[at-l] (no subject)

[stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

Feral cats.
Date: Sun, 12 Sep 2004 13:34:59 -0400
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Skylander,

Reference your post, dated 9-12-04, under the Subject Heading ?Re: Feral 
cats - Re: OT - Re: [at-l] Glad this guy is not a hiker -gun story? which 
seemed a bit long, so I shortened it.

I believe house cats are legally considered tamed, while dogs are considered 
domesticated.  I think the distinction rests not with the personality of any 
individual cat or dog but with how much independence the species retains 
versus how much they yield to the control of humans.

You ask, ?Are there feral cats ?out there.?  Or, do they get hunted by the 
other animals in the woods.?

?Feral cats are the 'wild' offspring of domestic cats.  Domestic animals do 
not automatically return to their ?natural? instincts and cannot fend for 
themselves.?
(From    http://www.hicat.org/HCF/Topics/FeralCat/feralcat/whatis.html)

Feral cats exist.  Fox eat cats.  Fox probably outnumber feral cats in the 
wild.  Fox eat cats tamed, domesticated, at home homes, feral, alive or 
sauteed, and with or without wild onions.

You also ask, ?Also, there are domesticated dogs who when let out form packs 
and hunt deer and other animals and then return to their homes.  Are these 
dogs considered "feral" or is there another term such as "Pack dogs" or 
"wild dogs" that is
given??

?Feral dogs are wild or untamed, roam free and breed in the wild.  Their 
damage may be as simple as knocked down trash cans in the night, or as 
vicious as killing livestock while the farmer sleeps.  Limited studies on 
feral dogs makes it difficult to draw a distinct line between stray dogs and 
actual feral dogs.?
(From    http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/rhgiles/speciesssm/wdogs.htm)
Suggested link:    CoolDogSites.com

The term ?Pack dogs? is used in common parlance.  It usually refers to 
domesticated dogs which roam outdoors together.  "Wild dogs," in common 
parlance, describes any dog whose ownership is unknown.  Some people use 
"wild dogs" for individual breeds which have naturally evolved in the wild 
and breed true.

Steve

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