Feral Cats and Kittens
Feline Hope is actively pursuing the large number of feral cats
in our area. We believe in the trap, spay/neuter, vaccinate, and
return TNR policy advocated by Alley Cats Allies, a national
feral cat organization.
Feral cats are cats that are not accustomed to people, are
‘un-socialized‘. They could have been someone’s pet at one time
but left abandoned and alone they have become ‘wild’ and afraid
of people. They may have been chased off properties, abused, who
knows, but they do not trust people. Some of these cats make
good barn cats and restaurant cats doing their jobs at
controlling mice and rodent populations.
We have colonies that our volunteers feed at various locations.
We trap them, get them spayed or neutered, notch their ears to
identify that they have been fixed, and return them if the
people want them at their current location, or relocate them to
a safe colony where we care for them. (People do not understand
that by just removing them from a location more non-neutered
cats will appear because a food source must be there in the
first place and a vacuum is created. Many renters feed and
report these cats to us.) We really need to try and educate
people more about feral cats but it is a very touchy subject in
this area with the local animal control groups.
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These
feral cats also have a large number of feral kittens. We try to
trap or catch these kittens around six weeks of age to socialize
them and find them homes. These little guys fall prey to foxes
and dogs running loose. |