Glossary

Advocacy
The act of pleading or arguing in favor of something, such as a cause, idea, or policy; active support” (American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition). Feral cat caregivers, both individuals and groups, are advocating for nonlethal feral cat reduction in communities throughout the nation.

Eartipping/Notching
A technique of painlessly removing a quarter-inch off the top of a feral cat’s left ear or putting a notch in the top of the left ear while the cat is anesthetized for spay/neutering. Eartipping/notching is the universal symbol of and only proven way to permanently identify (both close up and from a distance) a feral cat that has been evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized. Eartipping/notching ensures that a sterile cat will not undergo unnecessary repeat trapping and surgery.

Euthanasia
The act or practice of ending the life of an individual suffering from a terminal illness or an incurable condition, as by lethal injection or the suspension of extraordinary medical treatment” (American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition). The term “euthanasia” does not apply to killing healthy companion animals and/or feral cats because there are too many of them.

Feral Kitten
Any kitten born outdoors to a stray or feral mother. Most feral kittens can be socialized if the process is begun when they are only a few weeks old. Socialization requires that the kittens be confined for a short period of time during which they are talked to and gently held and petted for increasing periods until they come to trust the human-animal bond. Usually, the younger the kitten, the easier socialization will be.

FIV, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
Also a retrovirus specific to cats, FIV is transmitted from cat to cat primarily by deep bites, as the virus is shed in the saliva. Perhaps the most prevalent method of transmission is bite wounds in fighting cats, especially roaming males. Intimate contact through grooming, sharing food, etc., does not spread the virus. Overall, FIV is less common than FeLV. FIV+ cats often live long, symptom-free lives.

Exotic Species
Species occurring outside their native ranges in a given place as a result of actions by humans. "Exotic", "alien", "introduced", "nonindigenous" and "nonnative" are all synonyms for species that humans intentionally or unintentionally introduced into an area outside of a species' natural range. (National Park Service [NPS] Management Policies).

FeLV, Feline Leukemia Virus
A retrovirus specific to cats, FeLV causes an immune system breakdown, making the cat susceptible to diseases that it might otherwise be able to fight off. FeLV cannot be transmitted to humans, nor can it be transmitted to other species. FeLV+ cats may remain asymptomatic (although contagious—they are shedding the virus, primarily in saliva) for many years. With supportive care and symptomatic treatments, many FeLV+ cats live a high-quality life for months to years, while others may succumb quickly. FeLV is spread primarily from mother to kitten.

Feral Cat
Literally “gone wild,” a domestic cat that was lost or abandoned and has reverted to a wild state, or a cat that was born outside to a stray or feral mother and had little or no human contact. Adult feral cats usually cannot be tamed and are not suited to living indoors with people. They live outside in family groups called colonies that form near a source of food and shelter. Feral cats can survive almost anywhere and are found worldwide.

Feral Cat Caregiver
A compassionate human who feeds feral cats, performs Trap-Neuter-Return, and provides long-term care and monitoring for adult feral cats that are returned. Caregivers are men and women of all ages from all walks of life. Most of the leading feral cat organizations were founded by caregivers whose commitment to feral cats grew to encompass entire communities.

Feral Cat Colony
A group of freeroaming cats living in a specific geographic area. Prior to the implementation of Trap-Neuter-Return, feral cat colonies consist of both stray (tame) and feral (wild) cats of all ages, from kittens through adults. After Trap-Neuter-Return is completed, a feral cat colony consists exclusively of feral adults.

Humane Box Trap
A metal wire box rigged so that when an animal steps into it, the door closes, preventing the animal from leaving. These traps do not cause the animal any pain and are the only type of trap to be used for Trap- Neuter-Return (TNR).

Managed Feral Cat Colony
A group of feral cats living together and having strong blood ties in which all cats have been sterilized and vaccinated and are provided daily food and shelter by a volunteer caregiver. The caregiver regularly monitors cats and captures any who need veterinary care, in addition to trapping any newcomers to be sterilized and vaccinated. A properly managed colony is a healthy, gradually reducing colony in which no kittens are born.

No-Kill
A belief that healthy animals should not be killed simply because there are too many of them. No-Kill advocates believe that animals sick or injured beyond treatment should be euthanized (see Euthanasia), but that healthy or treatable animals should be given the opportunity and resources to live.

