You want to know how to save a cat, right? Hopefully, you want to save all of his friends too! You found yourself in a situation that is becoming all-too-common these days. Perhaps it was something like this…
You’re taking out the trash one evening and hear a sound from beside you. Peeking under the shrubs lining your drive, you see glowing eyes low to the ground and hear another small sound that might have been, “Mew.” Squinting into the dark hiding spot, and being careful to move slowly, you call, “here, kitty, kitty.”
Slowly, the scruffiest, skinniest and saddest cat you’ve ever seen creeps towards you.
Feeling sorry for him, you start to feed him. Two nights later, his friend follows him to your home. A week later, you have four sad-looking cats looking to you for food and a little kindness. After a month, every cat in the neighborhood is in your yard every evening, eager to be fed.
You don’t know what to do. You want to help them but some of them won’t even come close to you, some disappear as soon as you come outside. Some are so desperate for attention that they’ll rub all over you and accept head scratches for hours while ignoring your food offering.
So, you start to search online about what you can do to help these poor creatures you’ve found yourself feeding and came across this post on how to save a cat (and his friends). If you’re interested in my personal story, you can find it here. For now, let’s help you.
What you have around your yard is a colony of what is commonly called community cats. They include feral cats and semi-feral cats, which are those cats who were born outside and had little to no human contact and cannot be handled easily. They are often shy and will avoid most humans.
In fact, other than their caretakers, they might not be seen at all.
There will be friendly cats or strays, which are cats that were socialized but have either lived nearly their entire lives outdoors but can be pet and handled just fine or were once indoors. These are often lost or abandoned pets.
Cats will gather into what is called colonies when they live in the outdoors. They do this for survival and companionship. This is why when you start feeding one cat you will often get a lot more showing up.
Ferals are considered unadoptable in most cases. Community cats that have been outdoors their whole lives but are more trusting are often considered unadoptable as well. Unless they want to come inside. As any cat owner is aware, cats do what they want to do. But most of the time, they get used to being outside and don’t like being confined indoors after experiencing such freedom.
Let’s face it. Life for an indoor cat is not as exciting as life outside. In fact, it can be kind of boring for them unless their human parents take the time to engage them with mental stimulation, leashed walks, a catio, and hunting games.
There are exceptions, of course. Strays and the lost or abandoned pets have the best chance of being adopted as they have once lived inside and will often happily go back to being an indoor cat.
There are quite a lot of things people can do to help their community cat problems and help the cats themselves.
They need food and water. Cats are domestic animals that prefer to rely on humans for their basic survival. Even feral cats! They prefer to gather around human settlements as it is easier to find food.
It’s believed that cats domesticated themselves somewhere around 9,200 years ago. Those of us that have cats should not be surprised by this information. (Dogs were domesticated at least 14,000 years ago but some scientists believe it may have been even longer, up to 40,000 years ago.)
Cats have come to rely on humans for survival. So even feral cats will gather around a human-produced food source, if available. Feral cats will survive better if cat caretakers leave as they’re not always dependent on humans.
In fact, feral cats are basically wild animals whose ancestors were once domesticated. Feral cats can survive on their own on uninhabited islands. We know this because they have. That said, urban feral cats are going to be relying on people in part for their food.
Community cats need food at least once a day, although I recommend twice. Even if your cat is a working cat or barn cat and you want him or her to catch those mice.
However, if you don’t plan on taking responsibility for these cats and their lives, then don’t feed them and leave them be. They will travel on to find a better source of food. I know it sounds cruel, but if you don’t want the responsibility, then don’t start feeding them. Once you start feeding them, they start to depend on you and they need more than just food.
Visit my post on outdoor cat feeding tips for more information.
It’s always best to at least try to see if the cat could be lost. Take them to a vet or your local shelter and scan for a microchip. Make sure to post you found the cat on Facebook and classified ads in your area. Check the local lost and found ads daily. Call your local shelters and inform them you found a cat and the description as many shelters take lost or found details and have a database.
You might make someone happy and relieved you found their cat. Dogs are often returned to their owners while cats are often dismissed as strays immediately, especially in areas with high community cat populations. Even if you don’t think the cat was a pet, it could have been. Even cats you might think are feral could be just scared. Trap them if you must, but check.
If nothing else, that cat is one less cat you have to care for if you find his original home.
This is the biggy. You absolutely should spay and neuter any cat you’re feeding. Feral and friendly cats alike. Trap them and bring them into your local shelter/TNR group for surgery or low-cost spay and neuter clinics. There are often huge discounts for community cat alters. You can often find places to do it for free, too.
