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| − | [[Image:DorDor.JPG|thumb|right|Most feral kittens have little chance of surviving more than a few months and are vulnerable to starvation, predators, disease and even flea-induced anemia.]] | + | {| border=1 cellspacing=0 align=right cellpadding=2 |
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| | + | !Chartreux |
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| | + | |[[Image:Chartreux_Cat_1.jpg|225px|Chartreux cat]] |
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| | + | !Country of origin |
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| | + | |[[France]] |
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| | + | !Breed standards (external links) |
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| | + | |[http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/standards/chartreux.html CFA], [http://www.acfacat.com/breeds/standards/chartreuxstd.html ACFA], [http://www.cca-afc.com/Chad.html CCA], [http://www.acf.asn.au/Standards/Chartreux.htm ACF],<br> [http://www.tica.org/cxstd03.pdf TICA], FIFe |
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| − | A '''feral cat''' is a [[cat]] which has been separated from domestication, whether through abandonment, loss, or running away, and become wild. The term also refers to descendants of such cats, but not to [[Wild Cat]]s, whose ancestors were never domesticated. Feral cats usually cannot be re-socialized. Feral kittens, however, can be socialized to live with humans if they are taken from a feral colony before they are about twelve weeks old.
| + | The '''Chartreux''' is an internationally-recognized [[cat breed|breed]] of domestic [[cat]]. Chartreux cats are from [[France]], reportedly originally bred by [[Carthusian]] Catholic monks at their monastery in [[Grenoble]] for the purposes of catching [[mice]] to preserve food storages from loss and damage. Legend has it the Chartreux's ancestors were feral mountain cats from what is now [[Syria]], brought back to France by returning [[Crusaders]] in the 13th century, many of whom entered the Carthusian monastic order. The first documented mention of the breed was by the French naturalist [[Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon|Buffon]] in the 17th century. The first Chartreux were brought to the [[USA]] in 1971. |
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| − | Feral cats may live alone, but are usually found in large groups called [[feral cat colony|feral colonies]] with communal nurseries, depending on resource availability. Many abandoned [[pet]] cats join these colonies out of desperation; these cats can usually be readopted into a new home. The average [[lifespan]] of a feral cat that survives beyond [[kitten]]hood is usually less than two years while a [[domestication|domestic]] housecat lives an average of sixteen years or more.
| + | Physically, the Chartreux is large and muscular with short but powerful limbs, big paws and very fast reflexes. They are known for their blue (grey) double-thickness fur coats and gold- or copper-colored eyes. Chartreux cats are known for their "smile"; due to the structure of their heads and long, tapered muzzle, they often appear to be smiling. |
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| − | == In the United States ==
| + | Chartreux cats tend to be quiet, rarely making noises such as mewing or crying. Some are mute. They are quite observant and intelligent, with some Chartreux learning to operate radio on/off buttons and to open screen door latches. Chartreux cats are also fond of chasing and playing well into their adult years; some can be taught to fetch small objects in the same manner as a dog. Chartreux are good with children and other animals, are nonaggressive and affectionate, good travelers and are generally very healthy. |
| − | [[City]]scapes and [[North America]] are not native environments for the cat; the domestic cat comes from [[temperate]] or hot, often dry, [[climate]]s and was distributed throughout the world by [[human]]s. Although cats are somewhat adaptable, feral felines are unable to survive in extreme cold and heat, and with a need for a diet of 90% protein, few cats find adequate nutrition on their own. In addition, they have no [[defense]] against or understanding of such [[predator]]s as [[dog]]s, [[coyote]]s and even [[automobile]]s. The current population of twenty to forty million feral felines in the United States is due, initially, to human interference by environmental introduction and later, by simple human irresponsibility and neglect.
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| − | In the United States "[[Trap-Neuter-Return]]" programs, one of the more humane ways to deal with feral cat populations, are facilitated by many volunteers and organizations. In addition to sterilization, [[inoculation]] against [[rabies]] and the [[feline leukemia virus]] as well as the application of long-lasting [[flea treatment]]s before release are common. Frequently, attending [[veterinarian]]s nip the tip off one [[ear]] to mark the feral as spayed/neutered and inoculated, as these cats will more than likely find themselves trapped again. Volunteers often continue to feed and give care to these cats throughout their lives. Many would like to do more, but most fully feral cats are unadoptable.
