Fact: 17 million Americans feed
stray and feral cats every day.
What is a feral cat?
A feral cat is the
‘wild’ offspring of a domestic cat. They are primarily the result of a
pet owners’ abandonment or failure to spay and neuter their animals,
allowing them to breed uncontrolled. Ferals are elusive and do not trust
humans.
Many people think their
animals will survive when they move away and leave them behind. Contrary
to popular belief, domestic animals do not automatically return to their
‘natural’ instincts and cannot fend for themselves. Already, US animal
shelters are forced to kill an estimated 15 million homeless cats and dogs
annually. The alternative to this shelter euthanasia for almost every
stray is a violent end or slow, painful death. Many “throwaways” die
mercilessly outdoors from starvation, disease, abuse – or as food to a
predator.
A pair of breeding cats,
which can have two or more litters per year, can exponentially produce
420,000 offspring over a seven year period. If people would spay and
neuter their animals this would drastically reduce this over population.
Why are Feral Cats living in streets and alleys?
Feral cats live in
streets, alley and parks because of human caretakers’ neglect of their
unsterilized domestic house cats, allowing them to roam and reproduce. A
California study revealed that about 60% of un-neutered household cats
that are abandoned or dumped often end up in feral colonies and turn
completely feral within 3 years. Stray and lost cats also become part of
the colony as they congregate near food sources such as garbage dumpsters
where rodents collect to feed. Soon cats start breeding and form larger
and larger colonies. An estimated 60 million feral cats live in the US.
How can you help?
Right now there are
millions of cats trying to fend for themselves behind grocery stores,
under trailers, and in city alleyways. Luckily there are people like YOU
who care and want to do something about this. The best thing to do is
trap/fix/return. “Fix” refers to spaying and neutering cats.
Nursing females can be
spayed when their kittens are eating solid food. If you happen to trap a
pregnant cat it is generally best to spay her anyway.
The first thing to do is
find a veterinarian participating in the MADDIE feral program. This was a
fund that was made for the spay/neuter of ferals for free. Money has been
set aside for 120,000 procedures and so far 40,000 have been done. Besides
fixing the animal you should test the animal for Leukemia and FIV (feline
AIDS). You want to know if the animal may have these diseases before you
release them. You can also give them vaccines. (Call the vets and ask for
the prices on tests and vaccines, some are cheaper than others. Make an
appointment for the spay/neuter and cancel if you don’t trap the animal
that night.)
You can successfully
neuter/spay a colony with one or two traps. To make trapping an easier and
“sure thing” do not feed for a day prior to trapping.
You will notice that after
they are fixed they have a notched ear. This is for the benefit of the
animal. Not only will you know which ones have already been fixed, but
others who may later start feeding your ferals will know not to re-trap
them.
Trapping
101
Trapping is quite simple.
Place the trap in an unnoticeable spot. Put a towel over the trap. (This
gives the animal a feeling of security once they are in the trap and while
you are transporting them to the vet.) You may also want to put newspaper
on the bottom of the trap, since some do not like the feeling of the metal
mesh.
Next, you want to put food
in the far back of the trap on a small paper plate. Usually smelly food
like tuna (in oil) or sardines works well. You can even place small bits
of food leading into the trap to help lure them.
You should also leave the
area or at least make yourself unnoticeable so they will be more likely to
enter the trap. Once you hear the door snap shut, you’ve got the kitty!
Never leave a trap unattended for a long period of time because
people will take the traps.
To transport them make sure you line your car with
plastic in case they get nervous and urinate a little.
Never attempt to touch the
cat! They are frightened and nervous and may lash out at you out of fear.
Now, just transport them to the vet.
They are ready for release
in 24 hours after being fixed. Vets now days use dissolvable sutures which
makes this possible.
Continue your normal
feeding pattern until you are ready to trap again.
A final note...
Taking on the care and
feeding of a feral colony is no less a commitment than that of taking care
of the family pet. They will become as dependent on you for food and
contact as does your cat at home. So, do not undertake this lightly. If
you have to go away on a trip, arrange a substitute feeder. If you have to
move from the area, make sure the colony is taken care of by another
feeder.
Moving colonies is not
recommended, unless extremely necessary. Cats are very territorial and
‘place oriented’ and moving can be quite traumatic for them.
If you happen to come
across small kittens, please try and take them in if they are friendly and
find them good homes. You should screen people very well and charge them a
small donation. (Please contact us if you need an example of a screening
sheet). Sometimes you may even find adult cats that are incredibly sweet.
These are most likely recently abandoned. You should also try and find
them homes too. They all deserve a second chance!!
If the colony happens to
be in your backyard, please provide them with good shelter, such as a
large dog house.
