A feral cat is one that lives outdoors and is not socialized to humans. They form colonies and live in areas where they find food and shelter and these places or territories become their home. They are not homeless; they live with their families within their colonies. They just live outdoors, in parking lots, behind restaurants, or perhaps your backyard.
Unless properly managed, a colony can become a problem, with rampant breeding and the onset of nuisance mating behaviors (fighting, yowling, roaming, etc.). However, feral cats should not be taken to animal shelters, as they are not adoptable. Catching and killing the cats does not work: when cats are removed from an area, survivors breed to capacity or new cats move in (well documented as the ‘vacuum effect’).
Trap, neuter, return (TNR) is widely recognized as the most humane and effective strategy for reducing and managing feral cat populations. TNR is exactly that: TRAP the cat, NEUTER (or spay) him, and RETURN him to his colony where he will live out his natural life.
OCTOBER 2011 NEUTER SCOOTER: $10 spay/neuter package
We offer a discounted spay/neuter package for feral cats: $40 per cat* (regardless of sex) which includes spay/neuter, rabies vaccination, antibiotic injection, earmite treatment and eartip (to indicate the cat has been fixed).
- To receive the special $40 feral cat pack, cats MUST come to the center in a humane trap. No exceptions.
- We have traps available for you to borrow at a fully refundable deposit of $50 per trap. We will teach you how to use them and give advice on trapping. You can pick up traps at our center between 10:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday, or by appointment. Please call in advance to check availability.
- Appointments are not required for feral cats; you may bring them to the center between 8:30 a.m. and 9:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday. We are usually closed on public holidays.
- Cats who are receiving the $40 feral cat pack will not receive a physical examination to determine their fitness for anesthesia prior to receiving it.
Visit Wild Cat Foundation to learn about feral cats in general, more about TNR, how to live happily alongside a feral colony, advice on trapping, why managing feral colonies is so important, and more.
*This low price is possible thanks to Lafayette Animal Aid, a local animal welfare and rescue group who subsidizes the feral package fee for every feral cat TNR’d through SpayNation.