Feral cats exist in a welfare grey zone, facing high mortality and disease burden while also impacting wildlife, and their management requires careful ethical consideration.
Feral cats that survive long enough show significant welfare burdens from disease, injury, and thermal stress. Kittens born into feral colonies have particularly poor welfare outcomes. TNR programmes that sterilise, vaccinate, and return cats stabilise populations and improve the welfare of surviving animals. Managed TNR colonies with supplementary feeding show better individual welfare than unmanaged populations.