Research overview: social structure of feral cat colonies

Although often considered solitary, cats form social groups under abundant resources, and this overview surveys research on the structure of feral colonies. It examines how colonies typically center on concentrated food and consist of related females cooperating in rearing kittens, with looser male associations, and how dominance, kinship and amicable relationships such as allogrooming and allorubbing structure them. The survey discusses the flexibility of feline social organization, ranging from solitary territoriality where food is dispersed to dense matrilineal colonies where it is clumped, and the implications for management, disease transmission and welfare. By compiling colony studies, it shows that the domestic cat's social system is facultative and resource-dependent, a key insight for understanding free-roaming populations and the cat's capacity to live both alone and in groups.