Feral Cat Friends is an all volunteer nonprofit organization in Bloomington/Monroe County, Indiana, In March 2005, they formed Feral Cat Friends, Inc.
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In 2003, Theresa Block and a group of friends wanted to reduce the number of animals euthanized at our local municipal animal shelter. After analyzing the Bloomington shelter statistics, they noticed that of the 2,000 animals euthanized at the shelter, 600 of them were feral cats.They started a pilot program in 2004, purchased traps, attended national seminars and discovered a humane solution: Tra
p, Neuter, Return (TNR). They began the program in a few trailer parks where animal control officers received many cat complaints. and registered with the State of Indiana. On September 30, 2005, they received 501(c)3 status. In January, 2007 Bloomington City Council approved an agreement between Bloomington Animal Care and Control and Feral Cat Friends, Inc. to implement Trap-Neuter-Return. From 600 feral cats euthanized in 2003, Feral Cat Friends, Inc. and Animal Care and Control has reduced the feral cat euthanasia rate to ZERO in 2016! Make sure to follow us on Twitter & Instagram ()
Our TNR work in August resulted in 26 male cats and 29 female cats that are now fixed and vaccinated. And that means 55 cats and healthier and hundreds of un-needed kittens won’t be born. At one location alone with 9 cats all but one were female. And as usual during TNR work, if a cat needs extra medical attention we provide it and one cat was treated for an abscess.
In honor and memory of all those furry ones we’ve loved and have crossed over the Rainbow 🌈 Bridge. Grab a tissue before reading.
Today is Rainbow Bridge Remembrance Day. As such, we'd like to share this beautiful poem and image by Becky Hemsley Poetry, copied entirely and pasted from her page:
They saw you watching over them
As they finally closed their eyes
They smelt your scent as they breathed
In and out for the last time
They heard the way your voice broke
As you told them they were loved
They felt you as you held them
With your gentle, farewell touch
And now they watch each morning
As you pass their empty bed
They watch you lose composure
And they see the tears you shed
They hear you bear the silence
Of the footsteps that are gone
That walk across your heart each day
Like echoes of a song
They feel the pang of emptiness
You get when you’re alone
In moments when you realise
That they’re never coming home
But in their darkest moment
You were there to hold them tight
And they just want the same for you
So you can feel alright
So they’re sewing you a rainbow,
Weaving ribbons through the sky
So they can let you know
That life is good beyond goodbye
So next time it is raining
And the sun appears as well
Just feel and look and listen
To what they are trying to tell
They’re telling you it’s spring there
With its showers and its sun
Where there are endless fields for them
To play and stretch and run
They’re telling you they sleep upon
The biggest, softest beds
That they have stitched from all the clouds
That float above your head
They’re telling you they’re not alone
For there are many others
And they’ve been reunited
With their parents, sisters, brothers
They’re showing you their rainbow
So you know they won’t forget you
And to tell you they will always be
So happy that they met you
And they’re telling you they love you
And though they’ll be dearly missed,
Not to worry, ‘cause it’s beautiful
Beyond the rainbow bridge
******
Becky Hemsley 2022
Image created with Bing
Sending love to you if you are missing a beloved pet today. They love us purely and unconditionally and to have known that feeling is quite simply beautiful 🐾🌈
This poem is in my book for grief and loss:
https://amzn.eu/d/cTbydMN
Can you help! We are very desperately in need of at least 2 (up to 4 would be ideal) more volunteers to help this Saturday at the IU football game concessions stand. The concessions helps us raise thousands of dollars each year which is all put back in to paying for TNR surgeries. Pouring soft drinks is the easy but important task. The game is at 3:30 pm and volunteers must arrive several hours in advance to also help with set up. If you can help please message us so we can get additional details to you.
Un-spayed and un-neutered pet cats account for the vast majority of feral/stray cats in our communities. Either those cats directly were/are considered pets or the cats we find in our communities are descended from those pets.
Did you know?
