Rural ferals are frequently found in the vicinity of farms etc where they perform a useful role in controlling rodents attracted to those places. A major problem faced by humane societies dealing with ferals is that of Rabies. The problem is not the real danger but the imagined danger which can cause normally sane people to demand feral cat eradiction. European and American studies indicate that cats are very rarely a vector for rabies. Cats can, however, carry the disease for the very short time it takes them to die from it themselves.
Feral cats are a very minor player in the rabies chain in America.
As if Rabies, being eaten by large predators or shot by game wardens isn't bad enough, American ferals have a bad image. The view was that feral cats live short brutal lives in the wild and should be destroyed for their own good. However, this view could be taken to its logical conclusion in which case all American wildlife, from deer to racoons, should be destroyed to save them from the suffering of short, brutal lives in the wild. Feral cats are wild animals and are adapted to the wild environment. Altered ferals in managed colonies may achieve life spans equalling that of a housecat.