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What is 'feral'? Feral basically means not domesticated. Feral cats are afraid of people and avoid them.
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What is a 'feral cat colony'? A feral cat colony is a group of feral cats living in a particular area.
How does a feral cat colony start? Feral colonies can start with an unaltered cat having kittens outside or with cats being abandoned. It only takes one breeding pair to start a feral colony. Colonies can become enormous and feral kittens contribute to the huge overpopulation of cats and kittens in shelters, and their subsequent euthanization. Domestic cats can 'turn' feral after being without human interaction for an extended period of time.
What can be done about feral cats? The only humane and affective solution that has been found to deal with feral cats is that of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR). This process involves getting all of the cats in a colony spayed or neutered and vaccinated, and then returned to their colony with a dedicated caretaker who provides food, water, shelter and medical care or, in case this is not possible, integrated into another such colony.
Humane traps are used to capture the cats and transport them to the vet. (How to use humane traps: FRA's illustrated guide, video)
Feral cats are eartipped (a little part of their left ear is removed) so that it is known that they are part of a feral colony and have been altered. |
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Feral cats have an excellent quality of life outside. With the proper care, they will live long, healthy lives. The whole neighborhood will benefit from the managed colony: there will be no more kittens to worry about, no more cats digging through trash cans and dumpsters (if they are being properly fed), and no more caterwauling in the night. Altered cats are better behaved, healthier, and generally happier. They are less likely to get hit by cars or get into fights.
I have a feral cat colony in my neighborhood. What can I do? Depending on where you live there may be resources available to you. The first thing you should do is contact groups in your area that deal humanely with feral cats (practice TNR). Please use our 'Get Help' page to find groups in your area that can help with TNR, or at least direct you to local resources.
Much more information on feral cats, feral cat colony management, and TNR is available here.
Barn Cats We often have need for outdoor placements for cats who cannot otherwise be adopted but need to be relocated from a dangerous situation (ie: environment being demolished, being shot at or used as dog bait, et cetera). Feral and semi-feral cats needing barn homes must be crated on their new home turf for at least 3 weeks. The responsibility of a barn cat caretaker is to provide shelter (such as a stable, shed, or barn), daily food and water, and medical treatment as necessary. The cats will all be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, tested, treated for parasites and eartipped before they come to you. They are also great for keeping rodents at bay.
If you are interested in adoption barn cats, please complete and return our Barn Cat Adoption Application! You will truly be helping to save lives. You can also help us find suitable homes for these unfortunate kitties, print out and distribute copies of our Barn Cat Flyer! |
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