Youngstown Community Cat TNR

02/12/2024

Stray Cat Vs. Feral Cat 🐾🐾

Stray Cat: A stray cat is one that once had a home but has been abandoned or lost. Unlike feral cats, stray cats exhibit varying degrees of socialization to humans.

Feral Cat, on the other hand, is typically born in the wild and has had little to no human contact. Trap Neuter Return is the most humane and effective approach to help these cats.

Community Cat is a broader term encompassing both stray and feral cats.

Remember ALL feral cats are Community Cats. NOT all Community Cats are feral.

02/11/2024

Do you know WHY that cat is bullying and attacking other cats?

Because he is an unfixed male, and those hormones affect his behavior.

Unfixed males will mark territory, fight with other cats spreading disease, and venture into other territories for mating, which causes chaos along the way. That chaos will 100% cause injuries in male cats.

An unfixed male cat's chance of testicular cancer is high!

That unfixed, free roaming male cat is responsible for all the kittens born each year!

Remember to fix ALL THE CATS!

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02/06/2024

February is Spay/Neuter Awareness Month! Our friends at Feline Fix by Five are working to create awareness among veterinarians and cat caregivers about the benefits of early-age sterilization. They advocate for kittens to be spayed or neutered before they are five months old.

Did you know? Kittens can be safely spayed or neutered when two months old (or two pounds)! Female kittens can go into heat as early as four months, so it’s important to Fix by Five! Learn more and help save cats and kittens at https://felinefixbyfive.org!

02/05/2024

LET'S DISCUSS THE EARTIP 🐾🐾

"An eartip is the universally recognized symbol of a cat who has been spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Eartipping is a standard part of most Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs, because it's simply the best method to let everyone know at a glance that a cat has gone through a TNR program." - Alley Cat Allies

We have had a few people tell us they will absolutely not ear tip and how it's animal cruelty 😳.

So this is where we have an in depth conversation regarding different scenarios:

1. A cat that is not ear-tipped and is free roaming enters our trap. Said cat goes to the Clinic to be fixed. More often than not the cat is scared and appears feral so the only way to determine if the cat is fixed is to sedate it.

There is ALWAYS a risk with sedation. If you are going to have an outdoor cat or even an indoor/outdoor cat with no collar then eartipping is the way to go. It is more cruel to let a poor cat get in a trap, go to a clinic and be sedated for literally no reason.

2. A cat is trapped and enters Animal Control. The ear tip tells employees the said cat is already fixed and someone cared enough to have him/her fixed. In Clayton County, since we run the TNR Program, we get the call from Animal Control and the cat gets to go back to his/her caretaker safely.

REMEMBER: Eartipping is a very safe proceedure and it's hip to be tipped 🐾🐱🐾.

01/28/2024

01/24/2024

Ear-tipping is the universal sign that a free-roaming cat (and sometimes a former community cat that's decided indoor life is better) has been spayed/neutered and vaccinated!

It's hip to be tipped!

Please reach out to us NOW if you're in the Charlotte area and you are feeding free-roaming cats who do NOT have ear tips. We can provide further information so that no kittens are born in the spring.

01/20/2024

Thank you to everyone who advocates for, supports, and does TNR!!!

01/19/2024

Are you training cats to not go in traps for TNR or medical care?

If you’re putting food down after you take the trap away, you are training cats to wait for their food.

They will not starve. They will choose the trap when they are hungry.

They will not starve. No they will not starve.

Hungry cats choose food.
Hungry cats choose traps.

01/12/2024

Feline Fact Friday ...

What does 'feral' truly mean?

We could not have said it any better, so here's what Stray Cat Project said about what 'feral' really means.

Unfortunately, this word is not always used correctly. Education is key!
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Our BACK TO BASICS SERIES:
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 at night 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 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."

👉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 when using the term "feral" to describe a cat, as the word has negative connotations. Describing a cat as feral could lead to its immediate destruction. Feral cats should never be taken to a shelter; they will be immediately euthanized at many shelters as they are deemed unadoptable.

What can we do to help feral cats? TNVR them and let them be - and ideally provide food, water, and shelter for them to make their lives easier.

01/06/2024

Feline Fact Friday ...

What is TNVR (aka TNR)? -- Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, & Return

This process is the most humane way to help unowned community cats live healthier lives and lower the number of kittens being born outside, which decreases the outdoor cat population (and ends suffering!!!)

Spaying and neutering cats also decreases nuisance behaviors such as roaming, fighting, yowling, and spraying, which makes these cats better neighbors in the community.

