I have mixed feelings about feral cats (defined by me as cats that don't live with humans). I suspect them of killing our quails and doves, but I'm sympathetic to all animals.

This pretty cat has spent quite a bit of time in our yard. Because it had a collar for a while, I was angry at its owners for neglecting it. However, I've come to the conclusion that it prefers being free and that the collar was put on it by someone who tried unsuccessfully to domesticate it. The collar didn't last very long.

According to Alley Cat Allies, feral cats are not socialized to people and are not adoptable. It says the best way to deal with feral cat populations is to trap, neuter, and vaccinate the cats and then return them to where they were trapped.

Today is the 10th anniversary of National Feral Cat Day. Alley Cat Allies launched the observation in 2001 to kick off a national education campaign. “If a feral cat is brought to a shelter they are almost always killed," says Becky Robinson, president of Alley Cat Allies. "This is why so many communities have adopted trap-neuter-return programs as a way to care for and manage feral cats.”

I've realized cats aren't the only possible bird predators. We also have raccoons, hawks, and who knows what else. A couple of times we've found decapitated doves and blamed cats, but then someone told us that's the sign of a hawk kill. Apparently they kill small birds that way and come back later to consume them, so the cats are off the hook for those deaths. It's still heartbreaking to find feathers scattered all over no matter how it happened.

I said in the first paragraph I'm sympathetic to all animals, but I've become much less sympathetic to moles since they've done so much damage to our yard. Feral cats are supposed to help control rodent populations, and I'm happy to let them do the dirty work—just as long as I don't have to watch.