| + | Historically famous Chartreux owners include the French novelist [[Colette]] and French general/president [[Charles de Gaulle]]. |
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| − | The "[[Trap-Neuter-Return]]" program is considered the most humane, efficient way to deal with the problem for several reasons. The wholesale removal of feral colonies by [[euthanasia]] is rarely effective, since new individuals move into the areas left by the removed animals almost immediately, and the blanket euthanasia of stray and feral cats has proven ineffective in controlling stray and feral overpopulation. TNR posits that, by providing basic care for a stable, neutered colony of feral cats, most of the problems associated with their presence can be eliminated or greatly reduced. As the existing cats are better fed and cared for, their lives are extended, and neutering stops the influx of kittens to replace adults dying from disease or starvation. This stable colony is less likely to compete for food or predate on local wildlife if it is fed regularly, and fighting with domestic pet cats, roaming, and other nuisance behaviours are greatly reduced by neutering. | + | The Chartreux breed was advanced to championship status in 1987 by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA.) |
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| − | By providing this basic support, caretakers insure that the resident colony will stabilize and prevent unknown new cats from moving into the neighborhood. As individuals in the colony die, new ferals move in to take their place, and can be trapped, neutered and vaccinated as they appear. Over time, these stabilized feral colonies can become sources of enjoyment and pride to neighborhoods rather than nuisances. Given the choice between a colony of rapidly reproducing, starving, and diseased animals and a colony of neutered animals given basic healthcare, the desirable choice is obvious to all.
| + | == External links == |
| | + | *[http://www.cfainc.org/breeds/profiles/chartreux.html CFA profile] |
| | + | *[http://www.chartreux-europe.com Chartreux d'Europe] |
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| − | Recognizing the ineffectiveness of blanket euthanasia as a means of controlling stray and feral cat population, more and more animal shelters throughout the United States are becoming "no kill shelters", and are gradually implementing more humane and effective animal population control methods. Some states such as California and many countries around the world have had tremendous success with humane methods to control feral cat populations. A proposal in the state of Wisconsin to legalize the hunting of feral cats in an attempt to reduce their population was recently (April 2005) blocked by the state's lawmakers. South Dakota and Minnesota still allow wild cats to be shot.
| + | [[Category:Cat breeds]] |
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| − | As is their nature, there is no doubt feral cats will hunt other small species. While control of rats, mice, and other rodents is a cat activity humans support, feral cats kill songbirds and other birds. Some estimate the bird loss at over two hundred million a year. These figures may be questionable, however, with some of the damage due to the resurgence of other small predators such as the gray fox (urocyon cinereoargenteus), fisher or pekan (martes pennanti), coyote (canis latrans), and puma (puma concolor). The loss of species due to overbuilding of native habitat by humans far outstrips that lost to feral cat predation.
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| − | [http://www.madison.com/wsj/home/local/index.php?ntid=31029&ntpid=3]
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| − | [[October 16]] is National Feral Cat Day in the United States.
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| − | == In Australia ==
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| − | Feral cats have been present in [[Australia]] since [[European]] settlement, and may have arrived with [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[shipwreck]]s in the [[17th century]]. Intentional releases were made in the late [[19th century]] in the hope that cats would control mice, rabbits and rats.
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| − | The feral cat has been an ecological disaster in Australia, inhabiting most ecosystems except dense [[rainforest]], and being implicated in the [[extinction]] of several [[marsupial]] and [[placental]] mammal [[species]]. (Cats are not believed to have been a factor in the extinction of the only mainland [[bird]] species to be lost since European settlement, the [[Paradise Parrot]]; their role in the loss of rare species on [[Australasia]]n islands, however, has been significant.)
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| − | Control programs are difficult to devise due to the [[nocturnal animal|nocturnal]] and [[solitary]] nature of feral cats, broad distribution in the landscape and continuous additions to the population from abandoned domestic cats. Due to the danger posed to human handling the animal, captured feral cats are almost always [[death|kill]]ed. Although trap neuter and return programs such as those in the United States are not prevalent in Australia, they are now being introduced in some urban and suburban areas. In [[Adelaide]], the "C.A.T.S." program has had great success to date. More recently, such programs have been introduced in [[Sydney]] by the "World League for Protection of Animals".
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| − | == In Rome ==
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| − | [[Rome]], [[Italy]] is perhaps the place with most feral cats, the total number being estimated between 250,000 and 350,000, organized in about 2,000 colonies, some of them living in famous ancient places such as the [[Colosseum]].
