My Pet World: New book takes a revealing look into the world of feral cats

Even if you don't know it, they're out there lurking in the shadows. According to market research conducted by Anne Beall, there are nearly as many feral (wild) cats in the U.S as there are owned cats.

"We know so little about feral cats, and even less of the truth about how people feel about them," she says. "I wanted to find out."

And that's exactly what Beall did, by surveying people across the country. Her results were published as "Community Cats: A Journey Into the World of Feral Cats" (iUniverse, Bloomington, IN, 2014; $15.95). Clients of Beall's Chicago-based market research company include international firms, but on this project, she surveyed thousands of Americans about their feelings regarding cats.

Her first surprise was to learn exactly how many feral cats there are, and secondly, how quietly but steadily the idea of caring for these outdoor cats is growing. Colony caretakers participate in trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs across the country to insure that the feral cats in their care are spay/neutered and vaccinated for rabies, and their ears notched so caretakers know when a newcomer arrives. Caretakers supplement colony members' food, and some even provide flea protection and medical care for obviously ill animals.

Beall says there are about 8 million cat colonies in the U.S., each averaging about four cats. That's a lot of cats.

Periodically, stories make the news about how feral cats wreak havoc on migrating birds and other wildlife, and might also be a nuisance to the community. Interestingly, half of all those surveyed for Beall's book instead "feel sorry" for stray cats, and 37 percent would like to help these cats, even if they had not previously heard of TNR.

Only 10 percent of those surveyed consider strays as pests, and another 4 percent say they "hate" stray cats. While this is a small percentage, it still means many people have few kind words for strays.

Wondering about these stats, Beall queried those who'd said they hated cats (in general) on her survey. The most common answers were "cats are a nuisance," "cats shed hair everywhere," "I've been scratched by a cat" and "cats are snobby." At the bottom of the list, 4 percent said, "I don't like animals," and another 4 percent said, "cats kill birds."

If you believe what some bird conservation groups suggest, there's a public outcry about cats killing birds. Leading that cry might be Beall herself -- if the statement were true. As an active member of the Chicago Bird Coalition, she helps rescue injured birds who've flown into buildings.

According to Beall's data, 32 percent of what outdoor cats consume are birds, accounting for about 15 million birds annually. Beall acknowledges that this number is significant. However, it's nowhere near the number of birds some conservation groups claim are killed by cats each year: 1.4 billion to as many as 3.7 billion.

Beall laughs and says, "That's impossible since we don't have near 4 billion birds in America. They would all be gone."

So what do feral cats actually eat? No surprise, the bulk of their diet (68 percent) consists of rats and mice (and presumably other rodents).

In the end, no matter how many birds are truly killed by cats, Beall would like the number to decline.

"This is another reason why TNR is so important to reduce feral cat populations," she adds.

Still, in reality, collisions with buildings, habitat destruction, air and light pollution kill far more birds than cats do.

Alley Cat Allies, a non-profit cat advocacy group, celebrates October 16 as National Feral Cat Day. To learn more, including information about local events, www.nationalferalcatday.org. Also, learn about TNR from the Chicago all-cat shelter, Tree House Humane Society, at www.treehouseanimals.org (under the Programs tab).

"We know attempts to trap and kill (feral cats) not only don't work, but are not accepted by most people as being humane," says Beall. "TNR is an approach people like and one that does substantially lower outdoor cat population numbers."

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