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.