Feral Cats
Feral (unsocialized) cats are the result of human negligence. Owners who do not spay/neuter their pets are contributing to this problem, as are those who abandon their cats or kittens. Many people treat feral cats as throw-aways or ignore them and hope someone else will solve the problem. Even worse, some people purposefully harm ferals because they consider the cats a nuisance. The reality is that very few people care enough to help these animals. City Kitties believes they deserve to be treated humanely and respectfully. You can make a difference! A few tips to get you started:
Read as much as you can about trap, neuter, release (TNR).
City Kitties (and many other rescue organizations) believes that this is the only way to humanely reduce feral cat populations. The basic idea is to trap ferals, spay or neuter them and provide basic veterinary care, re-release them to the exact same spot following recovery from the surgery, and finally, prove ongoing care. Alley Cat Allies has the most comprehensive online resource on TNR, which we highly recommend. Philadelphia Community Cats Council is another great resource.
Use a humane trap to capture the cat.
Feral cats are wild animals and should be handled with CAUTION. A limited number of traps are available for loan from City Kitties (request a trap online), or you can purchase them online for about $30-40. You can view the City Kitties Humane Trap Photo Guide to see how a typical trap works.
Don't trap the cat and take it to animal control or a shelter.
It will be euthanized immediately.
Don't trap the cat and move it somewhere else.
The cat may not survive in its new surroundings and this just passes the problem on to someone else.
Don't trap the cat and "dispose of it" or have someone else do so.
This is just plain inhumane, not to mention a violation of the state's animal cruelty laws. If you see anyone doing this, please report it to the PSPCA immediately.
Don't just feed the ferals in your neighborhood.
Feeding them without providing other care only makes the problem worse. More food = more cats = more litters of kittens = a larger feral colony in your neighborhood = more disease and hardship for the animals!
Learn how to be a responsible feral caretaker!
Provide food, clean water, and shelter. We can't possibly cover all of the necessary information here, but please check out Alley Cat Allies, a wonderful source of information on feral cat care.
Learn how to tame feral kittens with this online guide from feralcat.com.