The solution to the free-roaming and feral cat situation is multifaceted and includes: Human injuries (bites and scratches) often occur if feral cats are handled without proper precautions. Zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be transmitted from animals to people) include rabies, toxoplasmosis, ringworm, cat scratch disease and many other diseases. Free-roaming cats will hunt and kill birds, small mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish resulting in wildlife mortality.įree-roaming cats also pose a low but important threat to human health. If they are provided with food and not spayed or neutered, free-roaming cats will breed and their populations increase at locations where they find suitable food and water, resulting in environmental/property damage, and public nuisance. It is estimated that the number of free-roaming cats in the United States may be equal to that of owned cats, approximately 70 million.
Given the relatively high rate of spaying and neutering of owned cats, free-roaming cats are the primary source of cats turned in to animal pounds and shelters. They may be “outdoor cats” with a specific owner, stray pets, feral, or may have originated in one household and are now fed or cared for by other households in the neighborhood. " Free-roaming" cats are those that are not necessarily considered to be feral, but which frequently roam outdoors and interact with feral cats and wildlife. Feral cats may live in a group or "colony", usually in an area where they find food and shelter. Feral animals are domestic animal species living in an unsocialized or wild state they are one or more generations removed from a home environment. However, over the years some domesticated cats have been abandoned and become "feral". However, if a municipal government wishes to allow managed cat colonies, they should develop standards through ordinances for the proper and managed operation of such colonies, based on the guidelines below, that would provide accountability and oversight by the Health Officer and animal control officers.Ĭats are domesticated animals that are not indigenous wildlife in North America. The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) does not endorse or oppose the concept of establishing properly managed cat colonies utilizing trap-neuter-return (TNR) techniques.
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