Feral Cat Friends is a very small, all-volunteer nonprofit entity. We do not have paid staff and the number of volunteers involved is small. This means when someone contacts us for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) assistance, it can take quite some time for us to be able to get to that case. We appreciate everyone's patience.
Yes, let us also repeat the statement, female cats can start reproducing by age 4-6 months. Spay and neuter all cats whether they go outside or not. And work to get all feral/stray/community cats fixed.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: spaying and neutering
Let's continue our discussion on reproduction.....
SNiP Now shared this very informative post regarding female fertility and reproduction. They wrote:
"We have had a few calls from people worried their cats are in pain as they are exhibiting symptoms of yowling and other unusual behaviors (rubbing all over items). What these individuals are describing is their female cat having heat cycles which can occur in females as young as 4-months of age. Yowling, rubbing, raising the behind up in the air (lordosis reflex), spraying, the desire to go outside and find a mate...are all symptoms that can occur during a female cat's heat cycle. Sometimes females can appear more loving and other times females can have more aggressive tendencies during this cycle."
Remember that spaying a cat will eliminate these behaviors as well as help control the cat population. Please have your cat spayed by 4 months of age!
Content and graphic shared from SNiP Now .
Pet Friendly Services has compiled a great reference list for various animal welfare-related services. If you need a service, check out the lists. If you know of a provider that isn’t listed, please let Pet Friendly Services know.
Our August newsletter includes our NEW resource directory for Indiana pet owners. Read about this and more in this month's latest news:https://petfriendlyservices.org/august-news-resource-directory-for-pet-owners-how-to-be-pet-friendly-forever-and-more-lifesaving-news/
Fix by 4 or Fix by 5. Either campaign is totally valid to follow. Yes, females can get pregnant by 4-6 months so don’t take a chance and wait any longer. And yes, if you are “finding homes for kittens” please don’t let them go until they’ve been spayed or neutered. Then you know for certain you haven’t contributed to the over population problem.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: "Fix at 4"
Aim to spay/neuter at or by 4 months of age -- depending on your situation 🎯
What's the best time to spay or neuter a kitten? Depending on the veterinarian and the status of the kitten (pet vs. community cat), the window is between two and four months of age. Kittens reach sexual maturity at four months of age. Wait any longer and your kitten may have kittens -- and that's NOT a good thing.
Best practice dictates that all kittens are spayed/neutered before adoption. Many clinic veterinarians practice the "2 pound/2 month" rule: the kitten needs to be healthy, weigh at least 2 pounds and be 2 months of age before surgery. Most rescues/shelters will aim to vet the kitten as soon as it reaches 2 pounds so it can be adopted sooner, allowing the rescue/shelter the opportunity to save more cats.
If the kitten lives strictly indoors with no opportunity to reproduce, a veterinarian may advise to wait until the kitten reaches 4 months of age. After 4 months, your male(s) will start to display hormone-fueled behaviors such as spraying/marking and looking to get outdoors in search of a female. Don't wait for this to happen!
📢 Allowing a kitten to have her first heat cycle or delivering her first litter before spaying is a MISTAKE. There is no benefit to the cat and you're contributing to overpopulation. Fix that cat!!!
👉FINAL NOTE: it is IRRESPONSIBLE to adopt out a kitten that is not spayed or neutered. If you're running a rescue or are a good Samaritan fostering a litter that you've found, it is IMPERATIVE that those kittens are spayed/neutered before they are adopted. If you don't, you're contributing to the problem as we'll all be rescuing their litters 6 months later. Find a clinic and crowd-source for funding to spay/neuter if necessary. Do the right thing!
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project.
Please visit the Owen County Humane Society page to learn the status of the animal rescue that happened in July. Funds are still needed as are supplies. And all the various other rescues need donations too. And adoptions!
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/dB1ZmXKCz39BUA7W/?mibextid=WC7FNe
July was another busy month with 75 cats through the doors of veterinary clinics. And as always, standard TNR wasn't the only activity. One cat trapped was already neutered so he received vaccinations to help ensure his health. Another previously TNR'd cat had a tail injury requiring a partial amputation. We try to help every cat regardless of their needs but that can put a strain on our budget. Thank you for every dollar you can donate.
