Selection in Cats

1. Selection in Cats • Or: “Why are there so many stray cats around here?!?!”

2. Selection and Cats • Traits that ensure a domestic cat’s survival among humans: • Endearing qualities: purring, snuggling, being playful, cuteness. • Helpful qualities: rodent control.

3. Abandoned cats • When domestic cats are abandoned: • Most die within a week or two from starvation, accident, or predation. The traits that help them in a domestic setting are useless in the wild. • The few that survive have the strongest feral instincts. • Av. feral lifespan: 2-4 years

4. Selection’s Effects Generation 2 Generation 3 Generation 1

5. As time passes... • With each generation, domestic traits are selected against, while feral traits are favored. • After several generations, even kittens that are captured young can be challenging to tame.

6. Control - shooting • In efforts to control feral cats, some communities have chosen to shoot feral cats. • This adds another strong selective factor. Cats that fear and flee from humans are most likely to survive these control operations. Thus feral traits are selected for.

7. Control - Euthanasia • Some communities control ferals with capture and humane euthanasia. • Feral cats that fear humans and are too wary to enter traps are most likely to survive. Again, feral traits are selected for.

8. Control - TNR+ Care • Cat rescues favor the trap-neuter-return method, statistically the most effective feral control method. • Spayed and neutered cats do not reproduce, but still maintain their territories. • If humans care for the cats by feeding and providing shelter, other cats and kittens can learn from them, and can be captured as well.

9. TNR + Care Selects For: • Cats that are less wary of humans. • Cats that will come to humans for food. • Cats that will teach their kittens or other cats to go to humans for care.