National Feral Cat Day

Alley Cat Allies started National Feral Cat Day to raise awareness about feral or community cats. We admit, we didn't know much about the details until we moved into the condo, started volunteering with Colony Cats and then found our girl Allie and her kittens. We have since done TNR on at least 6 cats in our neighborhood. No kittens since then and no increase in the cat population. Don't tell us TNR doesn't work.....

Our girl Allie

TNR 6/12

Feral Cat Facts (courtesy of Alley Cat Allies)

• Cats have lived alongside humans for more than 10,000 years. They are part of the natural landscape. Feral cats, also called community or outdoor cats, are the same species as pet cats, live in groups called colonies, and can thrive in every landscape. They are just as healthy as pet cats, but they are not socialized to humans and are therefore unadoptable.
• Trap-Neuter-Return is the only humane and effective approach to caring for community cats and stabilizing the cat population. From 2003 to 2013 the number of local governments with official policies endorsing TNR increased tenfold, with hundreds of cities and towns successfully carrying out TNR programs. That number continues to grow every year.
• In many cities, cats are still caught and brought to animal shelters and pounds, where most are killed. In fact, the shelter system is the number one documented cause of death for cats in the United States. About 70% of cats who enter shelters are killed there, and that number rises to virtually 100% for feral cats. 

National Feral Cat Day

National Feral Cat Day

#FeralCatDay

Alley Cat Allies

Feral Cat Facts (from Alley Cat Allies)

• Cats have lived alongside humans for more than 10,000 years. They are part of the natural landscape. Feral cats are the same species as pet cats. Feral cats, also called community or outdoor cats, live in groups called colonies and can thrive in every landscape. They are just as healthy as pet cats, but they are not socialized to humans and are therefore unadoptable.
• Trap-Neuter-Return—a humane approach to managing and caring for community cats—is the only effective method of stabilizing cat colonies. In the last decade, the number of local governments with official policies endorsing TNR has increased tenfold, with hundreds of cities and towns successfully carrying out TNR programs.
• However, in the majority of cities, cats are still caught and brought to animal pounds and shelters where they are killed. The shelter system is the number one cause of death for cats in the United States. About 70% of cats who enter shelters are killed there, including virtually 100% of feral cats. That’s why it’s so important for people like you to join us for National Feral Cat Day®, and every day, to help change society and create compassionate communities for cats.

Blog the Change

Tomorrow is National Feral Cat Day so what an opportunity to talk about feral cats, community cats and TNR.

Our feral girl Allie....hard to believe we have been caring for her for over 3 years now after she had her kittens in a window well near our condo. Mom sees her more in the winter and less in the summer, but we know she is around. Our garage door stay open about 6 inches to give her access to food, water and shelter. Some would say we need to re-trap her and bring her inside. We say - she would HATE that. Why should we change her lifestyle based on our beliefs? Would we love to know she is safe all the time? Sure - but she wouldn't thrive inside....and to force her into those confines is unfair.

This is Katniss. She was dropped off near us and then caught and spayed, but wasn't being cared for at all. Luckily we have friends who care for a colony out of town and they agreed to take her. It took quite a bit of time and effort on mom's part to catch her (ferals get trap savvy pretty quickly) but she was caught and moved. We don't recommend this for all ferals - it is better to release them where they are familiar with their own territory. But for her safety, it was decided to move her. She adjusted (eventually) and can now be seen integrated into the colony.

You will find some articles that state that feral cats are "bad for the environment". What they don't tell you is that all their "science" is based on one article - and it is bad science. The World Animal Foundation just published an article that disputes the original information...something feral advocates have been doing for years.

You can find out more about ferals from several places - we recommend Alley Cat Allies and Vox Felina. Mom has argued with our condo association and did manage to get them to back off. One man wanted to bring in "someone" to "get rid off those cats". Mom explained that extermination doesn't fix the problem. And that the cost of bringing someone in to do that certainly didn't seem a good use of her condo fees. Granted, while they let the people inclined to help continue to do so, they haven't put forth any effort of their own to help. But at least they aren't impeding the process.

In short, look around you. There are cats out there living in your community. Some of them are truly feral - living with a certain fear of people. Some are community cats - left to fend for themselves by people who once said they would protect them. Both groups deserve support and respect. Educate yourself and your neighbors. Spay and Neuter!! TNR and ear tip.