While the exact number of community cats in the United States is unknown, some estimate it might be as high as 70 million. That’s a lot of unowned cats!
Traditional measures include eradication and relocation. These have often been proven ineffective. Even in one of the few states where shooting feral cats is not illegal, and they are STILL overrun with feral cats. Killing them also creates a vacuum effect that has new cats moving in or rodent populations to explode.
It also isn’t a solution as it doesn’t solve the ongoing problem that is causing these cats to be born outdoors: unfixed pets from irresponsible pet owners.
There’s a method called TNR or Trap Neuter Return that is being adopted across the country in many communities. It’s a way of stabilizing the population to avoid more kittens being born and yet avoiding the vacuum effect by having the cats slowly reduce.
Anyone who has participated in TNR can attest to the fact that a colony of cats that’s been fixed can live years without a single cat being born in that neighborhood and very few ‘unfixed’ cats showing up as they often defend their territory against roaming toms and strange cats.
There are exceptions as people like dumping pets and kittens in areas with large community cat populations. Plus, it’s also the most humane way of dealing with the problem and reducing unwanted behaviors like spraying and fighting.
Part of the TNR effort includes a huge emphasis on spaying and neutering of pets and many communities are trying to open up low-cost spay and neuter clinics in places that don’t have them yet. It is considering the cause of feral cats and it is implementing a solution to help the cause AND the effect.
It works! In communities with a TNR program, low-cost spay and neuter clinics, and a working cat or barn cat program, their shelter euthanasia rate plummets! In 2019, Lafayette Animal Shelter and Care Center in Lafayette, Louisiana achieved no-kill status in March thanks to these efforts. The number of kittens being brought into shelters dropped, too! The mayor of Lafayette, Louisiana is pushing hard to be a no-kill city by 2020. They’re working hard to achieve these goals!
If a cat is ill or injured, it’s best to take him or her into a veterinarian. While TNR will vaccinate community cats against rabies at least, the other vaccinations are optional and sometimes too costly for your local feral cat group to afford to do. But any caretaker will attempt to seek medical care for their colony if a cat becomes injured or sick, which sadly happens too often with outdoor cats.
Many TNR and low-cost clinics that fix feral cats will also care for any injuries or obvious illnesses during surgery. A lot of the time, they will do this for little to no cost.
So you trapped and fixed the adult cats in your new community cat colony. But what about the kittens?
Part of the TNR effort is socializing kittens in an effort to get them adopted as pets. Kittens of feral cats are kittens just like kittens of pet cats. They are exactly the same. If you get them young enough, taming can be instantaneous. If they’re a little older, it can take a bit of time, but it’s definitely possible.
PSA: Do NOT take kittens away from the mother cat if they’re nursing! Do not assume an unattended litter of kittens is abandoned. Mama has to leave her kittens often to find food. Please read the Abandoned Kitten Care Guide for more information.
After four or five months, a kitten is not going to be easy to socialize. They may become tame but it might be harder to get them to accept other people. It depends on the cat of course, but sometimes they may only be tame to you and still fearful of other humans. Very few people want to adopt a fearful cat that will take time to build trust with.
This reason is why most TNR and animal rescue groups do not try to socialize feral kittens over a certain age. It takes a lot of time, for one thing. Time that could be better spent saving MANY lives instead of only one life. It also fails a lot. It’s sad, but most people do not adopt the fearful cat at shelters.
Even if you succeed in taming an older feral cat, chances are that cat is not going to be tame to everyone, be fearful of new people and environments. This requires a lot of trust-building with his new owners, but it’s likely he won’t get adopted at all.
I personally socialized older ferals and ended up having to keep them because they only like me. You can read about one of them here.
It’s a sad part of life that most people don’t want a cat that takes work to make them friendly. They want cute, instant love from a cat or kitten. A fearful young cat has very little chance of being adopted. So try to socialize them as young as possible.
Any cats that are already socialized and obviously can be adopted as a beloved indoor pet should be fostered and eventually adopted into a home. Do not leave friendly ‘strays’ to live out their lives alone outside. They can have a much better life indoors with some loving human being who will keep them safe from being eaten, hit by a car, and give them as much love and attention as they deserve!
Sometimes, neighbors or landlords or the like hate community cats. Some of them often try to trap and abandon them in the woods or fields or take them to animal control. Or worse.
First, check your local laws. Call the local Humane Society or local SPCA to find out what options you have.
But if you absolutely must (and ONLY as a last resort), you can relocate your cats to farms and warehouses and other outside places as working cats by getting volunteers to take them on. Do NOT dump your cats on someone’s property. Community cats are deeply attached to their location. It is their home. They will not stay in the new place without proper acclimation and they often die trying to find their way back to their original home.
