I befriended a feral. He has the run of the “south 40” and regularly treats me to presents of rats, mice and moles. Yes, he does occasionally give me a still live (barely) bird but Steller’s Jays, crows, and hawks are far more destructive in that regard.
Feral cats are very efficient hunters and can be self-sufficient. Feral dogs will kill small animals they can catch but more often are scroungers, dependent on carrion and human garbage.
Cats have souls far beyond their size, etc.—beyond, as well, their canine cousins.
I live in rural Northern Nevada. My Imperial Rottweiler often dines on jackrabbits, cottontails, pigeons, and doves. But he does not bother the quail, instead, he enjoys watching them parading across the property.