There, feral cats kill over 1.5 billion native animals annually and are implicated in the decline of more than 200 threatened species. At the same time, large-scale programmes target feral cat populations using a combination of technology and traditional control methods. Across the US, one of the most widely used strategies is Trap-Neuter-Return, where feral cats are captured, sterilised, and released. Humans have transported cats across the globe, allowed them to roam freely, and in some cases abandoned them, leading to large feral populations. Ecologists often describe cats as a human-subsidised predator, which means that their success is directly supported by human activity.

Source: Irish Examiner March 27, 2026 12:00 UTC