⚠️ Please make sure that any cat (pet or community) you are feeding is spayed, neutered, or TNVRed.

Reach out to us for more information about TNVR if you're located in and around Charlotte, NC.

01/03/2024

📚 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. ✅

11/09/2023

Great prices and care for community cats!

10/23/2023

😹

10/21/2023

Thank you to all the caregivers out there caring for their colony cats. 😻

10/21/2023

Get those kittys fixed!!

10/06/2023

Feline Fact Friday ...

Do you know the difference between a stray and a feral community cat?

Have you ever wondered if the cat you see in your neighborhood is a STRAY cat or a FERAL cat? Being able to distinguish between the two allows you to determine how to best care for that cat.

🐈 A stray cat is typically a cat who lived indoors and/or was socialized to people at some point in its life, but has left or lost its home, or was abandoned, and no longer has regular human contact.

🐈 A feral cat is an unsocialized outdoor cat who has either never had any physical contact with humans, or human contact has diminished over enough time that the cat is no longer accustomed to touch.

🐈 Note that there are semi-feral cats that have both stray and feral characteristics. Semi-feral cats typically trust their caregivers over time but still prefer not to be touched or to live indoors.

No matter if it's a stray, semi-feral, or feral community cat, please make sure the cat is spayed/neutered and vaccinated so the cat doesn't contribute to the cat overpopulation crisis and the cat lives a healthier life.

IF there are resources and rescues in your community, finding an indoor home for a friendly stray community cat is an option.

Feral, semi-feral, & unsocialized community cats should be returned to where they were trapped.

For even more information about the difference between feral vs stray community cats, read this article ... https://www.alleycat.org/resources/feral-and-stray-cats-an-important-difference/

08/11/2023

Feline Fact Friday ... Did you know female cats do NOT go through menopause?

What?! 😱 That's right! Female cats do not go through menopause. Interestingly enough, only five species are known to go through menopause and live decades beyond it (humans, orca whales, narwhals, beluga whales, and short-finned pilot whales.)

Therefore, cats can continue to have litters well into their senior years. Another reason why spaying is so important! You can not assume that a cat is too old to reproduce, and years of breeding is NOT healthy for female cats or the kittens she births.

Thank you, Feline Fix by Five.

06/17/2023

• Babies Can Have Babies.
• Littermates Can Breed.
• Cats reproduce at an alarming rate.

Jump on the TNR train! 🚂🚂🚂

05/28/2023

Interesting!

🖤😻🖤😻🖤😻

05/27/2023

LOVE THIS!

05/20/2023

Female cats are “seasonally polyestrous," meaning they have multiple heat cycles during the breeding season.

As the amount of daylight begins to increase with the winter solstice, the reproductive cycle of intact females kicks into gear, and most go into heat by late January. A female cat will continue to go into heat every 1 to 2 weeks until she gets pregnant, up until the amount of daylight decreases (October).

The feline gestation period is about 63 - 65 days, which is why we typically see the first kittens of the season arriving in late March.

05/20/2023

05/18/2023

05/15/2023

THIS THIS THIS 👇🏼

05/14/2023

😻 Happy Mother's Day 😻

Artist Alex Clark Art

05/13/2023

We have had 8 Lyme positive dogs in past month!
Ticks are horrible this year!
Get your dog vaccinated today! Get your pets on flea tick prevention!
Wellness walk in hours M-F 9 AM to 2 PM.
later wellness by appointment only until 430PM

05/11/2023

Thank you to the Harnett Foundation for their wonderful donation grant to help Never Muzzled continue our low cost spay and neuter program. We are focusing on pit bulls this year because of the amount of stray dogs running the streets in Trumbull county. The pound is full, shelters are full, and small rescues are tired. We are going to kick off a pit bull NEUTER special for a $20 copay. You must live in Trumbull county to be eligible for this special. Please text 330-984-8373 to get your male Pit Bill neutered and let’s stop the madness.

05/09/2023

Be mindful of your flower arrangements for Mother's Day this weekend. One of the deadliest flowers a cat owner can bring home is the lily.
💐
Even the tiniest nibble of a lily plant can cause rapid kidney failure in cats and if not treated immediately, the toxicity can be fatal in as little as 72 hours. If a cat has ingested any part of a lily, look out for these symptoms:
⚪ Vomiting
⚪ Drooling
⚪ Loss of appetite
⚪ Increased urination, followed by lack of urination after one to two days
⚪ Dehydration

The sooner a cat gets treatment, the better the chances are for survival!