Babe & Darcy 的貓物語

今天收到新的第14期Cats collection的雜誌跟小貓布娃娃 ..
裡面提到有關街貓/流浪貓的資訊.....
因為對流浪貓的了解不多...所以今天看到裡面的資訊，學到很多之前不懂的地方....
裡面有提到有流浪貓的習性.......想說po 上來分享給大家了解..因為我懶得翻譯..所以直接po原文了..不懂再私下問我....

Feral cats, also known as alley cats or stray cats, are domestic cats that were born in the wild and raised outside human contact, or those separated from human contact by abandonment, loss or running away that have become wild.  Genetically, feral cats are the same as our favourite pets, but if a cat is denied regular human contact during the first seven weeks of his life, he will always hold a fear and disruct of people.

Communal Living
Although cats are thought of as solitary creatures, feral cats usually gather in colonies. They may sleep and hunt alone, or in smaller groups, but will often have a communal meeting place, perhaps where food is found. They greet each other by rubbing heads and bodies to transfer their scents. These scents are also transferred around their territory to create a group identity to warn off other cats.
(我個人對這一段的講解還蠻感興趣的..因為這樣的行為就像是人類生活模式一樣..在村莊裡會有類似"活動中心"這地方，讓大家能聚在一起討論事情一樣..)

Population
Numbers of feral cats in an area generally depends on the availability of food, so colonies are rare in suburban areas where there are plenty of domestic cats. Factories, hospitals, shipyards, derelict spaces and areas around large hotels are common sites for feral cat colonies.

Human intervention

Control- Domestic cats can live for about 15 years, but feral cats average just two years. Living wild exposes them to disease, lack of food and the elements.
Until recently feral cats were trapped and destroyed, but now many charities work to help them. The main aim is to control the population so cats are generally trapped and neutered, then released back to the colony if the area is safe. The cats are also ear-tipped for future recognition. (這就是所謂的TNR啦...)

Rehoming- This helps feral cats whose living area is under threat from demolition or development. Farms and stables are ideal places for wild cat colonies, as they will keep the mouse and rat population under control - but there are few places available. (這一點的想法跟台灣的rehoming的想法不是很相同..但畢竟台灣也沒這麼多農場..>
Socialization- An option for feral kittens. Adult feral cats who have never had contact with humans are hard to socialize, but it is possible with kittens, especially it caught between 6-8 weeks old. Taming these kittens take time, patience and gentle handling.

Where in the world
It is estimated that almost half the world's 400 million cats live separately from humans. (在這裡他們只提到4個國家)

Italy- Rome has the largest feral cat population. It is thought that between 250,000 and 300,000 feral cats live there in around 2,000 colonies, some in famous places like the Colosseum.
(光一個城市就有這麼多貓...真的還蠻多的...不過我還是有點疑惑..不知道跟台灣比，到底是誰最多勒...XD)

Canada - One of the most famous feral cat colonies is on Canada 's parliament Hill in Ottawa . The cats are fed by a volunteer, and et services are donated, so most of the cats are neutered. Around 15 cats at a time live there - they have special shelters but are free to roam. The Prime Minister is a keen supporter and will take feral kittens home to socialise them before they are put up for adoption.

Crete - Feral cats are commonplace on the streets or begging at restaurants on this Greek island. The Cretan Cat Care charity has set up a neutering programme to control the population.

Japan - Fish processing plants along the coast of Japan are home to many feral cats. It is thought there are more than 1,000 cats per square kilometre in these areas.

在英國部份..It is estimated there are around 2 million stray cats in the UK but the number may be much higher.

資料來源: The Cat Collection (2009) 第14期 p14~15

 

我個人還蠻想知道台灣流浪貓數目不知道有多少...? 有人知道嗎????