According to the WSPA, the World Society for the Protection of Animals, approximately 80 percent of the millions of cats and dogs in the world are strays or feral. Cats and dogs that are strays are those that have been abandoned or have gotten lost. They are forced to live on the streets in severe weather, and they suffer greatly from agonizing illnesses. Nevertheless, they can be re-acclimated to humans once caught and rehabilitated. The word, “feral,” comes from the Latin word “ferus.” Its definition is “wild animal.” Feral cats and dogs are an extended problem of the strays. Sadly, they are neither wildlife nor pets, so they do not share the advantages of either group. The feral cats are second or later generation offspring of stray cats and household cats that roam free. Born outdoors, they are hidden by their mothers and have no human contact as kittens. They understand humans as being dangerous, and because they are nocturnal, we usually don't realize what an enormous number of them there are. Feral dogs are a combination of stray dogs and the offspring of stray and feral dogs. Being social, they organize into packs in order to survive. They scavenge garbage and kill livestock in teams and, sometimes, have become a danger to humans. The cost of damage can run into millions of dollars in many parts of the world, including the United States, Australia, India, Russia, Taiwan, and Turkey, according to National Geographic magazine. Many developing countries lack the knowledge and resources to control wisely and humanely the overwhelming problem of stray and feral dogs and cats. They very frequently resort to cruel means, such as electrocution, poisoning, drowning, and shooting. This is ineffective in the long term, as it does not target the origin of the problem. With the help of local humane societies, education in schools and grass roots organizations, and the WSPA, this seemingly insurmountable task can be handled in a very humane and self-respecting way. The best solution, by far, is spaying and neutering. In fact, members of the WSPA travel globally to spay, neuter, and vaccinate stray cats and dogs and provide priceless training to local communities. By way of their mobile clinics and close teamwork with governments, they are helping to produce very positive results. 根據世界動物保護協會的資料，世界上數以百萬計的貓狗，有80% 是流浪貓狗或野生貓狗。流浪貓狗通常是被遺棄或是走失的。牠們被迫在凜冽的天氣下在街上求生存，並承受病痛。幸運的是，在被捕捉後，牠們還是可以重新訓練去重新適應人類的飼養。 feral 一字是衍生自拉丁文的ferus，意為「野生動物」。野生貓狗是從流浪動物衍生出來的一個問題。不幸的是，這些動物既不是一般野生動物也不是寵物，因此不具備任一方的優勢。野貓是指流浪貓，或是常到處自由閒晃的家貓所養育出來的第二代或之後的子女。在外面出生的小貓會被母貓藏起來，不會和人類有所接觸。牠們認為人類是危險的，又因為牠們通常都在夜間活動，因此我們並不了解牠們的數量有多少。 野狗則是流浪狗和野狗後代的組合。用結夥群居的方式以維持生存。牠們會翻垃圾，或是集體行動獵殺家畜，對人類來說也具有危險性。根據《國家地理雜誌》所報導，牠們在世界各國造成的損害可到達數百萬元，比如說像是美國、澳洲、印度、俄羅斯、台灣和土耳其。 許多發展中的國家都欠缺對於愈發嚴重的野生及流浪貓狗問題，應如何運用妥善且人道的方式來處理的知識和資源。這些國家通常採用殘酷的處理方式，像是電刑、放毒、溺死和槍殺。長遠來看，這只是治標不治本。 透過地方性的人道協會、學校教育、民間機構和世界動物保護協會的協助，也能夠以人道、自重的方式來解決這個棘手的問題。目前為止，最有效的方法應該是透過結紮來控制過剩的後代。事實上，世界動物保護協會的成員在世界各地奔波，幫流浪貓狗實行節育和疫苗注射，也對當地的社區提供免費的培訓。經由他們的移動式診所，以及和政府間密切的團隊合作，帶來了很好的成效。 | 
