Weight: 8-15 pounds
Head/Body: 12-24 inches
Tail: 5-10 inches
Subspecies: Legion
When deprived of human companionship,
the domestic cat will revert to the wild state: such a cat is said to be
feral. When this occurs, it will, within the course of a few generations,
lose most of its man-introduced and artificially- maintained recessive
characteristics, and stabilize as a small, muscular cat of a definite type
and coloration.
This body type and coloration can be seen in the common
alleycat, which is merely a feral or semiferal cat still residing around
people. The ordinary mackerel-stripped tabby in black-brown or orange are
the dominant coat patterns and colors, though there will always be some
individuals with solid black or dark-brown coats.
Unlike other wild cats,
with the exception of the lion, the feral cat will often be found in
groups, called clowders.
The feral clowder bonds together for mutual
comfort and affection, but will seldom hunt together or band in mutual
defense against a common enemy.
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