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. 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.