ABOUT FERAL CATS
Feral cats have a home - outdoors!
And although they appreciate a can of cat food, they don't want to snuggle with you on your couch.
A feral cat is not socialized to humans.
Though feral cats are members of the domestic cat species and are protected under state anti-cruelty laws, they are typically fearful of humans. They are often victims of abandonment, accidental loss, and failure by owners to fix their pets, and deserve caretaking just as much as the kitties who live with us.
Feral cats can have the same lifespan as pet cats.
And they are just as healthy, too. The incidence of disease in feral cats if just as low as in pet cats. They live healthy, natural lives on their own, content in their outdoor home.
Feral cats should NOT be taken to animal control pounds or shelters.
100% of feral cats taken to animal control pounds or shelters are KILLED because they are not adoptable. Just like raccoons and opossums, feral cats live outside, but are killed in shelters. Even No-Kill shelters are not able to place feral cats.
Catch and kill doesn't work.
Animal control's endless, cruel cycle is extremely costly to taxpayers and ineffective at reducing the feral cat population. Cats choose to reside in locations for two reasons - there is a food source and there is shelter. When cats are removed from a location, survivors breed to capacity or new cats move in. This vacuum effect is well documented.
Return-To-Home DOES work.
The only humane way to reduce the feral and stray cat population is by Return-To-Home (RTH). This keeps new cats from coming into the area, greatly reduces fighting and spraying behavior, improves the overall health of the cats and directly reduces the number of cats being killed at animal control shelters.
You can make a difference and save lives.
The Humane Society of the United States estimates that there are as many as 50 million feral cats in the United States. It's vital to reduce their numbers whether you're concerned about, indifferent to, or annoyed by them.
If you're feeding feral cats, you obviously care about them. Feeders who don't realize or can't find resources to get the cats spayed and neutered while their numbers are manageable, are soon overwhelmed by kittens, kittens, and more kittens. Don't let this happen to you or the cats. Always assume a stay or feral cat needs to be spayed or neutered and get assistance with Return-To-Home before the kittens show up. It's better to be safe than sorry.
Please get involved in this worthwhile program. For more information on how you can help or assistance with stray and feral cats in your area, email us at -
info@SecondChancePetAdoptions.org