Be compassionate and look for volunteers to take in your fixed community cats. Barns make excellent homes. As do warehouses and trailer parks and other places that have shelter for these cats. And a cat caretaker. Community cats that rely on people will not stick around a place where they are not being fed. They will leave to find adequate sources of food.
Your local community cat groups probably have working cat programs you can ask about to find homes for your colony. Don’t abandon any animal in an unfamiliar environment. Not even a feral cat.
After all, you’re here to find out how to save a cat, not harm him.
Related: Barn Cat Network
I can’t stress this enough. There is a huge companion animal overpopulation problem in the US and elsewhere. Shelters are forced to euthanize cats and dogs for space. Rescues are overwhelmed. Every ‘kitten season’ we find ourselves broke and taking in too many kittens that are struggling to survive. For more statistics on the overpopulation problem, visit here.
Every year I find kittens dumped at the barns, too young to survive on their own. Or a pet cat dumped at the barns because someone didn’t want him anymore. Pet cats do not do well in barn situations and a lot of them die as they don’t understand horses, tractors, cars, or coyotes.
The outdoor life is very rough on cats. They’ve adapted but their life expectancy is low without a caretaker and even WITH a really conscientious caretaker, their lifespan is nowhere near the lifespan of an indoor-only cat.
Kittens born to community cats are often riddled with parasites like worms and fleas, both of which can kill young kittens easily. They get upper respiratory infections that often lead to horrible eye infections and high fevers. Eye infections can lead to ruptures and blindness. Half of the kittens born in community cat colonies die. Even with intervention from rescues.
This HUGE problem was started partly because of the evolution of the domestic cat, but it continues because of people’s irresponsibility. Feral cats have lived around human communities for thousands of years. They domesticated themselves this way.
It is only recently that these felines showed typical domestication signs, such as varying colors and patterns. It is even more recently that cats became indoor-only pets as cat litter was invented in 1947.
Spay and neutering of pets was only used when pet owners wished up until very recently. I believe the first spay and neuter clinic opened up in 1969 or 1970. And it wasn’t until the 1990s that people started to fix their animals more often as a responsible pet owner instead of just a human convenience. Is it any wonder that it is not yet mandatory across the country?
Feral cats are also a result of unfixed lost or abandoned pets. One female cat can have 3 litters a year, going into heat as early as 4 months old. The situation is dire. TNR works, but only if we get people to fix their pets, stop abandoning their unfixed cats and kittens, and get EVERYONE in the community to work together to fix the problem.
So even if you dislike cats. Even if you hate feral cats. Fix them!! Fixing them means fewer cats for you to deal with if nothing else.
Here’s exactly how spay and neuter will help community cats (and your neighbors):
Related: Kitten Calculator
We have all seen a desperately hungry kitty outside and have wanted to help him. There’s more you can do other than simply feeding them as feeding them is only the first step. Don’t take on a colony of cats if you aren’t committed to them.
Have you already got a colony of cats? Want to share your personal story? Tell me below! I’d love to hear about your experiences with community cat care.
Only by sharing our knowledge can the wonderful group of volunteers that are community cat caretakers truly improve the lives of outdoor cats everywhere.
Lovies!
This post was last modified on August 24, 2020 4:05 pm
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Hi! This post is worth sharing with cat lovers and other friends. Just the section where you deal with benefits of spaying and neutering cats has given me a much wider perspective of why we should all work as a community in this direction. I didn't know that among the benefits, less fighting could be one. Thank you very much!
Thank you so much for visiting!
My wife has made sure we've had 5 cats, all were found outside except for 2. I believe they were babies when she found them so they weren't feral.
The first one she got from a couple and she had maybe 15 years, unfortunately this cat died last year but she had a good life.
The next one, she actually pulled out of it's mother while her dead body was being attacked by birds. That's Jasmine, the vet told my wife that the cat needed to be euthanized because she would not survive.
She is a 8 year old fat cat now. My wife left her door open and Nino just walked in and went straight to the litter box, I think he's 11 now. Riley was given to my wife by some neighbors.
Dale was found outside when he was a baby, my wife's friend knew we had too many pets and contacted her anyway, that still drives me crazy, lol. I love all of the cats though, even though they get on my nerves sometimes!
Thanks so much for sharing the stories of your cats! They're all so special, even when they drive us crazy!
Thanks for this detailed guide on how to save a cat, it feels so much like a first aid lesson for cats.
