I feed ferals too. Two of them that live behind this drug store at first hissed at me and looked mean for at least a month. Today..I clean the ones ears while he purrs nonstop...and I can pick the little tailess female up and hold her while she purrs. These were so-called WILD cats. Up North I fed them too.... one was born outside...mean and scary looking....after a good few months...she is a sweet loving kitty now..loves to be petted. All it took was some patience and trust. Almost ALL FERALS can be turned around. MOST FERALS were first housecats but came to distrust people since there were abandoned and left for dead. Feral cats can be great pets for people who understand and have patience. I have a EX-feral living in my house..she is the sweetest little thing...I am so glad she was living behind my shed...she is a godsend. I wish people would help ferals instead of calling them a problem...catch them get them fixed, get them the shots...they were born and deserve to finish a halfway decent life. Help them....and dont' look at them as a problem. Nobody better ever try to trap these two cats behind the drugstore unless they intend to help them.........they should not have them destroyed for being homeless.
I used to think the same way. But to say that all feral cats were once domesticated is simply not true. These cats have up to four breeding cycles a year (depending on the climate), which is beyond the normal of two for a domestic cat. Each one of these once-pets can potentially be responsible for up to 150 completely feral- feral in the sense they have had absolutely no contact with humans whatsoever. It is these cats that are the problem because they are virtually impossible to domesticate. Most will go as far as saying that a feral kitten over the age of six weeks is lost. I say up to 12. But again, these are cats that have had no contact with humans.
For example: this spring I took in four completely feral kittens. There mom was partially feral in that she was a once-pet. But her kittens were completely wild. They were around 8 weeks old when I got them. Fortunately, they were quickly tamed and found loving, indoor homes. But completely feral adults are much more difficult. You are right- the once-pets can be redomesticated. But the completely feral ones are the ones that are the problem.
There are several organizations around the country that will trap feral cats, spay them, and release them into the wild. Some will even immunize them too. But those vets are few an far between.
Tell me. If you took your two tame ferals to the vet, and they tested positive for feline lukemia, what would you do? Would you have them humanely put down to prevent the spread of the disease? Or would you simply let them live their lives out and infect other cats and kittens? It's a hard choice. At least it used to be a hard one for me anyway.
I am not a hearless bitch. I will feed anything I find. Hell, I even feed raccoons which is a no-no. But I have seen first hand the impact of life in the wild for feral cats. It is a hard, cruel life for them- because somewhere along the lines, a human screwed up. And they pay the price.