in many trades, explorations, and ships. Cats are mainly taken to ships to catch mice and rats, which damage ropes and wood, eat goods and food, and spread diseases. Cats have been officially banned from some commercial and military fleets, although they are sometimes still privately maintained by sailors.
Maps Feral cat
History
Although scientists disagree on whether the cat was initially domesticated in Egypt or if they were introduced there after domestication, the worldwide spread of cats allegedly originated in Egypt, where they are popular and effective in controlling rat populations. Merchants from Phenicia took them to Europe to control the rat population, and the brothers took them further to Asia. The Roman army also helped to spread it, and eventually brought them to England. Since then, cats have continued to be introduced to new areas, often by sailors or settlers. Cats are thought to have been introduced to Australia in the 1600s by the Dutch shipwrecks, or late 1700s by British settlers. These pet cats begin to form wild populations after their offspring begin to live away from human contact.
Behavior
Several behaviors are commonly observed among stray cats, although there is disagreement among vets, rescuers, and researchers about some prevalence. In a roaming free environment, wild cats avoid humans. They do not allow themselves to be handled or touched by humans, and back or flee when they are able to do so. If trapped, they can hiss, growl, bit teeth, or cross out. They remain quite hidden from humans and will not approach, although some stray cats gradually become more comfortable around the humans who feed them regularly.
Colony
Wildcats often live in colonies, wild cat groups that live together in one area, often near food sources and shelter. The researchers disagree on the existence, extent, and structure of the hierarchy of dominance in wild colonies. Various types of hierarchies have been observed in wild colonies, including despotic and linear hierarchies. Some colonies are organized into more complex structures, such as relative hierarchies, in which the social status of individual cats may vary in their location, time, or activity involving cats (especially breastfeeding and mating).
When a man decides to care for a wild colony, it is often called a managed colony. The care provided can include regularly providing food and water for cats, providing shelters, assisting with the neutral trap-back program, providing continuous animal care, finding foster homes for cats that can be socialized for ultimate adoption, and working to educate people people living in the neighborhood.
Socialization
Wild kittens can be trapped and socialized, then adopted into the home. The age at which kittens become difficult to socialize is not agreed upon, but the advice generally ranges from the age of seven weeks to four months. Although older cats can sometimes be socialized, it is a very long and difficult process, and the cat is rarely friendly and may remain fearful.
In the 2013 study of participants from the UK, rescue teams tend to be more willing than vets to try to tame the adult wild cat. Veterinarians tend to be more opposed to this practice, with some expressing concern for the welfare of such cats in the home environment. In the 2010 study of veterinary and lifesaving in the United States, 66% of respondents had a socialization program for kittens, and 8% for adult cats.
Health
Diet and predator
Wildcats mainly live from food taken from trash when it is available to them. They also eat the animals they kill, and the carcasses of animals are dead. The wild cats that live in the managed colonies are fed cat food by their caregivers.
Domesticated and wild cats have been observed to prey on a variety of both vertebrates and invertebrates. Cats usually prefer small animals weighing under 100 grams (3.5 oz), especially mammals, birds, and lizards. A meta-analysis study of the cat's diet found that cats prey on more than 1,000 species. The analysis found house mice, European rabbits, black rats, sparrows, and common blackbirds are some of the most commonly observed species of prey.
Wildcats in Australia prey on wildlife. In dry and semi-arid environments, they eat mostly introduced European rabbits and home rats. In arid environments where rabbits do not occur, native rodents are taken. In forests and urban areas, they eat mostly native marsupials (especially the general possum ringtail) and rodents.
Wild cats can be the top mesopredators or predators in some local ecosystems. In others, they may be preyed on by animals such as stray dogs, jungle dogs, jungle dogs, and birds of prey.
Lifespan and survival
Without human help
Without human assistance, wild kittens are expected to have high mortality rates, with about 50% dead within the first year. Cats that survive cats, the average life span of stray cats without human care less than two years
However, adult wild cats without human assistance have been found to be in excellent condition. In Florida, a study of wild cats claiming to be a trap-neuter-return program (TNR) concluded that "euthanasia for very weak cats for human reasons is rarely needed". Further studies of more than 100,000 community cats (wild and wild) received at the TNR program in various locations in the US resulted in the same level of euthanasia 0.4% for debilitating conditions. The condition of wild cat bodies entering the TNR program in Florida is described as "generally lean but not skinny". However, many community cats suffer from parasites such as lice and ear mites before entering the TNR program.
