Not So Wild Cats in the Neighborhood

At the cats-only boarding facility, we keep an eye out for abandoned or feral cats. Leftover food from the guests is set out twice a day for our “regulars”. We even do our best to catch, spay or neuter, and find homes for the feral cats who hang out behind the building. But those aren’t the only abandoned kitties I deal with. There’s a sizable abandoned cat population at the apartment complex where I live. There are two in particular who live and hang out right by my door: a pair of mostly black kitties. One is extremely friendly; the … Continue reading

TNR Programs Gaining Popularity

What is TNR, you ask? TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return… and is a policy for dealing with feral cat populations that is gaining popularity. There are currently more than two hundred TNR organizations operating across the United States, including the ASPCA and the Humane Society of the United States. One big question raised with Trap-Neuter-Return programs is: why not try to find homes for the cats, if you’ve gone to all that trouble? The answer is not so easy. Some feral cats are adoptable, and most TNR programs do try to find homes for friendly strays. However, a lot of feral … Continue reading

Too Many Dead Baby Birds

I was out walking my two dogs this afternoon… and saw a weird lump on the sidewalk. As we got closer, my eyes and brain puzzled the lump into a shape. It was a dead baby bird. A few feet away, there was another sad little lump that turned out to be a baby bird. I looked in the landscaping nearby to see if I could find a nest, but I couldn’t. But we do have a LOT of cats roaming around the complex, both indoor/outdoor cats and feral cats. I fear that the baby birds (and the entire nest) … Continue reading

Diary of a Cat Care B&B: Feral Cat Efforts

At the cats only boarding facility, they welcome cats of all shapes and sizes. We get some “mostly outdoor” cats whose owners bring them in to stay when the weather is bad. We get some pampered princes and princesses who require daily brushing and like to eat from fancy dishes. I know for sure that my coworkers are cat lovers. But more than that — they really care about the welfare of cats. All cats. Even the feral ones. Every day, we take all the leftover cat food and empty it into a big dish. After each shift, somebody brings … Continue reading

Is There Finally Help For Feral Cats?

Are feral cats being given a new chance for quality life while remaining in the wild? According to an article written by Ashley Bachelor for the “Daily Times” they most certainly are! A Texas program called “Big Fix Project for Homeless Cats” employs a unique trap-neuter-return system that maintains the dignity and primal state of the feral cat. Founded in 2005, it has the help and support of Alley Cats Allies, a non-profit web site offering information on stray and feral cats and advocating trapping and neutering as a humane way to reduce the feral cat population. According to the … Continue reading