National Feral Cat Day

When mom starting volunteering for our local humane society, she had no idea about feral cats or TNR or anything like that.

Fast forward to today and she volunteers with a local group that started out doing TNR and remains firmly committed to that as their primary objective.  And in that time mom has helped TNR 9 cats on her own and with the help of a neighbor and picked up 12 kittens that have been fostered and adopted since then. (including our Junior boy)  We are also lucky that we have a local low cost spay/neuter clinic that is feral friendly - they will take cats in live traps and do surgery same day.

Alley Cat Allies started National Feral Cat Day in 2001 to help promote education. This is the most important thing we can do. No matter what you hear in the news and from some other groups, feral cats are not the bad guys of nature. Human beings attempted to domesticate cats and then failed them (in our opinion). And TNR works....since mom started in our neighborhood, we had a stable population and NO NEW KITTENS in 2 years. Taking a feral cat to a "shelter" is simply a death sentence....

Also, check out the No Kill Revolution information on the Best Friends website.

What can you do?

Find a local TNR group and offer to help....most need volunteers to feed colonies or pick up and drop off cats in traps for surgery. Or donate...they need money for food and for live traps. Want to donate a trap to them directly? Check your local farm store (we know Tractor Supply has them) or online (we found one at amazon).

Promote spay and neuter. And remind people that seeing a "stray cat" is not something to be ignored. Take a stand. And please don't think that doing nothing solves the problem. While these cats can care for themselves, human kindness in the manner of food and shelter goes a long way. And about shelters: Alley Cat Allies has a great guide you can use

It can be hard but rewarding. Mom says that if you do this long enough, there is little more satisfying than coming up to a trap you have set and finding a cat in it (not as satisfying to find a raccoon or opposum that you just have to convince to get back OUT of the trap - MOL). And check for the ear tip...that is a sign that your "stray cat" is actually part of a colony that has already been spayed or neutered.

Allie snoopervising the rebuilding of the neighbor's balcony 

Allie likes to hang around - waiting for mom

to get a move on in the mornings so Allie can get

in the garage for her breakfast.

 She would be killed in a shelter...and deserves better than that.

Which is why we provide her food and a place to live and our protection.

And remember too - Coral and her siblings were born to a
feral mom who has now been spayed and released.

National Feral Cat Day.....

Today is National Feral Cat Day started by Alley Cat Allies.

The rescue we work with started out doing TNR as their main goal....and while they do adoptions and rescues, their main purpose is still very much TNR. From helping those that request help to going into neighborhoods (they are working in a trailer park right now) to help out, there are many trappers and colony care takers in this group. One couple takes care of two colonys and feeds about 100 pounds of food per month. All of the cats are fixed and vaccinated - and they can track new cats and make sure they see if any of the current colony needs medical care. The rescue helps with their expenses as much as possible, but they cover a lot themselves as well. It is an act of love.....  If you go to the rescue's facebook page, you can even vote for your favorite feral cat house as part of a contest they are having. :)

Of course, for us, this is personal.....  our baby Bug was found as a tiny kitten born to a feral mom and abandoned - but raised as a bottle baby and then adopted.

Of course, the great Junior was trapped later that summer and now lives with us.

Junior checking out the tiny kid in baby jail

In our neighborhood, mom and the neighbor lady (on their own) TNR'd 6 adults and trapped an additional 5 kittens (the memorial kittens) after Junior and Bug.

Grace and Audrey

Jimmy Stewart

Annie (or Oakley) either the kittens mom or aunt

 Blackie (not the daddy but a big boy hanging around with his girls)

And of course, there is our Allie girl that gave us the alcohol kittens and after being spayed, ear tipped and released, lives in our garage.

So, how can you help?  Support a local TNR group....either with your time or donations. Honestly, there is a great satisfaction to putting out a trap and coming back to find a cat in it and helping to stop overpopulation (mom still does her happy dance when it happens). Can't do that? Consider donating money or old towels/sheets (to cover traps), food or even live traps (check your local farm stores - you can find them on sale sometimes). Any little bit helps. And contact your local humane agency and let them know that your support TNR - not trap and kill (which a lot of communities are still doing). And for fun, you can follow the Spartanburg Animal Services in South Carolina on facebook....they are being a great example of animal control being feral friendly!!!

