[7HL]

Are any of you caring for or have a feral cat colony, community near by?

We always noticed outside cats in the area. We had at the time two inside cats. One of them showed up at out back door hungry, wet and looking for a home a few years ago.

Then almost a year ago two cat showed hungry and looking for food. At about the same time the cat we brought in got loose. Eager to get our inside cat in and also feed the two hungry cats, we started leaving food out, regularly. A week later, Fancy our inside cat was back in and we had started caring for a colony.

Skipping forward, we now are caring for an outside, feral colony. We have raised, bottle feed a kitten left by its mother on our porch. We have found homes for two of the cats. Have all the females spayed and about 90% complete on the males.

Our colony, those that come and seek food is about 15. There are regulars that we provided shelter for this winter. They all have names, easier to keep track of and most can be handled, piked up. Some are very outgoing and friendly and could easily make the transition to an inside cat. A few not trusting yet to let anyone get to close, but allow us to come and go without running off anymore.

After much research on this, the best solution for colonies is spay/neuter and release. Our local humane league offers a discount of feral cat spay & neuter.

A great resource about feral cats...

Alley Cat Allies



We now have 3 inside cats. The kitten (Pepe) we bottle raised, is a happy, playful, neutered, inside cat. He's our Toller's buddy.



Our colony....

Porchie - Female - W & B Longhair - Spayed - 2+ yrs old - Socialized
Cali - Female - Calico - Spayed - 2+ yrs old - Socialized
Bruce - Male - Large Gray Tabby - Neutered - 3+ yrs old - Socialized
Precious - Female - W & B Longhair - Spayed - young maybe 1 year old - Socialized
Smokey - Cannon Gray - Spayed - Kitten to young - Socialized
Bandit - Male - B & W Longhair - small young year 1+ - Socialized
Tangerine - Male - Orange - 2+ years
Creamcycle - Male - Orange & White - 2+ years - Socialized
Tux - Male - B & W - Tom - 3+ years
Inky - Male - Solid Black - 3+ years - Slightly Socialized
Inky 2 - Male Solid Black -3+ years - Recent addition, now shows up with Inky, they are mirror images of each other.

Occassional - 2 B & W Cats infrequent - Sex unsure

Momma Cat - Mother of Penny(Sammi) & Pepe - Tri color. Hasn't been back since before winter.


Adopted found homes. Pepper small longhair black female, Penny(Sammi) Male, Calico,multi color &.... Pepe, black & white male spayed we took in and bottle raised

[ladybugred]

I have a small colony.

One spayed female (Holly), showed up out of the blue and adopted my dog. She let's me pet her and pick her up, she knows our walking schedule and waits for the dog to walk with him. I would let her come inside, but she wants nothing to do with it

A nuetered male (Daddy) who is very elusive, and wants nothing to do with anything other than food.

I have seen other strays/ferals in the area, but I don't know if they eat the food.

LBR

[ericalynn89]

I feed the stray cats in my area quite alot. It started with two small black females. One is pretty friendly with me. She comes running when she sees my car turn the street, but she will not let me pet her. If I leave my front door open she'll lay inside my house by the front door, but won't come any further. I really want to catch her so I can get her spayed because I think she's pregnant again.

Right now I think I'm up to feeding about 5 cats, I leave a small bowl out with wet or dry food about 1-2 times a day. Its not a ton of fun, but atleast its something.

Thanks for posting this link! I've been trying to find more ways to help these cats.

[alabama]

I feed a small colony. I have about eight regulars and four or five that just visit every once in a while. I trapped and spayed or neutered 10 last summer. A new one has shown up now so he'll have to go soon. At least he's friendly enough to let me catch him so I won't have to trap him.

[JoZ]

I don't know if you'd call ours barn cats or a feral colony. There is a feral colony on the property but I haven't made the leap to solve all of THEIR problems too! I've been living at this big farm for 7 years now, and pretty much every cat that wanders over from my landlord's barn (closer to road, and where passersby just happen to "drop" their cats and litters) to our barn has gotten the Outward Bound program of feeding, neutering and health maintenance.

That resulted in six absolutely wonderful barn kitties. Five neutered males and Queen Gabrielle who enjoys being everyone's darling. That's what's left of maybe 20 cats we have tried to keep at the barn -- success rate with survival has, knock wood, improved since we installed the llamas and donkeys to keep away coyotes and stray dogs.

Sadly, well at least for me and for the cause of cat overpopulation, another tenant at the barn has taken to feeding the front barn cats. They are sticking closer to home, and look GOOD for a change, but they don't have the incentive to come to our barn. They are wild as March hares, and will require trapping. I'm sure I will but I haven't yet. If I don't, no one else will!

