Table 1.

Definitions of key terms related to free-ranging cats (FRCs).

Key Term	Definition	Additional Notes
Domestic Cat	A member of subspecies Felis silvestris catus.	Research indicates domestic cats are genetically distinct from their wild ancestors. One gene that was altered during the domestication process was associated with docility (i.e., the ease by which a person can handle/interact with a cat) [7].
Free-Ranging Cat (FRC)	A domestic cat with no constraints on their movement.	A FRC can be socialized or unsocialized (feral). Some FRCs may be lost or abandoned pet cats (unowned strays) and some may be cats that grew up outdoors on a farm (i.e., farm cat) or on the street (i.e., alley cat or street cat) [8].
Socialization	The process by which an individual develops appropriate social behavior.	Socialization, which occurs through experiences with social partners, is necessary for the development of both species specific and interspecific social behavior [9]. Socialization, especially to multiple people, allows cats to learn humans are not to be feared and are safe to approach [10].
Tame (Socialized) Cat	A domestic cat that has been socialized to humans, especially during a sensitive point early in development.	Compared to their wild counterparts, some genetic changes cats experienced during domestication may make it easier to socialize them to humans.
Feral (Unsocialized) Cat	A domestic cat that lacks socialization to humans, especially during a sensitive point early in their development (between the ages of 2–7 weeks [11]).	Cats who lack early experience with humans are often unapproachable and will display fearful, defensive, or aggressive behavior in response to humans [8,12]. The term feral may vary across disciplines. Here it is used to describe the state of an individual [8]. Feral may also be used to describe a population of animals [13]. In this usage, feral animals are formerly domesticated but have undergone significant genetic changes (e.g., through hybridization with wild relatives) such that they are distinct from the domestic population [14,15].
Community Cat	An unowned FRC that is cared for through the cooperation of local residents.	Community cats can be composed of tame and feral individuals. Care may include the implementation of Community Cats Programs (CCPs) or Trap–Neuter–Return (TNR) programs [16].
Cat Colony	A groups of 3 or more adult FRCs that live in close proximity and engage in frequent social behavior.	Slater defined a colony as 3 or more adult cats “living and feeding in close proximity” [8]. Here, the additional criteria of frequent social interaction was added to differentiate bonded social colonies from lose aggregations of cats.