Predation
The capturing of prey as a means of maintaining life” (American Heritage Dictionary, Fourth Edition). The question of what, if any, role feral cats play in the decline of wildlife is controversial. Some environmental and wildlife groups maintain that cats, both feral and owned, are devastating wildlife and that all cats must be removed from the outdoors. This position is flawed on two counts. First, by far the primary issue in wildlife decline is ongoing habitat destruction, disruption, and fragmentation caused by development and other activities associated with human population growth. The major, reputable studies on avian and wildlife population declines all point to habitat loss, drought, and pesticides produced by human activities that must be curtailed or corrected if wildlife is to prosper once again. Second, removing cats from the outdoors sounds like a simple, straightforward operation. Except that, as a nation, we have been trapping and removing (killing) feral cats for decades with no effect whatsoever on reducing their numbers (see Trap-and-Remove). Communities that practice this outdated approach have as many or more feral cats as ever. The critical point about predation is that, no matter what role cats may play in any predatory situation, the solution is to have fewer feral cats in the environment. Feral cats are not suitable for adoption. Confining large numbers of feral cats in sanctuaries is an implausible proposal. Trap and remove (kill) schemes have failed for decades to lower the numbers of feral cats. TNR, on the other hand, has been succeeding at reducing feral cat populations since it began in the U.S. more than a decade ago (see Trap-Neuter-Return). The answer to predation concerns is for feral cat advocates and environmental and wildlife groups to endorse TNR as the standard method of feral cat control everywhere and continue to reduce feral cat numbers.

Rabies
A virus that affects the central nervous system of mammals, causing first encephalopathy and ultimately death. Rabies is a lethal disease to be treated with utmost caution, but rabies control is a major public health victory in the U.S. In this country, rabies is overwhelmingly a disease of wildlife. The vector species are raccoons, bats, skunks, and foxes. Cats consistently account for about three percent of rabies cases and are not a primary vector. Pre-exposure rabies vaccine is available for domestic and some wild animals and for humans. Post-exposure treatment for humans is completely effective if it is administered before onset of symptoms. A feral cat vaccinated for rabies is protected against contracting rabies from wildlife and from transmitting rabies to humans and other animals. There has been no human death from rabies attributed to transmission from a cat recorded in the U.S. since 1975. (Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, GA)

Relocation
In almost all cases, feral cats are better off being returned to their established outside homes after sterilization, to be watched over by caregivers. Cats bond with their territories and with other cats in their colony. Relocation is difficult, time-consuming, and often costly, and comes with no guarantee that the cats will stay in their new location. Alley Cat Allies strongly recommends that all measures be taken to correct problems connected with keeping cats in their territories. If, however, compelling difficulties force the relocation of a feral cat colony, ACA provides relocation guidelines that, when followed carefully and completely, offer the greatest chance of relocation success.

Stray Cat
A domestic cat that strayed from home and became lost or was abandoned. Because a stray cat was once a companion animal, he or she can usually be re-socialized and placed in an adoptive home.

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
A nonlethal sterilization method to reduce the numbers of feral cats in the environment both immediately and for the longterm. TNR is a comprehensive, ongoing program in which stray and feral cats already living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely trapped, then evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and tame (stray) cats are adopted into good homes. Healthy adult cats too wild (feral) to be adopted are returned to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of volunteers. Cats that are ill or injured beyond recovery are not returned to the environment. TNR was brought to the U.S. from Europe and the U.K. during the 1980s. The practice of TNR grew rapidly in the 1990s when Alley Cat Allies began providing information and assistance to people caring for feral cats who recognized that their numbers must be controlled and reduced through sterilization. In communities where TNR is widely embraced, feral cat numbers have dropped. TNR programs operate largely or entirely through the dedicated efforts of committed volunteers. TNR works because it breaks the cycle of reproduction. In general, the cost of sterilizing and returning a feral cat is less than half the cost of trapping, holding, killing, and disposing of a feral cat. TNR protects public health and advances the goal of reducing the numbers of feral cats in the environment. The public supports humane, nonlethal TNR as the long-term solution to feral cat overpopulation.

Trap and Remove
The traditional approach to reducing feral cat numbers, trap-and-remove schemes may achieve a temporary lowering of feral cat numbers, but survivors of the campaign breed prolifically and outside cats can move in to take advantage of the now available sources of food and shelter and form a new colony (see Vacuum Effect). “Trap and remove” is usually a euphemism for killing feral cats.

Vacuum Effect
Feral cats establish territories based on availability of food sources and shelter. When the cats are removed from this environment, more cats quickly move in to take advantage of those resources. These new unsterilized cats will breed prolifically. The vacuum effect has been documented around the world.

Zoonotic Diseases
Diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Rabies is among the best known of zoonotic diseases (see Rabies), although there are numerous others, most not involving cats. Opponents of TNR sometimes cite zoonotic diseases as threats to public health and reasons to eliminate feral cat colonies, but it has been demonstrated that feral cats are rarely the primary or even a significant source of disease, that the diseases connected with cats are extremely rare, and that feral cats enjoy the same level of health as owned cats in the U.S.

 

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