Want to help the cats? Donate a day of your time to helping us run a concession stand at an upcoming IU football game. And have some fun! We need folks willing to obtain an alcohol server permit, those willing to operate the credit card machine to make sales, and those able to prep food and help fulfill orders. The concessions are our largest, fastest fund raising method alloying us to makes thousands of dollars. The more we sell the more we make. In 21 years, our founder just paid the highest invoice to date to Pets Alive due to increasing demands for help and increasing costs by all. Help us offset the bills! Home games are August 31, September 6, 21 and 28, October 19 and 26 and November 9. Message us for details, to sign up, or email us at [email protected]
Get the facts! Every cat should be spayed or neutered by 6 months. Don’t wait to make the appointment. Don’t risk your cat getting out and getting lost because it’s following its hormones. Because chances are strong you won’t get your cat back and it’s out there contributing to the over population problem and over crowded shelter situation.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: spay & neuter myths and misconceptions
🤔Myth: Female cats should have one litter before spaying.
👉Truth: There are no medical benefits to justify allowing a cat to have a litter before spaying. In fact, spaying eliminates the possibility of developing uterine or ovarian cancer and greatly reduces the chance of developing mammary cancer. Spaying also prevents pyometra!
🤔Neutering will make my cat feel like less of a male.
👉Cats don't have any concept of ego or sexual identity. He won't miss his ⚾⚾!
🤔Myth: Cats become less active and overweight due to spaying or neutering.
👉Truth: Cats become overweight when fed too much and not exercised properly.
🤔Myth: Behavior is adversely affected by sterilization.
👉Truth: The only changes in behavior after spaying or neutering are POSITIVE ones! Neutering will greatly diminish or eliminate aggression problems and undesirable behaviors fueled by reproductive hormones. Male cats will decrease or stop spraying and fight less, resulting in fewer bite and scratch wounds and lessening the spread of FIV and FeLV. They also tend to become calmer/friendlier and stay closer to home because they no longer wander in search of a mate.
🤔Myth: Spaying/neutering is painful to my cat.
👉Truth: Sterilization is performed under general anesthesia by a veterinarian. The minimal discomfort experienced by spayed or neutered cats can be lessened with pain medications and is well worth the endless suffering that is prevented by preventing unwanted litters.
🤔Myth: Everyone should be allowed to witness the miracle of birth.
👉Truth: Every litter of kittens contributes to the millions of unwanted cats that die yearly in our nation’s animal shelters or alone, outdoors. Don't enable overpopulation!
🤔Myth: Spaying/neutering is expensive.
👉Truth: Low-cost services are available in many areas. Look for clinics and SPCAs near you!
🤔Myth: Indoor pets don't need to be spayed/neutered.
👉Truth: ALL pets need to be spayed/neutered!
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project.
Hey folks, if you or others in your circle are in or near Johnson County, consider donating un-needed books toward this fund raiser.
We celebrate cats every day but it’s nice to have special days.
🐾🌍 Happy International Cat Day! 🌍🐾
Today, we celebrate our feline friends around the globe, from the pampered house cats to the resilient outdoor community cats. Cats have touched our lives in countless ways, offering companionship, joy, and a bit of mystery to our daily routines.
While many cats enjoy the comforts of indoor life, millions of community cats live outdoors, navigating urban landscapes and natural environments. These outdoor cats, often misunderstood, play a vital role in our ecosystems by controlling rodent populations and bringing balance to our neighborhoods.
However, with their numbers increasing, community cats face challenges like overpopulation, hunger, and disease. This is where Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) comes in as a humane and effective solution. TNR involves humanely trapping community cats, having them spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and then returning them to their outdoor homes. This process not only prevents unwanted litters but also improves the health and well-being of these cats.
How Can You Help?
