Oct. 16 was National Feral Cat Day.
Feral cats are the same species as domestic cats but have not been socialized to humans. They have lived their lives outdoors, mostly without human interaction.
Feral cats vs. strays
Feral cats have generally not had much human contact. They are the offspring of lost or abandoned cats.
They often live in groups and have become adept at fending for themselves, often looking healthy and well-fed. They generally remain afraid of humans.
Stray cats have lived with people at some time in the recent past. They are often friendly and seek out human interaction.
Most of them have not learned to fend for themselves and might look disheveled and thin.
Stray cats can more often be adopted into new homes. Stray cats do not belong outdoors.
What is TNR?
TNR stands for trap-neuter-return. With TNR, cats are humanely trapped, taken to a vet to be spayed/neutered, given a rabies vaccination, ear-tipped and returned to their home, where they are ideally supervised by a caregiver.
Any friendly cats, or kittens who are young enough to still be socialized, may be taken to the shelter for adoption.
The ear tip helps identify cats who have been through the TNR process, so that they won’t be put through it again.
TNR is the best way to prevent continued breeding in feral cats and has been scientifically proven to be the only effective way to reduce the population over time. It is also the most humane way.
Why can’t the cats just be moved or taken to the shelter?
Feral cats are generally afraid of humans and are not good candidates for adoption. There are already so many loving, friendly cats needing homes, it’s very difficult to find homes for cats that don’t want to live with people.
Most colonies have established themselves at a location because they have found it to be a good source of food and shelter.
If they are removed, more cats will move in and take over. This is called the “vacuum effect.”
With TNR, the population is regulated and will eventually be reduced naturally.
Any new cats which gradually enter the colony will also go through TNR.
How S.P.O.T. is helping
If you have feral cats on your property, call the S.P.O.T. team to help at 812-703-0797. S.P.O.T. will:
•Assess the feral population and surroundings;
•Provide and monitor humane live traps to capture the feral cats;
•Spay/neuter and rabies-vaccinate each cat;
•Ear-tip feral cats to provide easy identification of a cat in the TNR program;
•Return the cat colony to its original location.
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WHAT: 10th Annual Chocolate Walk
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 11
WHERE: Participating Nashville businesses
TICKETS: $20 until Nov. 1, then $25. Visit bchumane.org/chocolate-walk or call 812-327-3016.
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