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| − | == Feral cats and island restoration ==
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| − | Feral cats [[introduced species|introduced]] to islands with ecologically naive fauna (that is, species that have not evolved or have lost predator responses for dealing with cats) have had a devastating impact on these islands' [[biodiversity]]. They have been implicated in the extinction of several species and local extinctions, such as the [[huita]]s from the [[Caribbean]] and the [[Guadalupe Storm-petrel]] from [[Pacific]] [[Mexico]]. Moors and Atkinson wrote, in [[1984]], "No other alien predator has had such a universally damaging effect." Given the damage they do, many conservationists working in the field of [[island restoration]] (literally restoring damaged islands through removal of introduced species and replanting and reintroducing native species) have worked to remove feral cats. As of [[2004]], 48 islands have had their feral cat populations removed, including [[New Zealand]]'s network of offshore island bird reserves (Nogales ''et al'', [[2004]]). Larger projects are also being planned, including their removal from [[Ascension Island]].
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| − | Feral cats, along with rabbits and some sea birds, are the entire animal population of the remote [[Kerguelen Islands]] in the southern [[Indian Ocean]].
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| − | == Activism ==
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| − | Feral cats are discarded as kittens largely because cats breed rapidly and have multiple-kit litters. Often the owners do not have the capacity or desire to care for a large number of cats.
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| − | Feral cats live in deplorable conditions, living short, dangerous, unhealthy, desperate lives. Because of the dangers to humans, other species, and the cats themselves, and out of compassion toward the animals, many people, including [[celebrity|celebrities]] such as [[Bob Barker]], campaign to encourage people to spay and neuter their pets and support the humane control of feral cats.
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| − | == References ==
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| − | * Moors, P.J.; Atkinson, I.A.E. (1984). ''Predation on seabirds by introduced animals, and factors affecting its severity.''. In ''Status and Conservation of the World's Seabirds''. Cambridge: ICBP. ISBN 0-946888-03-5.
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| − | * Nogales, Manuel ''et al'' ([[2004]]). ''A review of feral cat eradication on islands''. ''Conservation Biology''. '''18''' (2), 310-319. [http://www.issg.org/database/species/reference_files/felcat/Nogales%20et%20al.%202004.pdf]
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| − | == External links ==
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| − | * [http://www.alleycat.org Alley Cat Allies] Feral Cat Resource - provides information about how to deal with feral cats humanely.
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| − | * Defenders of Wildlife. [http://www.defenders.org/defendersmag/issues/spring03/plightsongbird.html Plight of the Vanishing Songbirds]
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| − | * Australian Department of Environment and Heritage: [http://www.deh.gov.au/biodiversity/invasive/publications/cat-impacts/pubs/impacts-feral-cats.pdf Overview of the impact of feral cats on native fauna] (pdf)
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| − | * lovethatcat.com: [http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html List of US spay & neuter programs]
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| − | * [http://www.mikecade.com/wildkingdom/writings_feral_cats_pge_park.html Feral Cats of Portland, Ore.'s PGE Park]
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| − | * [http://www.messybeast.com/feralkit.htm#Kittens Taming Feral Kittens]
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| − | [[Category:Cat types]] | |
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| − | [[fr:Chat haret]] | + | [[de:Chartreux]] |
| | + | [[fr:Chartreux (chat)]] |
The Chartreux is an internationally-recognized breed of domestic cat. Chartreux cats are from France, reportedly originally bred by Carthusian Catholic monks at their monastery in Grenoble for the purposes of catching mice to preserve food storages from loss and damage. Legend has it the Chartreux's ancestors were feral mountain cats from what is now Syria, brought back to France by returning Crusaders in the 13th century, many of whom entered the Carthusian monastic order. The first documented mention of the breed was by the French naturalist Buffon in the 17th century. The first Chartreux were brought to the USA in 1971.
Physically, the Chartreux is large and muscular with short but powerful limbs, big paws and very fast reflexes. They are known for their blue (grey) double-thickness fur coats and gold- or copper-colored eyes. Chartreux cats are known for their "smile"; due to the structure of their heads and long, tapered muzzle, they often appear to be smiling.
Chartreux cats tend to be quiet, rarely making noises such as mewing or crying. Some are mute. They are quite observant and intelligent, with some Chartreux learning to operate radio on/off buttons and to open screen door latches. Chartreux cats are also fond of chasing and playing well into their adult years; some can be taught to fetch small objects in the same manner as a dog. Chartreux are good with children and other animals, are nonaggressive and affectionate, good travelers and are generally very healthy.
Historically famous Chartreux owners include the French novelist Colette and French general/president Charles de Gaulle.
The Chartreux breed was advanced to championship status in 1987 by the Cat Fancier's Association (CFA.)
External links
de:Chartreux
fr:Chartreux (chat)
