Feral Cat Q&A: Eating Habits

Q: What do feral cats like to eat in the wild?

A: Feral cats are opportunistic feeders, which means that they eat whatever is readily available. Their first choice of food is people’s garbage. Urban feral cats dig through dumpsters and trash cans, searching for leftover food. Researchers studying a cat colony in Brooklyn discovered that local garbage was the cats’ main source of food. Cats ate more garbage than either wildlife or caregivers’ food. In this study, the neighbourhood actually produced enough garbage to feed three times more cats than the ones living there.^[1] Garbage is an easily accessible and plentiful source of food for feral cats.

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Depending on the season and locale, feral cats also hunt small wildlife. In general, cats prefer smaller animals weighing less than 3.5 oz(100 g). One study of feral cats found that they prey upon over 1,000 species. Several of the most popular menu items were European rabbits, common blackbirds, house sparrows, black rats, and house mice.^[2] Feral cats also consume insects, squirrels, shrews, and voles.

Feral cats have two methods of hunting. First, they stalk certain animals, like birds. When they see a good opportunity, they pounce on the animal. Their second method is actually much more efficient. They simply choose a hiding spot, sit down, and wait for their prey to appear. Feral cats may wait outside rodent burrows, rabbit dens, or alleys. Since birds are more difficult to catch, they are a relatively small percentage of a feral cat’s diet. Cats are very efficient hunters, so they prefer easy prey like mice and insects.

What do feral cats in the wild eat? They scavenge for garbage and hunt for small animals, birds, and insects. Have a question about feral cats? Message us at our Facebook page, UnderCover Pet Houses! We’d love to answer your questions on the blog!

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1. Calhoon, Robert E. and Carol Haspel. Urban cat populations compared by season, subhabitat and supplemental feeding. Journal of Animal Ecology 58 (1989): 321-328.
2. Lepczyk, Christopher A.; Lohr, Cheryl A.; Duffy, David C. (2015). "A review of cat behavior in relation to disease risk and management options". Applied Animal Behaviour Science. 173: 29–39. doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2015.07.002.