Selection in CatsOr: “Why are there so many stray cats around here?!?!”

Selection and Cats

Traits that ensure a domestic cat’s survival among humans:

Endearing qualities: purring, snuggling, being playful, cuteness.

Helpful qualities: rodent control.

Abandoned cats

When domestic cats are abandoned:

Most die within a week or two from starvation, accident, or predation. The traits that help them in a domestic setting are useless in the wild.

The few that survive have the strongest feral instincts.

Av. feral lifespan: 2-4 years

Selection’s Effects

Generation 1 Generation 2 Generation 3

As time passes...

With each generation, domestic traits are selected against, while feral traits are favored.

After several generations, even kittens that are captured young can be challenging to tame.

Control - shooting

In efforts to control feral cats, some communities have chosen to shoot feral cats.

This adds another strong selective factor. Cats that fear and flee from humans are most likely to survive these control operations. Thus feral traits are selected for.

Control - Euthanasia

Some communities control ferals with capture and humane euthanasia.

Feral cats that fear humans and are too wary to enter traps are most likely to survive. Again, feral traits are selected for.

Control - TNR+ CareCat rescues favor the trap-neuter-return method, statistically the most effective feral control method.

Spayed and neutered cats do not reproduce, but still maintain their territories.

If humans care for the cats by feeding and providing shelter, other cats and kittens can learn from them, and can be captured as well.

TNR + Care Selects For:

Cats that are less wary of humans.

Cats that will come to humans for food.

Cats that will teach their kittens or other cats to go to humans for care.