I’ve been fascinated by feral cats ever since I moved upstate and bought a farm.
They are an awful problem most of society doesn’t care about but I found a group of angels that do, or rather, they found me.
There are a lot of them up here.
As many of you know, feral cats are usually the descendants of pet cats that were separated from their owners or abandoned.
Their offspring are never exposed to humans, which results in generation after generation of mostly unadoptable feral cats. These animals suffer greatly.
We have two on the farm, Minnie and Flo. We don’t know where Flo came from Minnie was a feral kitten we adopted and who is fond of us, but no one else.
Farmers often have swarms of feral cats, drawn to barns, shelters, and milk. They have no way of taking care of them, and can’t afford the cost of spaying and neutering.
These cats perish at an awful rate, and suffer, shot by hunters, killed by dogs and coyotes, or die from sickness, starvation, or exposure.
Now, we have an opportunity to support these cats through a group that has trapped, rescued and treated more than 100 feral cats.
Darlene Phillips of Salem’s Community Cats contacted me tonight and asked for my help. I agreed to try to help the group on the blog, they are hurting for money and support.
I’m doing a lot of things right now and was wary of any additional projects, but this is a cause I can’t resist and I will keep it small, focused, and in perspective.
This group practices the much-praised Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. This involves humane trapping, getting the cats healthy and spayed or neutered, then returned to the place where they were trapped.
This is considered the best program yet conceived for helping
these cats and recognizing their inability to live with people.
TNR was designed for cats that can take care of themselves but can’t live with people. Knowing feral cats, I think it is wise and humane.
This group is a 501 (C) (3) public charity, all donations are tax deductible.
TNR is a widely-accepted, praised, and humane method of controlling the feral cat population and helping those that can be trapped.
We all know people who take in feral cats and end up keeping them in crates or closets or basements for their entire lives. This seems more humane to me.
The group also have other adoptable and lost or abandoned cats who need homes. I appreciate their focus on feral cats, they need help desperately.
The group also answers calls from farmers and people in the Salem, N.Y., community who come across lost or abandoned cats, they foster and rehome the cats and kittens when it’s appropriate.
Darlene says she is struggling to keep up with the calls for assistance and is hoping to reach out to a wider audience for support.
That’s where we come in.
I’ve agreed to try and help, featuring one cat a month or so as part of a regular program. Some can be adopted, others assisted.
Darlene is bringing a cat she wants to find a home for Sunday or Monday. I’ll take a photo put him or her up on the blog.
You can read about the group here. You can send a donation here. They do the Lord’s work and could use a hand and also some love for their cats in need.
This project seems tailor-made for the Army Of Good. Mostly, we help people, but it would be great to offer small acts of great kindness to animals in need.
It becomes a real problem in a development when a neighbor “rescues” several feral cats, feeds and waters them, but lets them run wild in the neighborhood. The cats kill the wild birds I feed, dump in my flower beds, and are a real nuisance. She will go off on a vacation, leave plenty of food out for them and you and I know that draws other wildlife into the neighborhood. She even went off and left her dog home alone with only someone to drop by and feed her. And I used to like cats, but no more. I don’t know what to do.
The TNSR program has been a blessing to the older neighborhoods in our community. The humane society here provides the needed spay/ neuter services free of charge and there are people in the neighborhoods that leave water and food out for the feral cats. In return these cats help to keep the rodent populations in check. It is a win/win situation for the community.
A project truly after my own heart. Here on Cape Cod we have a similar program called People for Cats, with whom, I have had some involvement. They have wonderful volunteers, and do a lot of feral colony work, and if they get the kittens young enough, they can be socialized and adopted.
Great idea to involve the Army of Good!
I have personally TNR about 40 community cats, many have become beloved pets. At present, I am feeding 15 community cats on my own.
I hope your readers who are able will donate and help support the work of these volunteers. It is heartbreaking the number of cats in need. Without TNR the population just keeps growing.
What a wonderful thoughtful action to take!
I am thoroughly enjoying my daily Bedlam Farm read(s). Sanity, kindness, compassion. Thank you.
I sent Darlene a private message asking her for her address so that I could send her a donation in the form of a check. I won’t use PayPal.
When I moved to a rural area there were 19 unfixed ferals. My husband and I spent 2 years trapping, fixing, releasing adults, then trapping all the kittens we could, to socialize and adopt out. Only 2 of the adults remain, 16 years later, but we will take care of them until they are gone too. Tough work, so I donated to help.
Nice, Kelly, thanks..
My husband swears we built the vet’s new building because I keep trapping and fixing cats. Some go back out others stay in. Currently 5.
I’m also sending a donation via PayPal for the cats. It’s such an important thing to do and our local community is on it. I’ve adopted a feral kitten and am on my 3rd young unfixed male……..he’ll get the trap soon since our Spay and Neuter place has just reopened. Several other non-profits here too doing the TNR plus low cost vet work for folks. Thanks for branching out and also, thanks for the good political read today – it helps me learn more.
Thanks Linda..you’re one of the good ones…
Our townhouse community in Old Bridge, NJ has a TNR program and it does seem to be working well. The residents who feed and shelter them really do a great job.