What is a feral cat?

Feral cats are not some exotic breed you're just learning about. They look just like your cats at home, only they are not tame; they are wild, or undomesticated. This is an 8-year old fully-vetted feral cat.

Feral cats are commonly referred to as strays or alley cats, although the terms are not truly interchangeable.

Unlike a stray cat, a totally feral cat will not:

let you touch her
vocalize (purr or meow)
come out to eat during the daylight hours, unless they are starving and foraging for food to survive
mark objects by rubbing his nose or tail on them if you are watching
roll around on the ground affectionately in front of you
approach the food bowl until after you are out of sight

To further complicate things, ferals can be classified as totally feral, semi-feral or reverted feral.