Happy Feral Cat Day!

Feral Cats
Feral cats are the same species as companion cats—but they have no desire to snuggle with you on your couch. Feral cats aren’t socialized to people, and so they are fearful of humans and are not adoptable. They live healthy, natural lives on their own, content in their outdoor home. Well-intentioned citizens might think they should call animal control when they spot a feral cat.

Here’s the catch: In the current animal control system, the only happy ending for animals is adoption. So what happens to animals who aren’t adopted? In today’s system, animals who are not placed in homes are killed. This includes feral cats – and they don’t even belong in the shelter system.

Feral cats live outside, but are killed in pounds and shelters. Think twice before you call your local animal control.

The Reality of the Animal Control System
Over 70% of cats who enter our nation’s animal control pounds and shelters are killed—feral, stray, and companion cats. That number jumps to virtually 100% for feral cats.

Talking the Talk
Animal control pounds and shelters might call it “euthanasia.”

But an animal is euthanized when she is hopelessly sick or injured. A healthy animal is not euthanized. She is killed. For feral cats, its called “catch and kill”—and your tax dollars and donations are funding it. Catch and kill is an endless, costly, and cruel cycle.

The Vacuum Effect
Feral cats choose to reside in locations for a reason: there is a food source (intended or not) and shelter. When a portion of the cats are removed from a location, survivors breed to capacity. When all of the cats are removed, new cats move in to take advantage of the available resources. It’s a documented phenomenon called the vacuum effect, and it’s one reason that catch and kill is so ineffective.

Trap-Neuter-Return
Trap-Neuter-Return is a humane approach for feral cats. Through this program, outdoor cats are humanely trapped, brought to a veterinarian to be evaluated, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and eartipped. Cats that are friendly to humans and kittens are adopted into homes. Healthy adult feral cats are returned to their outdoor home.

Want more information? Read up here.