🐱 Support TNR Programs: Get involved with local organizations that run TNR programs. Your support can help provide the necessary resources for these life-saving initiatives.
🐾 Volunteer: Offer your time to help trap, transport, or foster community cats. Every bit of effort counts.
😺 Educate Others: Spread the word about the importance of spaying and neutering cats to reduce overpopulation and improve their quality of life.
❤️ Adopt or Foster: Consider adopting or fostering a community cat or kitten to provide a loving home for those in need.
On this International Cat Day, let's honor all cats by ensuring a safer, healthier world for them. Whether they're purring on your lap or roaming your backyard, every cat deserves love and care.
Want to save 100 cats? Just spay or neuter one.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: spaying and neutering 🐾 What are the benefits?
The benefits of spaying (females) include:
✅ Population control! No more unwanted litters!
✅ No heat cycles; therefore, males will not be attracted.
✅ Reduction or elimination of mammary gland tumors, ovarian and uterine cancer, especially if done before the first heat cycle.
✅ Reduced incidence of pyometra.
✅ Better overall health for the cat whose body is no longer stressed and depleted by constant reproduction.
The benefits of neutering (males) include:
✅ Population control! No more unwanted litters!
✅ Reduction or elimination of spraying and marking.
✅ Elimination of hormone-fueled cat fights.
✅ Risk of testicular cancer is eliminated, and the incidence of prostate disease is decreased.
✅ Less desire to roam. Toms stay closer to home and tend to become calmer and friendlier.
✅ A reduction in the spread of FIV, a virus spread between cats by deep bites/puncture wounds received while fighting.
✅ Longer lifespan: outdoor intact male cats tend to get hurt or die while roaming in search of a female in heat. Neutering removes the urge to roam.
Sterilizing our community cats is beneficial to the community as well. Cats that are spayed/neutered during the TNR process are healthier animals and make better neighbors. Complaints of overpopulation, fighting, yowling, and marking will decrease, making the cats more welcome members of the community. Sterilization also saves taxpayer and animal welfare dollars as fewer animals will be captured, impounded, and eventually euthanized due to illness, injury, or lack of homes. Save a life! Spay or neuter all the cats -- your pet(s) and those outdoors.
Want to save 100 cats? Just spay one! We can save them all from a life of suffering. Please spay and neuter! 🐱💙
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project.
Accompanying graphic from an unknown source
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TNR has been proven to work, not killing. And removing cats to a shelter doesn’t work either. We can’t build enough shelters or find enough staff and that all costs allot more money. And there aren’t enough working cat adopters out there for all the cats that don’t want to be a pet.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: "the vacuum effect"
👉 Why "catch and kill" doesn't work.
A vacuum occurs when a population is removed from an area, opening the territory for outsiders to take advantage of it's resources. Some people believe that if you remove cats from an area (catch and kill), you will solve the problem. What they don't realize is that the resources in that area (food and shelter, for example) remain and will attract other cats from neighboring areas to take advantage of those resources.
Why don't we just catch and euthanize the cats in an area rather than TNR them? Because "catch and kill" doesn't work to solve the community cat population problem. Plus, killing otherwise healthy cats is inhumane.
Cats are territorial, so when you remove cats from a territory (when you "catch and kill"), new cats will move in to take advantage of the resources available in that territory. Those cats will also need to be captured, and the cycle will continue to no end. The better solution is to TNR the cats already in the area and let them defend their space against newcomers.
Exterminating community cats does not work to control the cat population. The only proven method is TNR -- and it happens to be the only HUMANE way as well. The attached link leads to a short article from Alley Cat Allies with more details about "the vacuum effect." Support TNR in your community!
https://www.alleycat.org/.../the-vacuum-effect-why-catch.../
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project. Graphic by Alley Cat Allies.
One of our favorite nationwide organizations helping feral/stray/community cats is the Community Cats Podcast and they are conducting a survey. Please take a couple minutes to click the link and fill out the brief survey.
To provide education, information and dialogue that will create a supportive environment empowering people to help cats in their community.
