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Feral Cat Assistance Program
What is a feral cat? While the term "stray" generally refers to cats who have been recently abandoned and are still domesticated, feral cats are defined as the "wild" offspring of domestic cats and are primarily the result of cat owners' abandonment or failure to spay and neuter their animals, allowing them to breed uncontrolled. While Connecticut has managed to achieve one of the lowest euthanasia rates for dogs in the country, we have had less success managing cat overpopulation. The lack of publicly available records documenting feline populations makes quantifying exactly how many strays there are challenging. Shelter intake, redemptions, adoptions, transfers and euthanasia statistics are typically used to measure the stray populations in a community as well as the effectiveness of the programs in place to help them. However, in Connecticut, municipal shelters are not legally required to take in cats and the vast majority do not. In the private sector, shelters and rescue groups are not regulated by the State of Connecticut. They therefore do not report intake, redemptions, transfers and euthanasia statistics to any central governing agency, nor are they even required to track this information on the animals who come into their programs. Exact figures on cat population are elusive, but can be estimated from demographic studies. Dr. Julie Levy, DVM, a professor at the University of Florida, Gainesville and one of the leading academicians in the feral cat field, recently evaluated demographic studies on the topic and concluded that, “[f]or purposes of estimating the size of a community’s feral cat population, it is reasonable to estimate 0.5 cats per household,” which would put Connecticut’s free-roaming cat population at approximately 500,000. Whatever their actual total number may be, stray and abandoned cats can be found throughout our state—in vacant buildings, in our parks, behind restaurants, in schoolyards and in our own backyards. The most humane and effective solution for reducing feral cat overpopulation is through trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs, which have been cited in recent years as an important factor in lowering feline euthanasia rates across the country. What is TNR? TNR is a full management plan in which stray and feral cats already living outdoors are humanely trapped, evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and tame cats are adopted into good homes. Healthy adult cats too wild to be adopted are returned to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of volunteers. What are the advantages of TNR? TNR has many advantages. It immediately stabilizes the size of the colony by eliminating new litters. The nuisance behavior often associated with feral cats is dramatically reduced, including the yowling and fighting that come with mating activity and the odor of unneutered males spraying to mark their territory. The returned colony also guards its territory, preventing unneutered cats from moving in, beginning the cycle of overpopulation and problem behavior anew. Veterinary care. Cats helped through the Center's Feral Cat Assistance Program are brought to a veterinary hospital where they are examined, vaccined, neutered, treated for fleas/ticks/earmites, and ear-tipped (1/4" straight cut across the cat's left ear is the universal sign of a neutered cat). After recovering from surgery, feral cats are returned to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of volunteers. Generally, males are released back into their habitat 24 hours post surgery and females after 48 hours. Who is eligible? Cats eligible for the Feral Cat Assistance Program are healthy, free-roaming cats who are not owned and will not be placed into a home (ie, unsocialized feral cats). Due to the overwhleming volume of calls we get, we may not be able to assist everyone but we give priority to people willing to become the cat's caretaker after they've been neutered. This involves providing food, water and shelter for the cats year round. Whenever resources allow, the Center will support caretakers with food and feral cat houses. Cats not eligible for the Feral Cat Assistance Program include domestic, owned cats or cats who are seriously ill. How it Works Trap Banks Socializing Feral Cats/Kittens Setting Up Winter Shelters for Feral Cats |
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