Random Fridays.....

Speaking of Triscuit, mom got this video while taking the pictures from yesterday....

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Mom was smiling at the comments about Tommy on Wednesday. What you should probably all know is that "kitten-sitter" is Tim's job. "Kitten-enforcer" is Tommy's job - which he promptly performed after mom got that shot by biting Samoa's ear and walking away. MOL

Oh and NO Triscuit is NOT staying...if Da Bourb didn't stay, no one else is either.
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Alley Cat Allies took their petition to the Smithsonian this week with over 55,000 signatures asking them to STOP using junk science to support killing community cats. They have also started a new website called common sense for cats.  You guys know us - we support TNR....and we love our Allie cat  :)

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Quick questions:
    1. Samoa is a biter. And mom means the "walks up and bites her toes for no good reason" biter. She has tried the things she normally tries and he hasn't given up just yet.  Ideas???
    2. Is it wrong that mom keeps going out to facebook and putting in Cheeto's dad's name to see if he put up new pictures of Cheeto?  Just sayin'.

  Mom took the available kitts to Petco to meet a woman with an application (she has decided to become Dorito's new mom). While up there, mom used the "un"scientific method and put them on the treat scale. Everyone is VERY close to 2 pounds (Dorito appears to be over). And the a certain tiny girl curled up and took a snooze.  :)
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We will leave you with a puzzle to think about over the weekend:
     What is gray and black and white and brown and orange and has 9 heads?
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Have a GREAT weekend!!! It is supposed to be in the 70s here so we are planning some serious window wiffin!!

Random Fridays....

Our grandma is doing much better and we hope that she will be heading home today. The first couple of days were the worst, but she is up and walking around more and that will help. Plan at this point is home Saturday. She can get up but still needs to work on walking the halls.
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Cod help us - the v-e-t showed up here for Halloween. We was TRICKED!!!! (and got no treats) Ivy, Tim and Tom were due for vaccines and mom has Maestro get the "old man" check every 6 months. Maestro was good - he even gained about 1/2 pound since this spring. YEAH!! Tim has lost about a pound...and need his teeth cleaned pretty bad. Mom had the v-e-t draw some blood and will make an appointment with a local clinic to get the teeth cleaning appointment (our vet is mobile and doesn't do surgery). Tommy gained about 1/2 pound and is doing well.  And then there was the princess.....man was she crabby. There was some screaming and bad werds (from Ivy, not the v-e-t). And - she has gained about a pound since last year. Which puts her at about 12 pounds. Ugh..... so mom is gonna have to do some figuring as to how to make sure Mo and Maestro get enough to eat and Ivy can't eat EVERYTHING IN SIGHT!!!
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Bourbon was a lot of help with the v-e-t. He moved her stuff, tried to chew on her stethascope and walked over her computer keyboard to reset a couple of things. He finally got thrown in baby jail with the kittens (cause Ivy was in the bathroom) and....he can get out. It took him about 10 minutes to figure it out, but once he did mom knew she was in trouble. The nice part is that Dr T was pretty charmed by the boy. She isn't in the market right now as she has a REALLY old cat, but maybe someday (and mom said "if you know anyone").....  :)

National Feral Cat Day.....

Alley Cat Allies is celebrating National Feral Cat Day....  TODAY!!!

Most of you know that we are BIG fans of TNR. And we are lucky enough to live in a city that has a very good local low cost clinic (SOS) that will take feral cats - the same day you trap them (ok, provided the clinic is open, but still.....)

TNR is how this guy came to live with us:

(who knew this would grow into the 16 pound orange menace)

And there are the cats we have trapped in the neighborhood over the last two years - and the kittens that we caught and have been adopted. Bug's mom was TNR'd, so was Doc and Sally's mom and the memorial day kittens.

Most recently there was Allie and the alcohol kittens......

 

Not only have the kittens found home (or are looking), the adults are no longer able to reproduce and are being cared for the best we can (shelter and food).

There are lots of ways you can help:
   1. see if there are events in your area
   2. TNR in your neighborhood - or contact a local group that is doing TNR in your area
       we have two around here that mom supports: Colony Cats and Black and Orange Cat Foundation
   3. Like Alley Cat Allies on Facebook

And there are so many other ways to help. And every little step takes us one more step closer to a day when ferals are not killed for being feral.