Yes, not all ear tipped cats are feral or unfriendly. This is a great run down of the facts behind ear tipping.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: What is an ear tip? 🤔
An ear-tip is the removal of the tip of the LEFT ear of a cat, while under anesthesia, by a veterinarian. It is the universally-recognized sign that a cat has been spayed/neutered and vaccinated.
Because an unsocialized (feral) community cat cannot be handled, an ear-tip instantly confirms from a distance that the cat in question has been spayed or neutered and has received vaccines. 🏥🐾 If you see a cat with an ear-tip, you can be confident that the cat has been fully vetted.
It is imperative to ear-tip any cat that is spayed/neutered and that you intend to return to its outdoor home. Failing to do so may result in the cat being trapped again and taken to clinic for TNR. Surely, the vet will discover the cat is already altered when they get it on the table. By then, resources will have been wasted, including the opportunity for an unaltered cat to secure a TNR appointment at clinic. Please don't waste everyone's time and let's not stress the kitty even more: get that ear-tip before releasing kitty to its outdoor home. 🕰️
❓ Are all ear-tipped cats feral? NO. There are plenty of friendly, adoptable ear-tipped cats among us. If placement isn't available for a kitten or a friendly adult, a rescuer may have no choice but to TNR and put the cat back outside. An ear-tip is not an indication of the cat's disposition; it only serves to signify that the cat has been altered. 🐱💙
What should you do if you see an ear-tipped cat? Nothing, unless the cat is in distress or injured. Ear-tipped cats do not contribute to overpopulation, are fully vetted and should be left alone. Do NOT take them to a shelter; they may be deemed unadoptable there and immediately euthanized.
When you see an ear-tipped cat, you can be certain that someone cares about the welfare of that animal. That cat probably lives in a colony and has a caretaker. Ear-tipped cats are fortunate kitties, indeed! 🏡🐈
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project. ✅
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Today’s important lesson in the magic of Return.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: the "return" part of TNR (trap/neuter/RETURN)
Why do we RETURN cats and not "get rid" of them? 🤔
🚨 IMPORTANT: R stands for RETURN, NOT RELEASE!!!!
The R in "TNR" stands for RETURN. After we've trapped and taken the cat to the clinic for spay/neuter, vaccines and ear tip, we RETURN them to the place where they were captured. We DO NOT release them to a different area, nor do we euthanize them.
Community cats (the umbrella term for stray, feral and unowned outdoor cats) live in a 3-mile radius. Within this territory, they have established resources for food and shelter. This is their home and the area which sustains them; do not remove them from it (unless their lives are in danger).
Community cats are territorial and will protect their territory from outside cats. When you TNR a cat and return it to its territory, it will 1) no longer contribute to overpopulation, 2) defend its territory from outside cats, and 3) be a peaceful neighbor as undesirable habits like fighting, spraying and yowling will have been eliminated through spay/neuter. Theoretically, if you TNR all cats within a territory, the colony should die out over time.
👉 Why do we not trap and kill? Two very important reasons: it's inhumane and it doesn't solve the problem of overpopulation. Cats are territorial! When you remove cats from a territory, other/new cats come in to take advantage of the resources in that territory. This is known as "the vacuum effect." If you "catch and kill," you'll forever be in a cycle of trapping and removing cats. It's better--and more humane--to TNR, bring those cats back to the territory, and let them defend it.
Some people who call for help with cats on their property and are unfamiliar with TNR are surprised to learn that the cats will be returned. When we explain why we RETURN and not kill, they understand the science and allow the cats to return. Education is key!!! 💡 Share your knowledge to protect and improve the lives of our community cats!
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project.
