TNR Texas

06/01/2025

Want to give your colony cats an extra boost this winter?

Furball Farm Cat Sanctuary has a "soup" recipe with ingredients to aid in illness prevention and immune health, respiratory issues, digestive issues, arthritis, allergies, bone strength, skin + coat.

*This is not a substitute for medical care! It will not *cure* a kitty who truly needs medical help. This is to help protect against illness and/or maintain their good health. 😻

06/01/2025

04/01/2025

Some more friendly reminders as more cold weather hits Texas:

*Feed your outdoor kitties a bit extra
*Avoid metal bowls when temps are at/below freezing
*Put warm water in the water bowls
*Do what you can to provide a place for them to stay warm
*Bang on car hoods and check wheel hubs

Just give some thought to what you can do to help them and be creative. If you have a shed, perhaps leave it open slightly. Even a cardboard box raised off the concrete on your patio and covered with a blanket with shredded newspaper, straw, or a blanket they can snuggle in or under can make a huge difference.

04/01/2025

Below are some tips on how to feed feral cats in winter.

*Cats can benefit from extra food during winter, so increase food portions to help them conserve energy. Also make sure to set out fresh water twice a day.
*Wet food takes less energy to digest, but should be served in plastic containers to prevent freezing. Providing dry food, which will not freeze, works for frigid temperatures, too.
*Warm up canned food and water before serving or use heated electric bowls.
*Use bowls that are deep rather than wide and place them in sunny areas to keep water from freezing. Avoid using metal bowls.
*Spray insulation foam into the underside of plastic feeding dishes and water bowls to help prevent food and water from freezing as quickly.
*Build a feeding station as this is the best way to feed feral cats during the cold months. It will shield food, water, and the cats from the elements. An insulated feeding station that is built in the same fashion as a cat shelter works even better.
*Put a microwavable heating pad, like a Snuggle Safe, under the bowls. You can even make your own homemade heating pad by filling fabric pouches with rice, and heating it in the microwave.
*If there’s a water source like a spigot, run the water slightly—it won’t freeze as fast as still water. You can also use a water fountain or water bowl with a fountain feature.
***Here’s a trade secret: Add a pinch of sugar to the water to keep it from freezing as quickly (and to provide an energy boost for the cats!)

For more tips on how to help community cats in the winter, click the link below.

When temperatures drop, people naturally wonder how they can help cats who live outdoors. If you find yourself concerned for community cats in cold weather, it’s important to remember that these cats’ home is the great outdoors. As a species, cats have always lived outside and thrived in all var...

01/01/2025

Another FREE spay/neuter event for dogs and cats in Travis County on Jan 8-12 made possible by Greater Good Charities and Austin Animal Center! Please share and help get more cats and dogs spayed and neutered!

01/01/2025

That's me!

30/12/2024

Just an FYI....

As of January 1, Terramycin will only be available by prescription. If you use this often you might want to order more asap!

26/12/2024

What an awesome winter shelter this is!

25/12/2024

Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever you choose to recognize and celebrate this season

24/12/2024

Sooooo sad....

24/12/2024

This might be why cats love Christmas so much! And there are even loads of poxes and paper! Cat Heaven!

23/12/2024

TNR in the news... again. What's your opinion on this? Should shelters be responsible for taking in adoptable friendly cats rather than TNRing them? Or will that just result in higher euthanasia rates due to lack of space? If you could design the perfect plan, what would it look like?

Landmark Ruling Challenges Shelters Nationwide to Rethink Policies on Adoptable Cats and Accountability in Animal Welfare Practices

23/12/2024

Show us your tree or a favorite cat ornament or decoration!

23/12/2024

'Tis the season...

20/12/2024

This is HUGE news for cats!

Preventing Deadly FIP in Cats

https://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/news/preventing-deadly-fip-cats?fs=e&s=cl&fbclid=IwY2xjawHSsxBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHVcU528j6QEj7vRW6791_a49NYoAP48V2xU2wK9HyrMovkp1QYS9UwJRmg_aem_D7EfBng1ke6aPqYJxKD6sA

15/12/2024

AND.... many of the people who are involved in rescue work are VOLUNTEERS. They do this at their own expense, paying for trapping supplies (including expensive traps), gas, food for trapping or the care of colony cats, veterinary care when needed, and way too often, even paying for spay/neuter and vaccinations.

Imagine how much more there would be to complain about if there suddenly were no more volunteers in animal rescue.

Are you one of those people…
..who sees sad animal posts and wonders why there are so many? 😞
..who sees a stray cat outside in the cold and wonders why someone can’t come pick that cat up and find it somewhere warm to live? 💔
..who looks at the shelter and wonders why they have so many cats/kittens available for adoption ALL THE TIME? 🤯
..who thinks animal welfare organizations are not doing their job well enough? 🙄
..who cannot stand the thought of cats or kittens being euthanized at a shelter? 😡
..who sees strays/ferals in your neighborhood and just want to see them in a better place? 😿

All good questions and all come from a place of compassion.❣️

BUT, if you answered yes to any of these questions, ✨Y✨O✨U✨ need to volunteer in some capacity! You cannot expect change from others that you are not willing to participate in yourself. 🤔

It is impossible for people to understand all the challenges that rescues and shelters face unless they have worked in it. It is easy to sit behind a computer ⌨️ and make assumptions about why something isn’t getting done. It is eye-opening 👀 to get in there and actually witness all the work that IS being done, day and night, by such a small number of staff and volunteers. Hats off to all of you special people! 🤩

I guarantee if you volunteer a small amount of your time with a shelter or rescue, you will not only get the answer to these questions, but a greater understanding of the challenges.

Stop 🛑 seeing the problems and wondering “why”. Start participating to help fix them. ✅ Do it. Make time. For your love of the animals. ❤️