Feral Cats

 

 

A feral cat is one that lives outdoors and is not socialized to humans. They form colonies and live in areas where they find food and shelter and these places or territories become their home. They are not homeless; they live with their families within their colonies. They just live outdoors, in parking lots, behind restaurants, or perhaps your backyard.

 

Unless properly managed, a colony can become a problem, with rampant breeding and the onset of nuisance mating behaviors (fighting, yowling, roaming, etc.). However, feral cats should not be taken to animal shelters, as they are not adoptable. Catching and killing the cats does not work: when cats are removed from an area, survivors breed to capacity or new cats move in (well documented as the ‘vacuum effect’).

 

 

Trap, neuter, return (TNR) is widely recognized as the most humane and effective strategy for reducing and managing feral cat populations. TNR is exactly that: TRAP the cat, NEUTER (or spay) him, and RETURN him to his colony where he will live out his natural life.

 

 

We offer a discounted spay/neuter package for feral cats: $40 per cat (regardless of sex) which includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, FVRCP vaccine, basic dewormer, earmite treatment and eartip (to indicate the cat has been fixed).

The FVRCP vaccine is given at no extra charge to the caregiver thanks to our partnership with the Petco Love Foundation.

 

 

SpayNation feral cat policies:

  • To receive the special $40 feral cat pack, cats MUST come to the center in a humane trap. No exceptions.

  • We have traps available for you to borrow for a fully refundable fee of $100 for standard traps and $185 for drop traps. We will teach you how to use them and give advice on trapping. You can pick up traps at our center between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, or by appointment. Please call in advance to check availability.

  • To serve the needs of feral and community cat caregivers, we do not require appointments for these cats in traps. We accept feral and community cats between 8:30am-9:00am Monday-Thursday. We ask that you take an orange number located outside the front entrance door along with one clipboard with admission form per each cat in trap. Thank you for understanding and thank you for caring for community and feral cats.

  • Pick up times are the following: Cats brought in Monday-Wednesday will stay overnight and should be picked up the following morning, at 7:30 am. Cats brought in on Thursdays should be picked the same days at 4:30 pm.

  • Cats who are receiving the $40 feral cat pack will not receive a physical examination to determine their fitness for anesthesia prior to receiving it.

Want to know more about feral cats?

 

 

 

 

Visit Wild Cat Foundation to learn about feral cats in general, more about TNR, how to live happily alongside a feral colony, advice on trapping, why managing feral colonies is so important, and more.