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This guy has fathered his last batch of kittens and was happy to get back to just being a cat. And a happier and healthier cat now that he’s neutered and vaccinated. So far this year to date we have TNR’d over 141 males and 127 females for a total of over 268 cats. This averages 44 cats per the last 6 months.🐾
Today’s lesson in what we do. Every group and clinic may do things a bit differently, and a few items in this explanation differ slightly from our local process. But it’s all close enough to how it works. One difference, and many communities/organizations will agree, is that ANY un-altered cat found wandering the streets and rural areas is far game for trapping and TNR. We don’t have time to determine ownership status and no cat should be in-altered and outside.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: What is TNR? 🤔
TNR is an acronym for trap/neuter/return and is the most humane method of community cat population control. TNR is a process whereby unowned, free-roaming cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, ear-tipped and returned to the outdoor habitat where they were found. 🐾
TNR is a team effort. A trapper will humanely trap any number of cats. The cats are then transported to a TNR clinic where a veterinary team prepares the cat for surgery. (Most "regular" veterinary offices will not treat feral cats.) The cats are spayed or neutered by a licensed veterinarian at a clinic and are vaccinated for rabies and distemper. The vet will also use a cauterized knife to remove the tip of the cat's left ear, giving the cat an ear-tip. (An ear-tip is the universal sign that a cat has been through the TNR process.) Afterward, the cats are retained until they recover. Males are usually released as soon as anesthesia has worn off completely. Females are typically held 2 - 5 days, depending on their stress level and the condition of their incision. No removable stitches or cones are used during the TNR process as most of these cats cannot be handled. There are no scheduled follow-up visits.
After the cats return to their outside homes, a caretaker will typically provide food, water, shelter, care and love. Outdoor cats in a managed colony have a typical lifespan of 10 years. Outdoor cats without a caretaker have a lifespan of 2 years. Your indoor pet cat might live 15-20 years. Human interaction is critical to their well-being!🤗
In addition to preventing unwanted litters, TNR also improves the health of community cats by providing essential vaccines to protect against disease. Also, the risk of certain cancers are mostly eliminated thanks to sterilization. Community cats also become better neighbors once sterilized as undesirable behaviors associated with reproduction -- such as fighting, yowling and marking -- are eliminated. TNR is a win-win proposition!🤝
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project. ✅
Thank you to Pets Alive for spaying 15 of our cats this past Monday. In that one day alone they spayed/neutered 60 animals. They do a phenomenal job every day, every week, every month.
Today’s lessen in the differences. This is very important to understand.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: feral vs. stray
What's the difference between a feral cat and a stray cat? 🤔
👉 A FERAL cat is an outdoor cat that is not socialized with people. These cats are fearful and want nothing to do with humans. They are not suited to be indoor pets and are considered unadoptable. There are varying degrees of feral, so "once a feral, always a feral" is not the rule. Some ferals can be socialized over time; it depends on the cat and the person working with the animal.
👉 A STRAY cat is a cat that lives outdoors and has been socialized to some degree with humans. This cat may have once had an indoor home but now finds itself outside, perhaps abandoned or lost. Or, it could be a cat born outside with a feeder whom it trusts. Strays are more open to relationships with humans whereas ferals are not. When one describes a cat as a stray, it is implied that the cat is friendly to some degree.
💡 "Community cat" is an all-encompassing term to include all unowned outdoor cats, regardless of whether they are stray or feral.
Knowing whether a cat is feral or stray is important as the answer will determine your course of action. All cats should be spayed or neutered. A feral cat should go through the TNR process whereas a stray cat might go into foster care after vetting in search of an indoor forever home. Generally, strays are candidates for adoption; ferals are generally not.
👉How can you tell if a cat is feral or stray?
➡ A feral cat won't come close. A stray will come close and might let you pet it.
➡A feral will assume a crouched, tense body position and not make eye contact. A stray will act more like a house cat: standing, tail up, making eye contact.
➡A feral will not make a sound. A stray might purr or meow.
➡Ferals are more active at night. Strays are active during the day.
➡Ferals tend to be well-groomed; strays might be disheveled.
➡When trapped, ferals move to the back of the trap. Strays come to the front.
➡A scared feral will lash out; a scared stray may simply hiss.
➡A feral won't recognize or play with a toy. A stray probably will.
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project.