With the help of humans
Wild cats in a managed colony can live long. A number of cats in the colonies managed in England died of old age. In the US, the last cat in a colony managed in Washington, D.C. died at the age of 17, and Zorro, the last cat from a colony on the Merrimack River in Newburyport, Massachusetts, died in 2009 at the age of 16.
A long-term study of the trap-neuter-return program (TNR) on a university campus in Central Florida found that, despite widespread concerns about the welfare of cats that are free to roam, 83% of the cats studied have been present for more than six years, with nearly half first observed as an adult with an unknown age. The authors compared these results with a 1984 study that found the average life span for pet cats was 7.1 years.
Prevalence of the disease
Wild cats, like all cats, are susceptible to diseases and infections including rabies, bartonellosis, toxoplasmosis, epidemics, parasites, cat immunodeficiency virus (FIV), cat leukemia virus (FeLV), rickettsial diseases, and respiratory disease diseases (FRDC, respiration including herpesvirus type 1 cat, feline calicivirus, Chlamydia felis , and Mycoplasma felis ).
Feline leukemia virus and family-owned immunodeficiency virus Retroviridae , and both cause immunosuppression in cats, which can increase their susceptibility to other infections. Studies have shown that the prevalence of this virus among wild cat populations is low and similar to the prevalence rates for cats that are owned in the United States.
Researchers studying 553 stray cats in North Florida in the United States test them for a number of infections that can damage the health of cats or humans. The study found the most common infection was Bartonella henselae, the cause of cat's cat's disease in humans, with 33.6% positive cats. Feline coronavirus is the next most common infection, found in 18.3% of cats, although they note that low antibody levels in most cats tested positive, and concluded that the cats they tested did not appear to be a greater risk. to remove viruses rather than pet cat. Researchers studying 96 wild cats in Prince Edward Island in Canada found that roundworms were the most common infection in cats in the colony, affecting 34% of cats. This was followed by Toxoplasma gondii , which was detected in 29.8% of cats, although only one cat from 78 for available fecal samples was issuing T. gondii oocysts. They note that most of the collected fecal samples showed a single intestinal parasite, with some samples indicating the presence of some parasites.
Transmission to humans
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned about the risks of rabies associated with stray cats. With 16% of people infected with rabies from crazy cat exposure, cats have been the primary animal responsible for human-to-human transmission in the United States since attempts to control rabies in dogs in the 1970s. In 2010, there were 303 crazy cats reported in the United States. Although some colony management programs involve rabies vaccination, the need to revaccinate every few years makes it difficult to maintain. In addition, the lack of documentation may mean that contact with vaccinated wildcat may still require post-exposure care.
The study of wild cats in Prince Edward Island warns of "considerable zoonotic risk" for intestinal parasite transmission. Although the authors noted that their study did not provide evidence of major risks associated with T. gondii in cats, they suggested that the risk should still be considered, since human infections can cause significant health problems, and non-infecting cats infection can begin to release the virus in times of stress.
Distribution and habitat
Wildcats live on all continents except Antarctica. The world's wild cat population is estimated at least 100 million. The US wild cat population is estimated at 60 million, Australia at 12 million, and Britain at one million.
Cats are found in many remote islands, such as the Hawaiian Islands, where they are an invasive species. Based on the microsatellite genetic test, it is determined that these cats mainly have European ancestry. This can be attributed to their journey on the ship's trading route in the 19th century.
Some locations have been known for their wild cat populations, such as Aoshima Island in Japan. Double, managed, and wild colonies in the Colosseum in Rome exceed 250 cats. Other famous colonies include the Canadian Parliamentary Cat, and the cats of Jerusalem.
Most wild cats have small home ranges, though some are more transient and travel long distances. The range of male wildcats, which are generally two or three times larger than that of a female cat, averages under 10 hectares (25 hectares), but may vary from nearly 300 hectares (740 acres) to under 1 hectare (2.5 acres). This variation is often caused by breeding seasons, access to females, whether castrated cats, age, day time, and availability of prey.
