Feral Cats

The ASPCA estimates there are tens of millions of feral cats in the US.

What is a feral cat?

A cat that cannot be handled by people is considered feral. They live in neighborhoods, industrial area, alleys, anywhere they can find food.

Your neighbor’s cat that they left behind when they moved is probably not feral. However, if she has kittens and raises them without human contact, they will be feral. And so on… and on…

The ASPCA estimates there are tens of millions of feral cats in the US.

What can we do about feral cats?

Simply removing feral cats from an area does not work. Other cats will come. Feral cat rescuers believe in T-N-R which stands for Trap-Neuter-Return. The idea is to fix the feral cats and return them to their place, so that they will keep other cats from coming but not keep reproducing. You can see more information about T-N-R at the Neighborhood Cats web site.

Isn’t there someone I can call to come take the cats away?

Unfortunately, no. Animal control does not have resources to trap feral cats. When they are picked up, they are usually euthanized as there is little chance they can be adopted.

Does your clinic spay & neuter feral cats?

Absolutely! Our doctor is very experienced with feral cats & kittens. We even have a trap we rent out for public use. Here is a picture.

We do not require an appointment for feral cats to be spayed or neutered.

Please feel free to contact us for more information.

 

Additional Resources

Alley Cat Allies: a national organization dedicated to feral cats.

Feral Cat Caretakers: organization in Los Angeles supporting feral cat caretakers. Great information and resources.

Urban Cat League: a New York City organization with great information.

Orange County SPCA: provides vouchers to cover the cost of spay/neuter for feral cats.

Animal Assistance League of Orange County: provides pledges to cover the cost of spay/neuter for feral cats.

ASPCA: has great information about feral cats, also información en español acerca de los gatos salvajes.