These 4 little lip smackers are the latest in a case currently totaling 22 cats. With many adults and many more kittens, the process has been to TNR the adults first and as kittens were weaned and large enough, to start getting them TNR’d also. Many of our cases are large and it takes time to get all the cats. And this is one reason it can often take time to get to all our requests for help. Our founder took these kids home for the night to lessen the load on Pets Alive who already had 20 FCF-trapped cats that day.
This is a very good explanation. Yes, there will be some who will argue that not all shelters will immediately kill a feral cat. But allot do, or will eventually when no one is looking for a barn/working cat.
📚 Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES: "feral"
What is a feral cat, and why should one be careful when using this word? 🤔
A feral cat is AN OUTDOOR CAT THAT HAS NOT BEEN SOCIALIZED WITH HUMANS; they have not had human interaction by being spoken to, played with or held. These cats fear humans and prefer to live outdoors, away from people.
📢PLEASE NOTE: "feral" does NOT refer to any cat living outdoors. "Feral" refers to DISPOSITION only.
Feral cats typically live in colonies with other feral cats and are not suitable as indoor pets. They tend to be nocturnal, coming out overnight to avoid interacting with and being detected by humans. You will not be able to catch a feral cat without a trap; they will never allow you to get close. They will not make eye contact with you, will not meow, and will usually appear well-groomed and healthy. Feral cats want nothing to do with you!
There are varying degrees of "feral." A cat that has never had human interaction and refuses human interaction might be labeled "totally feral." Another cat that has had some interaction--perhaps with a feeder--and will allow a human to come close might be described as "semi-feral." Sometimes, semi-feral cats are taken into foster care for socialization. Success depends on the cat and the person doing the socializing. Socializing a semi-feral cat is a long-term proposition requiring tremendous patience.
👉Are all outdoor cats feral? NO.
👉Can the terms "stray" and "feral" be used interchangeably? NO.
👉Should we use the word "feral" for ANY cat that lives outdoors? NO!
BE CAREFUL of using the term "feral" when describing a cat, as the word has negative connotations. Describing a cat as feral could lead to its immediate demise. Feral cats should never be taken to a shelter; they will be immediately euthanized there as feral cats are considered unadoptable.
What can we do for feral cats? TNR them and let them be. If possible, provide food and shelter to make life easier. 🐈💙
Original content provided by Stray Cat Project.
Bloomington, IN
47401
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This guy has fathered his last batch of kittens and was happy to get back to just being a cat. And a happier and healthier cat now that he’s neutered and vaccinated. So far this year to date we have TNR’d over 141 males and 127 females for a total of over 268 cats. This averages 44 cats per the last 6 months.🐾
These 4 little lip smackers are the latest in a case currently totaling 22 cats. With many adults and many more kittens, the process has been to TNR the adults first and as kittens were weaned and large enough, to start getting them TNR’d also. Many of our cases are large and it takes time to get all the cats. And this is one reason it can often take time to get to all our requests for help. Our founder took these kids home for the night to lessen the load on Pets Alive who already had 20 FCF-trapped cats that day.
Cats don’t take holidays from breeding so we don’t take holidays from trapping when the next day is a surgery day. Happy Easter 🐣🐇 #FixThemAll #neuteryourmalecats #PreventUnwantedLitters #spayandneuter #feralcatfriends #SaveThemAll #TNRworks
When there are allot of cats at a location a drop trap can make a huge impact in how many cats can be trapped at once. Getting them used to eating under it for a day or more is ideal. Our founder, Theresa, is a master at trapping after 20 years of heading up FCF. But anyone can learn.
And just like that, in just a day you realize you can be a happy baby again, that maybe the world isn’t so scary. As long as humans keep showing love and compassion. But don’t hesitate to remind them that your mom taught you to defend yourself and not let your guard down. At least maybe just one more time.
When humans have compassion and patience, when love rules the day, hissing and resistance to love can be overridden. And the first step is taken toward a brighter future and another life saved.