Occasionally I stumble upon these cats, and I feel sorry for them but have never engaged with any, more because I don't really know what the best help will be.
It feels good to have read this article, because it has given me so much insight as to how I can really offer help to any lost cat, and probably its friends too.
Cheers.
Thanks so much for your visit!!
This is a really great post. My sister is the person that constantly ends up with a cat community around her house. She absolutely loves cats and has rescued and saved many. The toughest ones are the ones that don't seem to be faring very well on their own.
I completely agree with you that any cat your save or rescue needs to be neutered. Anything we can do to help control the pet populations is important. Thanks for all the great advice.
Thanks so much for your visit! I'm just like your sister. Cats often find those of us who feel the most sorry for them!
Awesome article full of good advice!
I wish cat lovers would learn to keep the kitty indoors and stop contributing to this problem.
Our girl has only been outside a couple of times, and that was by a planned escape when somebody opened the door.
She didn't really know what to do once she got there, so she was pretty easy to catch and bring back inside.
I get so mad at neighbors that just let their cats roam the streets.
I get even madder (is that a word?) at the ones that don't spay and neuter!
Spay and neuter people ... there are low cost clinics all over the place!!
If people followed these two rules it would cut down on the population of community cats and us animal lovers wouldn't have to be the only ones giving a damn about the problems you are creating.
These a precious little lives ... treat them accordingly.
Bravo!!!
I completely agree that indoors is best, with a catio or window seats to see outside is better! But irresponsible people not fixing their pets and worse abandoning them caused this huge problem we have to take care of. People against the trapping and fixing of feral cats say they're destroying wildlife and birds, nevermind people are killing more species than feral cats ever could, also suggest we destroy them. But they forget, even IF every feral cat were to be destroyed right now, it would not solve the problem because they're targeting the cause of the problem: unfixed pet cats.
It's definitely not hard. There are cheap spay and neuter clinics everywhere. Get them fixed!
Glad you understand it! ^_^
Wow! Reading this post makes me feel like there is a whole new world of abandoned and feral cats out there! I have a friend who grew up on a farm where there were hundreds of feral cats. He said that some of them could be quite vicious and even dangerous to people. Is this true? Are there any diseases that feral cats might have that are dangerous to people? If so, are there any specific safety precautions one should take when attempting to deal with the cats?
Excellent article!
Hi!
It's a huge misconception that feral cats are vicious or dangerous to people. Feral cats are actually just wild domestic cats that have no socialization with people. They will hide from people, not attack them. They only get 'vicious' if they're trapped or corner and unable to escape, and even then, you'd get a bite or scratch. Unless the cat has rabies, which any mammal could get if not vaccinated.
As long as you get whatever medical help like antibiotics, or stitches in the worst-case scenario, you'd survive, unlike if you were attacked by a feral dog.
There are very few diseases you'd get from a feral cat. Rabies is a concern, of course, like with all animals of unknown vaccination history. Parasites if you somehow got into contact with their feces and ingested it, which is seriously unlikely. Any animal could cause infection with bites or scratches if not properly taken care of.
So the best way to prevent the only known disease is to get your feral cat colony neutered and rabies vaccinated, and don't eat their poo, or get scratched.
Feral cats will not attack a human ever unless cornered in a cage or something, and only as a warning to stay away. They understand they are scared of us and consider us predators. Feral cats are nothing to worry about with regards to attacks or diseases you can catch.
Oh my gosh the kitty in the first picture would have a home with me.
Growing up we always had cats and I can say that those kitties without homes are sometimes very loved and missed.
I had a Tom Cat when I was small who was forever running away from home. He would just disappear and then reappear a few days, weeks, or months later. We couldn't keep that cat indoors he loves to roam. He would show up all mangled and skinny, we would bring in him give him all kinds of love and just when he was looking healthy again he would be gone.
Our cats were always fixed and that is supposed to tam the want to run, but it never did with him. I think (depending on your area) that there are free services for strays.
I have always appreciated a kind heart that takes the time to care about lost animals some of those cats have homes waiting for them to return to.
Hi! Thanks for visiting!
Yes, it does fix almost all issues with roaming, but it's not 100%. Plus sometimes, it doesn't always remove everything it should when doing the alter surgery which can leave cats unable to produce, but still exhibit traits because they THINK they can.
Thanks again for visiting!
I am amazed by how greatly we can help the cat community and ours as well if we only follow your suggestions. I don't have cats at home but just like most of us, I try to do what I can if I see a hungry cat on the streets. I give it whatever I have at hand. Luckily, our neighborhood doesn't have stray cats around.
