© She Knows
"Feral cats are the offspring of stray or abandoned household pets. Raised without human contact, they quickly revert to a wild state and form colonies wherever food and shelter are available." (National Geographic)
Feral colonies form when owners either abandon their pets or allow their intact cats to roam freely outside, resulting in accidental litters that have minimal human contact. Populations are estimated to be around 70 million in the US alone. The majority of these cats can't be successfully socialized, meaning they will never make it as a household pet.
The problem is..
- Feral cats face a kill rate of nearly 100% when brought to a shelter, as they are unsocialized and unadoptable.
- These cats generally live a very low quality of life due to malnutrition, starvation and disease.
- Most of the feral cat population is unvaccinated and at risk for many diseases that can be transmitted through their saliva, scratches and fecal contamination.
- They prey on small birds and can decrease the rodent population for animals that rely on them as a food source.
Our goal is to humanely reduce the numbers of feral cats, while improving the quality of life for those left to the colony.