[7HL]

Many farms and barns have cats around us. Many keep them to keep rodent population down. Some rescues around me spay and neuter feral cat and give our to farms.

Relocation is often, taking cats from and existing colony is not the wise thing to do unless you have all the cats spayed / neutered. When a colony of cats senses that it is getting smaller it sometimes goes into a breeding cycle to replace those that are lost. Female may come ionto heat sooner.

At present we have all the know females spayed. Working on completing the males, unless unspayed female get introduce adopting out the ones that can make the transition shouldn't be a problem for us. We'll probably have a core that will be around, that are perfectly happy being outside. We just don't want any new kittens, additions to attend to.

[RedMare01]

Well, I don't have a colony, just one feral male. He's getting better and will let me get within a foot or so (if he's hungry), but I'm not sure he'll ever be interested in petting. I plan to try to trap and neuter him this summer. Question in the meantime though, how do you worm your feral kitties? He came through the winter fairly well, but I notice lately he's a bit skinnier and his coat looks a little rough. I think worming would be a good idea, but my vet usually won't give out wormer unless the cat is weighed first? I can guesstimate, but then I need to get it in him. Any suggestions?

Caitlin

[7HL]

Well, I don't have a colony, just one feral male. He's getting better and will let me get within a foot or so (if he's hungry), but I'm not sure he'll ever be interested in petting. I plan to try to trap and neuter him this summer. Question in the meantime though, how do you worm your feral kitties? He came through the winter fairly well, but I notice lately he's a bit skinnier and his coat looks a little rough. I think worming would be a good idea, but my vet usually won't give out wormer unless the cat is weighed first? I can guesstimate, but then I need to get it in him. Any suggestions?

Caitlin

Your is an easy one since only one cat. First you'll probably have to guess. Usually cutoffs are up to 5# then usually 5-15#. Smelly wet canned cat food. mix it in.

No canned tuna or milk. Cats really have hard time digesting cows milk. There are essntial vitamins and minerals in all cat food s that the need.

All our colony is on dry cat food and we make sure they have plenty of water. Water is very important. Wet food not given often Ant resistant bowls are great.

[7HL]

Those of you who have trapped ferals and released them, do you release them right after spaying, or if not how do you handle them while they recover?

Ok... our Humane League does it for a reduced fee.

They aren't supposed to have food and water before usually 12 hrs. We have a couple crates we have kept them in. One we kept in spare 1/2 bath.

Males usually can go out right after.

Females they ask you to keep in another night, giving food, water. Even outside cats seem to know what a litterbox is, but they can be alittle messy.

All fixed cats that we let back outside loose we also get an ear tip clipped. That way anyone else knows they are fixed.

[anna's girl]

I had a momma cat have four babies in my backyard last year. I homed the kittens (I kept two now I have five indoors) I trapped the Mama in Jan and had her spayed. I have been feeding her but now I have three boys that stop through everyday for a snack. So I guess I'm feeding 4 outside. I really want to try to trap the boys this summer.

[jetsmom]

I feed the barn cat, but then a calico kitten was dumped at the barn, so we got her spayed/vaccinated. There has always been an orange and white cat that hangs around in the fields, but he's started coming into the barn and finally lets me pat him. There's also a gray Manx that has been hanging around, and a gray and white cat and a black and white, that only come into the barn when everyone is gone. I leave enough food for everyone.

[bird4416]

I've trapped and spayed 3 females. One was tame and I rehomed her. The other 2 were totally feral. I found one squished on the road but the last one is still around. I found her in my hay barn with 4 kittens. I managed to trap her and the kittens. We had the mama spayed and got the kittens tamed and re-homed. I have a male that is coming around regularly at night to eat so will be trapping him and having him neutered. There are a few more that come and go. I have a trail camera that I put out at night occasionally by the food bowl so I can keep up with the cats. (plus an occasional raccoon or possum.)

[Calamber]

Just so everyone knows, if you start feeding the cats in many states (in Virginia for sure) it is the law that you have to take care of the medical needs. Makes sense because once you feed them, you draw them in, rabies danger and reproduction increases. Just an FYI as it does make the most sense even if it is not the law. Rabies is no joke and more kittens to suffer and be "bait" for predators is not either.

[alabama]

Ok... our Humane League does it for a reduced fee.

They aren't supposed to have food and water before usually 12 hrs. We have a couple crates we have kept them in. One we kept in spare 1/2 bath.

Males usually can go out right after.