With all honesty, this is the first time I head about TNR. It's not a practice which is popular or even known in our country. I think this is the best way to help those cats to stay healthy and less populated even if they're feral and independent. What people do here is to move cats into different location so they would be lost and won't come back. I think it's a very selfish act when better alternative ways could be done such as spay and neuter. My bestfriend is a cat lover. Right now, he has one pet cat which I gave to him and it just stays indoor but stray cats found his loving home and the numbers grew from one stray to four! It's getting problematic for him right now because there might be more who will join the group. I will let him read this so he can be more confident with his decision. Thank you for this helpful article.
Hi!
Yes, TNR is spreading here in the United States and depending on where you're located, it might not be considered there. Hopefully, your friend will benefit from my post! Thank you!
I have seen several cats around my apartment complex, but I can't get close enough to feed them. I have put food out, but I can never catch them eating it. I think they only come for it at night.
Before I moved here, I had a put bull, and she kept the cats away from the house. I watched her chase them across the backyard several times. I tried to keep her inside when I saw them because she was not chasing them to play. She hated cats.
I don't know if my neighbors would help domesticate the cats around here. How do you suggest I approach them about it?
I'm pretty sure a few of the cats I see belong to someone because they look healthy and cared for. I am always worried they are going to be run over because our complex is on a busy street, and people drive rather fast through the parking lots.
What can I do to help these kitties stay safe?
Gwendolyn J
Hi and thanks for your question!
It's so hard to take care of outdoor cats because they are never 100% safe. Cats can get run over, they love climbing into engines and ending up hurt or transported to other places, they run afoul of wildlife, poison, accidents, dogs, you name it. It's a hard life for feral and community cats.
If the cats are truly feral, you may never see them eat the food you leave except at a distance. Feral cats will avoid humans at all costs and will never feel comfortable eating in front of you. It might take years to build that trust enough a feral will do it.
If however, they're strays or socialized community cats, it may just take some time to build some trust. Food is the number one way to build trust with outdoor cats.
Unfortunately, while pit bulls can make lovely pets, they are often dangerous to cats, as are some other types of dogs, unless they're socialized to cats. If at all possible, try not to feed the cats near where your dog is kept in the yard or whatever. That way they won't be tempted to come into your yard, hopefully.
As for approaching the neighbors, that is an excellent idea. Some are likely to dislike the cats and just want them gone, but I'm sure you'll find sympathetic neighbors that might be encouraged to cooperate to get them trapped and fixed. To be honest, that is the number one way to keep them safest. They're not as prone to roaming, fighting, and obviously mating, when fixed.
Plus you definitely want to find out if these cats are pets or not by asking around. I would simply try the concerned approach, so they don't feel defensive about their pets if they are pets, or defensive about feeding them if they're outside ferals. Some people are really against feral cats and poison or attack cat caregivers verbally. So may simply ask around to see which cats might be pets, and say you're concerned they're lost or maybe going hungry, and get them to talk to you about them. Maybe mention you're concerned about your dog hurting one of them if they get into your yard or something, so you want to make sure they're safe.
Check around for low-cost or free spay or neuter clinics near your area. Hopefully, you can build a report with the neighbors regarding these cats. I know it's kind of sexist but approach the women first. Women tend to be more empathetically minded. We're just build that way. There are some men who love cats and will feed and help them, definitely, but there are reasons they always say "crazy cat lady"! I've always had the worst problems with older men as some just really hate cats. I don't get it. It's not all of them, I have quite a couple male coworkers who will do something nice for the cats. But it's mostly us women caring for them around the barns.
You can build outdoor shelters for them as well as feeding stations, which I'll cover in other posts. Plus keeping them fed and watered. If there are kittens, having someone who is willing to socialize and help get them adopted would help.
Hopefully, I gave you some useful ideas! Thanks so much for visiting! If you have any further questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Thanks for the interesting and useful article on how to save a cat and all his friends too! I love cats and there are so many that need help. Here in Dubai, there are many strays and they need water and food to survive. Especially in the Summer months, the water is important...
I agree with getting them spayed and neutered as well to keep the stray population down as much as possible. They have programs here where you can get it done quite cheaply, and it is a humane action to take for them and the community too. The cost is minimal and much like water and food is a good thing. They need help.
We also try to find homes for the strays after they are somewhat domesticated as possible. There are occasions when someone's pet gets loose, but more often it is the strays that we are helping. It is a good cause and there is a pretty large group of people doing what we are, if this could happen everywhere it would be great...
I'm so happy to see they are trying to help these cats even in Dubai! I'm glad this movement is around the world and that people care for kitties everywhere! Thanks for visiting!