Feral cats are just another kind of wild animal in some places, like foxes and raccoons here. Sometimes they take up residence in your back yard. The best thing for you to do is just wait for it to leave. Cats only stick around in any given area so long as it remains useful to them. If you stop giving it food, it will just go away on its own.
Because most of us grew up thinking of cats as friendly domestic animals, it can be hard to think of a feral or stray as a wild animal, but it is, and you shouldn't treat it like a pet any more than you should treat the aforementioned fox like one. A feral cat isn't socialized to humans, and it could react viciously if it feels threatened by you. It probably won't kill you, but cats easily have the ability to do enough damage to put you in the hospital from the cuts alone as well as the risk of infection.
You also have to consider other peoples' pets. It could be hostile to domesticated cats or dogs, and it could carry all manner of diseases that could make pets (which haven't been conditioned to them) very sick.
Of course, there's also the good possibility that it has some socialization with humans and their pets, in which case there probably won't be any harm in encouraging it to stay around as an outdoor/"barn" cat. My family has barn cats and though they can be pretty skittish about being cornered or being around strangers, they're pretty friendly with people. Just leave out small enough amounts of cheap food to keep it around but not enough to keep it full, and it will keep your yard mostly free of pests. But if you're planning to go this route, think about getting it neutered. Also, be careful about putting out too much food, or it will attract other cats, since strays often live in groups. Cats and especially kittens can be awesome, but a catsplosion in your back yard is not.
If it moved in before you fed it, you might want to look into why. Cats usually pick their territories based on prey availability, and it might indicate a mouse or other rodent problem.
Because most of us grew up thinking of cats as friendly domestic animals, it can be hard to think of a feral or stray as a wild animal, but it is, and you shouldn't treat it like a pet any more than you should treat the aforementioned fox like one. A feral cat isn't socialized to humans, and it could react viciously if it feels threatened by you. It probably won't kill you, but cats easily have the ability to do enough damage to put you in the hospital from the cuts alone as well as the risk of infection.
You also have to consider other peoples' pets. It could be hostile to domesticated cats or dogs, and it could carry all manner of diseases that could make pets (which haven't been conditioned to them) very sick.
Of course, there's also the good possibility that it has some socialization with humans and their pets, in which case there probably won't be any harm in encouraging it to stay around as an outdoor/"barn" cat. My family has barn cats and though they can be pretty skittish about being cornered or being around strangers, they're pretty friendly with people. Just leave out small enough amounts of cheap food to keep it around but not enough to keep it full, and it will keep your yard mostly free of pests. But if you're planning to go this route, think about getting it neutered. Also, be careful about putting out too much food, or it will attract other cats, since strays often live in groups. Cats and especially kittens can be awesome, but a catsplosion in your back yard is not.
If it moved in before you fed it, you might want to look into why. Cats usually pick their territories based on prey availability, and it might indicate a mouse or other rodent problem.