Females they ask you to keep in another night, giving food, water. Even outside cats seem to know what a litterbox is, but they can be alittle messy.

All fixed cats that we let back outside loose we also get an ear tip clipped. That way anyone else knows they are fixed.

That's pretty much what we do. Trap them the night before and put them in a large dog crate (with a litter box) so we can make sure they don't eat or drink. Then we take them in the next morning. We keep them up for another night and then let them loose again. I've had a few cats that I've trapped the didn't look like strays - too well fed - that I've trapped and fixed, too. My thinking on that is if you come to my house and spray and try to breed everything in sight, you're getting fixed. We don't usually ear clip but if I lived in a more populated place (or a place where people actually cared if a cat was spayed or neutered) I would.

I've been lucky with my strays. Even the ones I thought would try to tear me up out of fear have all be easy to handle. A couple even let me pet them now when I feed.

[7HL]

Just so everyone knows, if you start feeding the cats in many states (in Virginia for sure) it is the law that you have to take care of the medical needs. Makes sense because once you feed them, you draw them in, rabies danger and reproduction increases. Just an FYI as it does make the most sense even if it is not the law. Rabies is no joke and more kittens to suffer and be "bait" for predators is not either.

Our Humane League as well as other Rescue organizations not only offer reduced fee spay/neuter they also off reduce fee shots for ferals as well.



A great resource about feral cats...

Alley Cat Allies


VA AREA FERAL RESOURCES

Meower Power Feral Cat Coalition

Metro Ferals, Inc.

Save a Dog, Save a Cat (SADSAC) operates a feral cat program in Prince William County, Virginia


Article on VA feeding law.

http://www.examiner.com/animal-welfa...ons-of-new-law


The best way to control the feral cat populations in an area is though managed care and a spay/neuter release program.

[alabama]

Just so everyone knows, if you start feeding the cats in many states (in Virginia for sure) it is the law that you have to take care of the medical needs. Makes sense because once you feed them, you draw them in, rabies danger and reproduction increases. Just an FYI as it does make the most sense even if it is not the law. Rabies is no joke and more kittens to suffer and be "bait" for predators is not either.

Yeah, I pretty much consider my little herd of cats mine. They get their shots and get fixed. We've built them two 2w x 3 1/2h x 2d double-decker "cat houses" - hay in the top and a heated mat in the bottom so they can stay warm and out of the wind in the winter. They also have a heated water bowl.

Spoiled little devils.

[7HL]

That's pretty much what we do. Trap them the night before and put them in a large dog crate (with a litter box) so we can make sure they don't eat or drink. Then we take them in the next morning. We keep them up for another night and then let them loose again. I've had a few cats that I've trapped the didn't look like strays - too well fed - that I've trapped and fixed, too. My thinking on that is if you come to my house and spray and try to breed everything in sight, you're getting fixed. We don't usually ear clip but if I lived in a more populated place (or a place where people actually cared if a cat was spayed or neutered) I would.

I've been lucky with my strays. Even the ones I thought would try to tear me up out of fear have all be easy to handle. A couple even let me pet them now when I feed.

Most or the Cat Rescues in the area regard, outdoor cats as "ferals". They advise if a cat comes on to your property, no collar, and you are feeding it as fare game. Clipping ears really just spares females from being anesthetized to end up finding a spay scar. The first two that ever showed up for food were females, that both had ears clipped.

Feeding... Our next door neighbors has appreciated us feeding the cats. She is a bird lover and has multiple feeders out. The cats have not gone after the birds, being well fed and their presence has kept the squirrels at bay.

Thanks for doing your share.

[alabama]

Most or the Cat Rescues in the area regard, outdoor cats as "ferals". They advise if a cat comes on to your property, no collar, and you are feeding it as fare game.

That's good to know! I always feel a little guilty when I do it but I figure the good outweighs the bad.

Clipping ears really just spares females from being anesthetized to end up finding a spay scar. The first two that ever showed up for food were females, that both had ears clipped.

Yeah, I really go back and forth on this. There's really no reason not to clip them. I just figure where I live - dead end of a long, dirt road with only one close neighbor who would even think about capturing a stray - there wasn't much point. The close neighbor knows that I am taking care of the cats and consider them mine now instead of stray.

...The cats have not gone after the birds, being well fed and their presence has kept the squirrels at bay.

Funny, I was thinking the other day that the cats have run the squirrels off. And I basically live with woods all around my house! I love squirrels! Oh well.

Thanks for doing your share.

Same to you! I wish more people would. When I moved in two years ago, the strays looked so thin and scruffy. So many people don't think about what a rough life stray animals have.