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WHAT IS A FERAL CAT?
What is a Stray Cat?
What is Trap-Neuter-Return / TNR?
Feral cats are cats who grew up without human socialization; or stray cats who have lived outside long enough to revert to the wild.
Feral cats usually cannot be tamed and are most content living outside. They often live in family groups called colonies.
Stray cats are cats who have been lost or abandoned, and have joined a feral colony but are not fully wild. Stray cats can usually be re-homed.
It is estimated that there are as many as 100 million feral cats in the United States today.
According to the Humane Society of the United States, one unneutered male cat and one unspayed female cat and their successive offspring will produce more than 80 million cats in 10 years.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the nonlethal population control plan in which entire colonies are humanely (and painlessly) trapped, vaccinated, eartipped, and neutered by veterinarians.
Kittens and cats who are tame enough to be adopted are sterilized, and then place in good homes. Adult cats are returned to their colonies to live out their lives under the dedicated supervision of volunteer caregivers.
TNR works. Cat populations are gradually reduced. Behaviors such as the yowling of females or the spraying of toms, are virtually eliminated. The cats live healthy, safe, and peaceful lives in the colonies.
Animals that are spayed or neutered are less likely to roam and get lost, less likely to fight, better behaved and more loving.
Note May 2008 ~ Best Friends' magazine had a great article on feral cats in their May/June issue. In it I learned some things that never occurred to me under their Don'ts of Feral Cats.
DO's:
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DON'Ts:
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Get advice, support and equipment for trap/neuter/return through the feral cat grassroots network in your area. Ask your veterinarian for contacts.
Line up a vet or spay/neuter clinic to perform free or reducted-rate spay/neuter surgeries.
Trap the cats yourself. It's easier than you think!
Return the cats and provide simple, long-term care.
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Don't bring feral cats to a shelter. Almost all feral cats are killed in shelters because they are considered unadoptable.
Don't contact animal control to trap the feral cats and kittens. They will be killed because they are considered unadoptable.
Don't borrow a trap from a shelter or animal control. You may have to bring the cats in, and they will be killed because they are considered unadoptable.
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They write also about the benefits of ferals, how they organize themselves, Alley Cat Allies organization, some relevant statistics, some of the controversy regarding their impact on wildlife, and much more!
This is the link to the article Hiding in Plain Sight by Sandy Miller but it's only the very beginning with a soliciation to subscribe. I receive it no charge as a donator to Best Friends. The article's long and informative, so you may wish to inquire about how to make sure you get this issue (perhaps it'll be a "back issue" by the time you read this?) if you do subscribe.
NOTE there's a little blurb at the end of the article if you wish to buy a 2009 calendar featuring photographs of feral cats and the proceeds will benefit the National Feral Cat Initiative. If so, call Shely Kotter at (435) 644-2001 x 4469.
UNITED WE STAND.
All site contents Copyright (c) 2002, 2010 Julie Rich.
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