Here in Oakland, feral or community cats are a well known fixture. This is true in communities across America. In fact, there are believed to be more than 50 million feral cats in the United States today.
A feral cat waits for dinner at a safe distance. Feral colonies depend on humans to provide a consistent food source.
Feral and free-roaming cats have co-existed with humans for thousands of years. But today, those cats quickly out-breed their environment causing frustration to residents of the community as well as unhealthy living conditions for the cats.
That's why many communities look to TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs to help control the overpopulation of stray and feral cats. Our friend and founder of Feral Change, Sarah Rogers is an expert in TNR practices and caring for community cat colonies.
Sarah Rogers (right) gives Cat Town staff member, Marie (left) and volunteer, Mae (center) a training on our Forgotten Kitten Project.
"Unfortunately, unaltered cats are far too often left to fend for themselves, causing litters of new kittens every season," says Sarah. "Some kittens are 'rescued' and taken to shelters, but too many remain street-side and continue the cycle of breeding."
What TNR does is address rescue work at its core, not only working to reduce over population, but extending the capacity for other rescue efforts. "From a purely monetary perspective, donating to prevent births (through TNR) is an investment in the future, and has the most significant impact of bringing about a real reduction in the number of cats needing rescue in the future," says Sarah.
Two feral cats cuddle up in a make-shift bed outside the home where they're fed.
At Cat Town, we work closely with TNR groups like Feral Change and Fix-Our-Ferals to move toward ending the homeless cat population problem in the United States. So whether it's National Feral Cat Day or not, we believe that TNR is the key to a healthy future for cats in America.
If you're interested in contributing the the great work being done by our East Bay TNR groups, please visit the links below to learn more and make a donation. Every bit makes a difference.
Back to the Cat Town Blog.