When you are little and the world is big and loud and your mom and your siblings have disappeared, yep, it’s scary. Hissing might be all you have to try to protect yourself. Does that mean you are a danger to humans, that they should be afraid and think you aren’t worthy of a chance at love and a good life? No. You are just scared.
It’s National Feral Cat Month and Feral Cat Friends kicked it off by trapping 20 cats yesterday (Sunday). It made for a busy Monday morning at Pets Alive. Thank you to them for the help and support and for making today Feral Cat Day. #tnrcats #SaveThemAll #spayneuteryourpets #returntofield #PreventUnwantedLitters #neuteryourmalecats #FixThemAll #trapneuterrelease #spayandneuter #tnrworks #TNRworks #feralcatfriends
Good morning!
When you are happy to be home after your TNR surgery but didn’t really mind hanging out with the nice people who took care of you. #feralcatfriends #tnrworks #spayneutersaveslives #spayandneuter #TNRcats #SaveThemAll #trapneuterrelease #tnrcats #neuteryourmalecats #PreventUnwantedLitters #returntofield #feralcatsneedlovetoo #feralkittens #spayneuteryourpets #TNR #kittenseason2021
It’s White River Wednesday! Today we focus on helping White River Humane Society make the world a better place for the animals of Lawrence County, Indiana. And for 29 cats their field trip to Pets Alive on Monday will result in them having a much better life. No more fighting and injuries, no more risk of suffering and dying from reproductive diseases, and no more breeding at young ages or for year after year. Changes to local ordinances and modes of operating at the local government level will be needed though to help even more. And that’s our dedicated founder, Theresa, making it look easy to transfer kittens from one trap to another. #feralcatfriends #spayneuter #tnrcats #TNR #fixthemall #tnrworks #feralkittens #feralcatsneedlovetoo #returntofield #spayday #PreventUnwantedLitters #trapneuterreturn #TNRcats #spayandneuter #spayneuteryourpets #spayneutersaveslives #trapneuterrelease #neuteryourmalecats
What a difference a neutering makes! Doesn’t this big fluffy guy look like a sweet teddy bear? Well, he is. He loves lounging around, grooming himself, and hanging out with the other cats in the house. But it almost didn’t happen because as an un-neutered stray male cat he was fighting with outside pet cats, carrying on loudly, and was threatened with being shot. To prevent the latter this fluffy guy was removed, which means the “R” in Trap-Neuter-Return wasn’t possible. But once he was neutered he mellowed, allot. And now he’s a happy house cat. We can’t relocate every cat and we always advocate returning cats to the their outside home if they will be safe. But this big guy is a great example of how neutering male cats can change the dynamic of a colony or even one community cat for the better for both the cat and humans. #feralcatfriends #neuter #neuteryourmalecats #spayneuter
Today some of the FCF volunteers made a trip to learn about the pet food pantry operations of Friends of Indianapolis Dogs Outside. Their staff and volunteers do a tremendous service for dogs and cats (and rabbits) owned by humans in need of assistance.
Some TNR cases take time, allot of time. Trapping this male recently was a victory after many days of setting traps with no luck or catching already-ear tipped cats. It's been many trips over the course of many weeks by two different volunteers. Early on several cats were easily trapped at this location. But we don't stop until we know all have been trapped and spayed/neutered, and there is still at least one female that is eluding capture.
Paris likes to be petted. Message us if you'd like to meet her and consider adopting her.
Many of you may be familiar with the saga of the mom and kittens around Batchelor Middle School. It was a great community team effort with local residents posting online and helping us locate, relocate, and relocate them all. The last kitten had to fend for itself for a couple days but was so happy to see mom again (see video). All are now in foster care and once the kittens are weaned, the mom will be spayed and released and the kittens will continue their socialization until they are ready for adoption. Those interested in adoption should message us.
Callie’s adorable kitten. Be sure to see the first video of Callie and her baby.
Just a video of a foster mom and her newborns.
When you have plenty of free time to clean but just really don’t want to.
