What is a community cat?

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A community cat is one that is ownerless and doesn’t have a typical indoor home. They could be part of a feral colony, a dumped stray, a working barn cat or any free roaming cat. 

 

What is the program about?

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BEFORE

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- Nuisance - Local threatening to shoot due to ripping of porch screens desperate for food          

- Unaltered, contributing to over population               

- Possible disease carrier                                                

- Internal parasites, starving, dehydrated                      

- Anemia related to heavy flea infestation                   

- At risk for starvation, predators, freezing to death   

AFTER

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- Appreciated, working “Rodent Control Specialist” with caregiver to monitor needs and health

- Neutered

- Vetted, Fully vaccinated

- Dewormed, properly fed with access to fresh water

- Treated for external parasites

 - Safe barn home

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Our Mission:  

To improve the quality of life for community cats by advocating for their population control, health care, sustenance, and shelter. 

 

Our Vow: 

To collaborate respectfully within rural communities and advocate for ownerless cats. We will do this by assisting with trapping, sterilization, and vaccination for these cats, by monitoring feral feline colonies, and by placing non-feral felines in loving, indoor homes. 

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Our Vision: 

To humanely decrease rural cat populations, allowing feral cats to live healthily and freely in their colonies with caregivers. To collaborate with foster homes to socialize, and cat rescues to adopt out, any cats that can enjoy a future indoors. 

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What is our Trap-Neuter-Spay-Release Program?

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Our TNR program exists to improve the quality of life for community cats by ending the breeding cycle and ensuring the cats have proper vet care, a caregiver, sustenance and shelter. Since these rural cats have no owner to look out for them, we, as a community will step up and collectively take responsibility for their well being. 

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Depending on where the cat came from and on its age and temperament, we will release the cat back to its original feral colony, if that is not possible, to a safe, new location with a caregiver. 

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Through our own foster homes and adoption program or, in co-operation with other rescues, we attempt to socialize those kittens or cats that may be suitable for indoor homes and adoption. 

All cats will be vet checked, spayed and neutered, fully vaccinated, dewormed, flea treated, micro chipped and feral cats will be ear tipped.

 

How does the program work? 

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We are contacted regarding Community Cats in need by submitting this form.

If you have an emergency please contact your local SPCA, we do not provide emergency services.

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Without judgment and with a promise of confidentiality, a volunteer will visit to asses the situation and see how or if we can help. 

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If the cats are on a property – for example in a working barn – the property owner must participate in the process by:

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       - keeping in communication with us, 

       - being available and keeping appointments with volunteers coming to help,  

       - assisting with trapping,

       - agreeing to care for the cats who are released back to their colony.

 

We may, or may not be able to help with relocating all or part of a feral colony. For example, if a colony is found to be positive with feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) or the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) which are contagious, we cannot relocate those cats where they will be in contact with other cats. We also cannot relocate feral cats if we don’t have suitable homes available to move them to. In these cases, we will still assist with sterilization and vetting.

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We will not remove the over population on your property and leave a few unsterilized cats for you for future kittens. If you require more working cats in the future, please contact us to adopt healthy, vaccinated, sterilized feral cats. 

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Someone must agree to care for the cats which are released back to their current, or a new location. It would be counter-productive for us to vet cats just to have them die slowly of starvation or exposure. A caregiver is responsible for providing food, shelter, fresh water and to monitor the cat’s health. Should the cats need further help, TAMS can be contacted.

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We are not a free spay and neuter service for owed cats. If we are asked to assist in a situation, a waiver must be signed stating the cat is indeed a community cat and not “owned” by themselves, and they understand the cat may not be returned. If someone who does own a cat needs help caring for it, they should contact the SPCA about discounted spay/neuter/vaccination programs.

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While our aim is certainly to return the cat to it’s area, barn, workshop or wherever it was living with it’s colony, there may be exceptions such as:

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       - An ill, diseased or suffering cat will be kept for veterinary care or may need to be         

         euthanized.

       - A cat found to have a microchip will be returned to it’s owner.

       - A pregnant cat may be kept in foster and she and/or her kittens adopted out.

       - A stray cat that is found to be friendly may be adopted to an indoor home.

       - Kittens or Juveniles that have a chance at rehabilitation will be sent to foster homes to be

         socialized and to give them a chance at being adopted to indoor homes. 

 

How YOU can help to fix the Community Cat issue in our Rural Communities

 

This program is free or by tax deductible donation for those who can afford to contribute. It is in no way publicly funded. The extent to which we can help rural felines in need relies solely on donations and volunteers. 

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To make a tax deductible donation, use our sanctuary donation form HERE. To make a donation specifically towards our cat program, specify “CATS” in the comments of your transfer. 

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If you would be interested in fostering a young cat or kitten in hopes it can be adopted to an indoor home, please fill in an application by clicking HERE.

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If you would be interested in volunteering with our programs, fill out a volunteer application HERE.

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If you are interested in adopting an indoor cat please contact us to see if we have any suitable cats/kittens suitable for your home coming available.

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If you are interested in adopting a working cat please contact us. (Further information will be posted on this shortly. )

 

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