Around here a sure sign of a feral cat is a pheasant with just the breast eaten out of it. They catch them on their nests. A cat found away from a farm house in pheasant country is a dead cat.
I'm with you. Cats hunt whether they are hungry or not. Part of being a conservationist and not a bunny hugger, means that when we have to cull a herd or exterminate nusiance wildlife, that we do what is right for the environment, not the "PC thing". Cute animals aren't given any free passes. These tree huggers forget that sportsmen are the biggest advocates for protection of our wilderness and its species.
If the cat lovers loved them so much they would have been live trapping them and finding homes for them, but they aren't.