Meatier meals and more playtime might reduce cats' toll on wildlife

[Random Boomer]

11. Not much help in my neighborhood

Most of the cats in my neighborhood are either ferals or strays (many abandoned when owners were evicted -- that happens a lot around here). I'm not sure if feeding them helps or hurts -- it makes them less reliant on hunting, but it also means more of them survive.

We put dry food out in one of our garages, which we've turned into a shelter for a dwarf feral cat that was born in our back alley about 6 years ago. We started feeding him when he was a kitten, but he still hisses at me if I get too close. We did manage to trap him for neutering, and he hangs around our backyard, so we think of him as our cat, even if he doesn't. Fortunately for the local wildlife, he can't hunt worth a damn.

A few other strays will help themselves to the feeder, but the other ferals won't come in the yard, so it hasn't turned into Grand Central (Feeding) Station.