Consequently, much of the information used by American feral cat welfare groups was from British studies. Each year, game wardens trap or shoot thousands of feral cats, for real or imagined destruction of domestic stock or game animals. One Wildlife Services worker bluntly stated that feral cats, and outdoor house-cats, are weeds which are in the wrong place and the wrong time and should therefor be killed. As well as facing extremes of weather, variable food supplies, motorcars and hostile humans, American ferals are prey for feral dogs, coyotes, bobcats, hawks and owls. In turn the cats prey on wildlife and are frequently blamed for a drop in the numbers of birds or small mammals.
Feral cats make useful scapegoats.
Attempts to vilify cats and failure to recognise problems such as human mismanagement of bird habitats lead to misguided efforts, by individuals and by humane societies, to exterminate feral cats. People like a tidy explanation for songbird decline and cats are the most convenient target for blame. Most studies indicate that birds form only a small part of cats' diets. Urban ferals are opportunists and in may live primarily off of rats, scavenged animals, garbage and food provided by cat-lovers. Rural ferals are frequently found in the vicinity of farms etc where they perform a useful role in controlling rodents attracted to those places.