Control and management
Wildcats are controlled or managed by various agencies to manage the disease, for the protection of native wildlife and to protect their welfare. Control of wild cats can be managed through traps and euthanasia or other forms of lethal control, or through trap-neuter-return (TNR).
Trap-neuter-return involves trapping wild cats, spaying or castrating them, and then restoring them to places where some are initially trapped. When castrated, cats receive vaccinations against viruses such as rabies and other medical treatments, such as dental care and parasite care. The TNR program is prevalent in several countries, including the UK, Italy, Canada, and the United States, supported by many local and state governments. TNR supporters argue that it is effective in stopping reproduction and reducing the population over time. The result of TNR fewer complaints, because the behavior of the disorder is reduced after castrated, and the quality of life of the cat is improved. This practice is reported to save money and garner more public support and better morale than attempts involving cat killing.
The International Companion's Animal Management Coalition supports TNR as a humane method for controlling wild cat populations. In the US, this practice is supported by the Humane Society of the United States and the National Animal Control Association. While the US Department of Defense does not officially advocate TNR, it provides information to military installations on how to implement TNR programs, with a key message that population control programs must be humane.
In 2011, a study in Australia emphasized the need to monitor the effects of eradication programs after infrared cameras found that the destruction of stray cats led to an increase in wild cat populations in dwindled areas. It is estimated that only dominant cats are fed and trapped during the operation. After the disappearance of the dominant cat, there is an influx of subordinate animals to areas unlike dominant cats, not venture into traps. Within a year, the number of cats in the annihilated area stabilized to the original figure.
The effectiveness of trap and euthanasia programs and TNR is largely dependent on controlling the immigration of cats to the area cleared or controlled; where new cat immigration is controlled, both techniques can be effective. But where immigration is not controlled by extermination is more effective. Comparison of different techniques also found that the trap-and-euthanise program is half the cost of TNR. An analysis of both techniques in Hawaii shows that they are less effective when new cats are introduced by pet abandonment. The use of TNR is debated by some scientists and conservation specialists, who argue that TNR is primarily a matter of animal welfare and ignores the ongoing damage done by castrated cats in the wild. Some conservation scientists question the effectiveness of TNR in controlling the number of stray cats. Several studies that have supported TNR have also been criticized for using anecdotal data to evaluate their effectiveness.
Effects on wildlife
Cats chase down small prey, like rodents and birds. The very popular cats kill one to four billion birds and six to 22 billion mammals each year in the states adjacent to the United States.
Sometimes wild cats kill non-pribumi pests. Wild cats have been intentionally introduced into some areas as a pest control strategy. In the 1800s, thousands of cats were introduced near settlements in Australia that have grown near the excavation site of gold and farms in an attempt to manage the populations of rodents, rabbits, and mice.
Hybridization with wild felids
Wild cats have mated with wild cats to various levels around the world, the first reported case occurred more than 200 years ago. The importance of hybridization is debatable. The old documentation suggests that wild cats are a separate species of domestic cats, but modern genetic analysis has shown that domestic cats are pet versions of the wild cats near-east. In some locations, high levels of hybridization have led to difficulties in distinguishing "authentic" wild cats from domestic and wild domestic cats, which can complicate conservation efforts. Some researchers argue that "pure" wild cats no longer exist, but others deny it.
One study in Scotland showed that while "native" wildcat is unlikely to exist, the current wild cat population is quite different from that of domestic cats to protect, genetic research is still ongoing as part of the Wildcat Haven project in Scotland, which has been reported. the success of protecting wild cats from hybridization with widespread trap-neuter-return work. Introgression of the Wildcat population genus is also present in Italy, Hungary, Spain and Portugal.
See also
- Trap-neuter-return
References
External links
- Explanation of wild cat advocacy organization about stray cat Alliance cat
- Control of wild cats in the UK
- Learn the wild cat in Portsmouth Naval Dockyard, UK with photos and scientific papers
- List of Humane Societies and Rescue Groups with TNR Alley Cat Rescue Program
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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