“I provide food and water for some feral cats that live in a vacant building near my apartment. Because I am not the property owner, I don’t qualify for your Feral Colony Spay/Neuter Assistance, but I am very interested in their welfare. I took in 3 kittens that were born to one of them, and with the cost of providing for them – as well as feeding the outdoor cats – I can’t afford to get them fixed. What can I realistically accomplish here? My immediate concern is in fixing them – but I’d also like to find caregivers who could adopt as many of them as possible. I know that bringing a feral cat indoors as a pet is problematic, but I know of organizations with barn cat adoption programs placing feral cats with people willing to provide a barn for shelter and basic care. If you have any advice on this type of program, please let me know.”
As a general rule, it’s not a good idea to relocate outdoor cats from one location to another unless they are in imminent danger. Cats are highly territorial and that makes them difficult to relocate. If you must, make sure you find a home where the entire group can move, and where the new caregiver will confine them for 3weeks with food, water and litter to help them adjust. But, even then, there’s still a risk the cats will try to return to their old home. And -- the area you clear of cats -- will simply repopulate with new ones. Whatever attracted the original colony -- a food source and/or shelter -- will be equally appealing to the next roaming cats passing by. So the situation will develop all over again.
A vacant building is a fine shelter for cats – all they need is protection from rain and snow. Contrary to popular opinion, cats are no safer in a barn environment than they are in an urban setting. Alley cats and barn cats have both been a standard part of the American landscape for centuries. In the city they have cars to contend with but in the country they have coyote or other predators. Living outdoors is never without risk.
If you are feeding feral cats, it’s always a good idea to fix them too – and there are many resources available today to help. If you can’t qualify for a program, look for a veterinary clinic that will fix them without doing anything else – this can reduce the spay/neuter cost considerably. And, don’t forget to tip the left ear (removing 1/4=-inch straight across) to identify them as sterilized outdoor-only cats.
Although feral cats are generally most comfortable in their outdoor homes, you may find one or more of the cats will eventually trust you enough to allow you to move them indoors with you, if you leave the area. But even if you can’t – we know that urban cats often have more than one caregiver -- so they should still be okay even if you move on.
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