Did you know?
Kittens are weaned when they are about eight weeks old, and within about a month of that time the mother may come into heat again.
How you can help
Please consider donating to the Feline Friends Network. We operate under the umbrella of the Ontario SPCA - Perth County so your donation is tax-deductible.
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We wouldn't be able to do the work we do without the help of our dedicated volunteers. Learn more about how you can help.
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The Growing Problem of Feral Cats
What is a "feral cat"?
A feral cat is either a cat who has lived his whole life with little or no human contact and is not socialized, or a stray cat who was lost or abandoned and has lived away from human contact long enough to revert to a wild state. Feral cats live in colonies wherever food can be found, and cannot be touched by strangers.
Why should we care?
We should care about feral cats because they are a problem we created, originating, as they did, from domestic cats either abandoned, or lost, and thus forced to fend for themselves. On a more practical level, we should care because the number of feral cats is increasing. Stray and feral cats are already a prominent source of complaint calls for Animal Control, and their dramatic ability to reproduce is steadily decreasing the shelter's ability to cope.
Is there a solution?
The traditional method used by animal control agencies for the control of cats has been to capture and euthanize ferals, as the great majority is too wild to be adopted. Apart from the fact that this disrespect for life is inhumane, we now know that, as a solution, it doesn't work. Due to what is known as the "vacuum effect", when cats are removed from a colony, new ones will either move in to take over the food source, or existing cats will over-breed to reach the former population level.
TNR — A Better Solution
"TNR", or Trap/Neuter/Return, is a management plan in which stray and feral cats are humanely trapped, then evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and tame cats are adopted into good homes. Adult cats too wild to be adopted are returned to their familiar habitat, where volunteers monitor them and provide long-term care. This plan has worked effectively in many states in the U.S. and is currently in force in some areas of Canada. Where this program is in effect, it has been found that numbers of strays and ferals are decreasing, nuisance complaints are reduced, and over time, there is a significant cost savings. In addition, managed healthy feral cat colonies do play a positive role in the community, keeping the population of mice, rats, and other disease-carrying rodents under control.