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Feral, Stray And Community Cats

Have you discovered an abundance of outdoor cats in your neighborhood and are not quite sure what you can do to help? Here are some things to consider.

Have you discovered an abundance of outdoor cats in your neighborhood and are not quite sure what you can do to help? Here are some things to consider.

Is it a stray cat or a feral cat?

Stray cats may be fearful at first, especially if they have not had human contact for a long time but may eventually warm and will be able to be picked up. Stray cats have the possibility of becoming pets once again.

Feral cats however are very skittish and fearful of humans and while they may eventually let a caretaker pet it, generally cannot be picked up, and would make poor indoor pets. They are often defensive of space and their kittens and may even lunge in an attempt to bite or scratch, especially if cornered.

Are they kittens?

Kittens may not be abandoned. Mom may be moving them or away searching for food. You should always wait before taking action as remaining with mom is always the best for young kittens.

Feral kittens can be domesticated to become indoor pets with proper care and socialization, however there is a very small window for this to happen between about 4 weeks old to 8 weeks old. Timing is essential to increase chances of successfully domesticating a feral.

OC Animal Allies does operate a shelter and cannot take in animals.

What kind of time and resources do you have available?

If the cat is a feral, trap-neuter-return (TNR) is the recommended and most humane option. This is where the cat is humanely trapped, so it may be fixed (spay for females, neuter for males), and then returned to the location where it was trapped.

If the cat is a friendly stray or kitten under 8 weeks, ideally they could be socialized and then rehomed. Sometimes you can find a cat rescue that has the resources to do this however please understand that most cat rescues are often at full capacity and always thin on budget. At this point you would have to decide whether you would have the time to socialize and rehome on them your own, or if you would only be able to commit to at least having them fixed so they do not increase the population of outdoor cats without homes.

Very Important!
DO NOT make an appointment before you have been approved for and receive your voucher. As vouchers are very limited, we are not able to provide vouchers on demand because you you have trapped a cat or made an appointment in advance without a voucher. We reserve the right to limit or deny vouchers given to any individual or group.

Trap Neuter Release

Once you have decided TNR is the best way to proceed, you may find tips for trapping on many feral cat organization websites. You can also search on YouTube for helpful videos. Many local feed stores will often rent or loan traps and offer advice.

Once you have committed to trapping the cat, there are some cities that have decided to take action in controlling the community cat population and offer return to field programs for residents participating in the TNR process. You can check with your city or animal control agency to see if such a program is offered in your community.

It is very important to have a plan BEFORE you trap, as appointments for spay and neuter as well as vouchers are very limited. OC Animal Allies is not a rescue or shelter and we are unable to take in animals. We do not directly provide veterinary services and have no control over appointments or required add on services and policy from our contracted hospitals.

For those who cannot take advantage of local city assisted programs or who wish to have a little more control over the treatment of their community you can apply online for an OCCATS Feral Fix spay/neuter voucher through our OCCATS (Orange County Cares About Cats) program.