### animal | vertebrate | mammal | feline | cat:

Feral cat
* Feral Cats are the wild offspring of unaltered domestic cats.
* Many feral cats are too wild to make good pets and face death as a result.
* Most feral cats have small home ranges , although some are more transient and travel long distances
  - live within colonies created in part by the urge to breed
* are a leading cause of bird and mammal extinctions on islands all over the world
  - very minor player in the rabies chain in America
  - almost impossible to socialize unless captured as small kittens
  - also a problem, as they find shearwater chicks easy prey
* are domestic cats living wild, and descendants thereof
  - that have somehow found their way back into the wild
  - estimated to eat tens of millions of native animals each night in Australia
  - extremely efficient at preying on small birds and mammals
  - most active between dusk and dawn
  - often much larger than domestic ones
  - pests in both rural and urban areas
  - probably the only potentially significant predators of full-grown birds
  - robust and healthy animals
  - scavengers, and many rely on garbage and hand-outs from people
  - social animals and consequently colony cats develop strong bonds with one another
  - street-smart kitties that grow up in back alleys, city parks and behind supermarkets
  - the offspring of stray or abandoned household pets
  - un-owned, free roaming cats that avoid contact with humans
  - unowned wild cats, often offspring of abandoned, unfixed domesticated cats
  - unsocialized, unowned free-roaming cats
  - what humans call wild, strays, and so on
  - wild animals and are adapted to the wild environment
* breed frequently, adding to an already overwhelming pet overpopulation problem.
* can be effective hunters of small animals
  - inflict some serious damage
  - keep rats in check, too
  - kill native birds
  - pose a threat to younger animals as well
  - survive almost anywhere, and are found all over the world
* compete for food with native wildlife such as weasels, owls, hawks, and snakes.
* congregate in stairwells in cities and leave objectionable odor.
* do have harder and shorter lives than our pets
  - live in our area
* eat predominantly birds, rodents, and small mammals
  - tens of millions of native animals in Australia every night
* have a life cycle largely independent of the domestic cat population
  - right to life
  - difficult lives, often dying young
  - the right to survive
  - voracious appetites
* kill birds
  - many song birds
  - the majority of birds
* lead meager lives shortened by malnutrition, disease, trauma, and high kitten mortality.
* live in groups called colonies
  - on all continents except for Antarctica
* pose very little threat to bird populations.
* prefer live prey but do occasionally scavenge carrion or human food scraps.
* represent one of many threats to the survival of the northern hairy-nosed wombat.
* spread diseases to humans.
* succumb to predators, humans, dogs and other cats, and to disease and motor vehicles.
* tend to bond to one person, and proper introduction to a new home is essential
  - find areas where food is available such as around dumpsters
* use the minimum energy to obtain food.
+ Feral organism, Examples of feral animals: Animals :: Plants
  * The cat can easily become feral. Feral cats are pests in both rural and urban areas. They have seriously damaged bird, reptile and mammal populations. As feral cats breed quickly, it is difficult to control their populations. In rural areas,  feral cats are often shot.

Geriatric cat
* are in the stage of life in which the aging process is affecting every organ.
* develop problems associated with aging.

Healthy cat
* Most healthy cats pass well-formed stools once or twice a day.
* have clear, bright eyes, pink gums, a clean nose and ears, and a smooth, shiny coat.