Research overview: feral cat colony social structure

Long-term studies of urban feral cat colonies, including well-known work in Rome, document stable groups built around related females and their offspring, with males ranging more widely and showing looser attachment. This overview synthesises findings on mating systems, where multiple males may sire a single litter, kin-biased tolerance, and the dynamics of colony membership and dispersal. It explains how resource provisioning by humans sustains dense aggregations and how social bonds among females structure these populations. The work underpins evidence-based debate over trap-neuter-return and colony management, and it shows that the cat's social flexibility extends well beyond the household setting.