Any help out there for feral cats kittens? (food, domestic, house) - - City-Data Forum

rural lady · 07-31-2009, 08:49 PM

Are there any spay and neuter programs for ferals in PA, the ones who do that and release them.

Any help appreciated, thanks

zugor · 07-31-2009, 08:55 PM

Check out Alley Cat Allies, they have lots of good info.

Alley Cat Allies - Feral Friends Network (http://www.alleycat.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=355 - broken link)

yukiko11 · 08-01-2009, 12:55 AM

In WA the Noah center which is associated with Petfinders holds regular catch and release pet spaying and neutering. I don't know if you have them in your area, but petfinders is national so you may be able to make a contact through them.

Kerowyn · 08-01-2009, 05:17 PM

Amby's Feral Cat Information Page

if they aren't near you I bet they will know someone who is.

rural lady · 08-03-2009, 01:20 AM

Thank you all for your replies

Lindsey_Mcfarren · 08-03-2009, 02:04 AM

If they are still kittens they don't have to remain feral. They can be taken in, fixed and tamed. I have two girls now who were found as feral kittens. They could end up being good house pets. Don't give up on them.

Its my opinion that some cats, especially feral kittens just need to learn what love and gentleness is. Over a matter of time, you feeding them, you remaining calm around them eventually you will break down that wall of fear they have.

I'm sure you can't take them all in but you might be able to find someone who will take them in and find homes for them rather then releasing them after being fixed. I think every cat is happier when they have their own human to be with.

FiveHorses · 08-03-2009, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindsey_Mcfarren

Its my opinion that some cats, especially feral kittens just need to learn what love and gentleness is. Over a matter of time, you feeding them, you remaining calm around them eventually you will break down that wall of fear they have.

While that's a nice thought, in the lexicon of feral cats, it's not quite correct.

While the word "feral" gets used here to label everything from a stray to a formerly-domesticated to a true feral (much fewer and further between than reading here would lead one to believe), let's break it down to two groups: formerly domesticated and true ferals.

A true feral is a different animal insofar as their brains are hard-wired differently. True feral kittens are not easy to tame. If caught in time, they may learn to tolerate human presence but it will go no further than that. Even then, there are some that will just not adapt and never want humans around them regardless of the age they're caught. This isn't about teaching or patience or anything else - its about a non-domesticated animal.

Formerly-domesticated (and even formerly domesticated mixed with true feral) are easier. Their domestication is - for wont of a better phrase - dormant. Caught at an early age, they're pretty easy. They older they are, the harder it gets, but it's still not out of the question. The older they are, the longer it takes but with enough time (and it can be years) they may or may not let you touch/pet/stroke them but chances are you'll still never get a lapcat out of it. That said, they're usually affectionate and rewarding in their own way.

STT Resident · 08-03-2009, 07:21 AM

All my furries were born ferals and a lovelier bunch would be hard to find. That said, the catch and release programs work wonderfully well. We finally have a program in my neck of the woods where volunteers from the Humane Society set up "cat cafés" at participating hotels, etc. The ferals get used to coming to them for food, get better acclimatized to humans and then are trapped, spayed/neutered and released back on property. They merrily continue to entertain those guests who enjoy their company, do their job in controlling the pest population but aren't able to breed. Great program!

I do the same thing in my area (catch and release) and over several years have all but eliminated the feral problem which was initially huge. Rural lady, hope you find a program there. Good luck!

big daryle · 08-03-2009, 07:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STT Resident

All my furries were born ferals and a lovelier bunch would be hard to find. That said, the catch and release programs work wonderfully well. We finally have a program in my neck of the woods where volunteers from the Humane Society set up "cat cafés" at participating hotels, etc. The ferals get used to coming to them for food, get better acclimatized to humans and then are trapped, spayed/neutered and released back on property. They merrily continue to entertain those guests who enjoy their company, do their job in controlling the pest population but aren't able to breed. Great program!

I do the same thing in my area (catch and release) and over several years have all but eliminated the feral problem which was initially huge. Rural lady, hope you find a program there. Good luck!

Thank you very much, STT, for the work you have done.

Lindsey_Mcfarren · 08-03-2009, 04:23 PM

When I lived in Texas we had this lady who was the self appointed humane society of our small town. The cats that could not be tamed, she would relocate to area farms. They had shelter, on the dairy farms they learned to enjoy raw milk from the cows and she took donations to make sure these cats got cat food and she went around to feed them.

She also had a Vet who fixed them before she released them.

The farmer had help to keep the vermin from his barns and the kitties had a nice place to live.