Oct. 16 was National Feral Cat Day — a day for us to think about the outdoor cats in our neighborhood. We often see these cats ducking behind the supermarket or sunning in our backyards, and many of us dig into our wallets to feed them. Who are these cats, and how did they get here?

Feral cats exist in every community. These cats are the same species as domestic cats, but are not socialized to humans and can’t be adopted into homes. Instead, they live healthy and content lives in family groups called colonies.

The best and most humane way to help a feral cat is through a program called Trap-Neuter-Return, which ends the breeding cycle and helps cats and people coexist peacefully.

We would like to say thank you to the Feline Network of the Central Coast, Befriended Felines of SLO County, the Cal Poly Cat Program, the Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART), Paws Cause and the many, many volunteers who devote countless hours to preventing an exponential increase in the number of feral cats in our community while improving the quality of life for those who live among us.