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(More Links to Feral Cat Groups) FERAL COLONY HELP The NYC Feral Cat Initiative, holds monthly workshops to help caretakers learn to best manage a feral colony. Some of the many things addressed at the workshops are:
Click here for information about attending the next workshop. | ||||
For answers to specific questions about getting help with a colony, write to Meredith Weiss c/o the NYC Feral Cat Initiative.
FERAL CAT INFORMATION
Do you have feral cats in your backyard? Learn how to help.
Best bet to answer almost any question you might have about a feral street cat is: Alleycat Allies Info Center. This site has detailed Fact Sheets and How-To Guides including:
- Managing a colony of feral cats
- Building winter shelters
- Trapping and acquiring traps
- Suggestions with handling angry neighbors
Once neutered and healthy, feral colonies can have quality lives if regular food and shelter from the elements is provided.
If you need help connecting to the feral cat group nearest you, send an email to us at urbancatleague@gmail.com
Give us a brief summary of your concerns and please include all of the following information:
- Location of the Colony: Borough and cross streets?
- Approximate number of cats?
- Is food and water being provided daily and by whom?
- Do the cats have shelter from the elements?
- Do you know if the surrounding community is supportive, apathetic or hostile?
- What is your ability to help hands-on with trapping the cats, or perhaps financially, to hire others to trap and neuter the cats?
Here's a useful blog with feral cat news items.
We
have some limited equipment
information on where to obtain traps, handling gloves,
shelters and socialization pens.
Best
bet to answer almost any question you might have about a feral street
cat is: Alleycat Allies Info Center (website)
This page has detailed Fact Sheets and How-To Guides including:
- Managing a colony of feral cats
- Building winter shelters
- Trapping and acquiring traps
- Suggestions with handling angry neighbors
For NY specific information, click on the following links:
Urban Cat League All Weather Shelters
New York City Organizations helping Street Cats
Free or Low-cost Spay/Neuter in NYC
Reporting animal abuse
City-wide adoption coalition for already domesticated pets
National Organizations Helping Street Cats
General Vet Info
Street Cat Groups outside NYC
Free
spay/neuter:
The ASPCA operates a free program for Spay/Neuter of ferals with on-site
service for feral colonies of 10 or more. They also do trap loans and
offer some options for adoption of socialized kittens and domestic strays.
Conditions and contact information
ASPCA Spay/Neuter Van Schedule
Low cost spay/neuter:
United
Action for Animals
Spay/Neuter, vaccination, Felv/FIV test and Flea/Ear-mite and
De-worm treatment for a total cost of $39
One Sunday a month and 2 Sundays a month in the summer.
Appts. made with Dr. Cotter's Upper East Side practice.
Call 212 396-3020.
The program is open to rescuers and the general public.
ASPCA
Humane Law Enforcement division (HLE) (212) 876-7700
The ASPCA is charged
with the responsibility of investigating animal abuse in the New York area. Call
the main number in Manhattan and select Humane Law Enforcement or touch tone/dial
O and the operator will connect you.
The law is not very specific in
some areas but these things are definitely against the law and should be reported:
- Abandoning an animal
- Not providing adequate food
- Not providing shelter from rain, heat or cold
- Physically harming an animal
- Inciting animals to fight each other
- Poisoning an animal
- Killing a stray or feral animal
URBAN CAT LEAGUE specializes in taming feral kittens born on the street. Check out Mike Phillips' blog Feral Cat/Kitten Socialization and please view our film, “Tough Love” below and then with the links below to YouTube.
It shows live demonstration of the techniques we suggest for socializing feral kittens.
Watch Parts Two and Three by clicking below:
PART TWO (9:56)
PART THREE (10:00)
Click here for tips on socializing feral kittens.
Click here for info about the easiest ways to medicate feral cats and kittens.
“Socialization” is the term for taming wild litters born to feral mothers on the street so the kittens may become adoptable. This process can be very time consuming and requires consistency and patience. Additionally, it is crucial that it be done in a timely fashion; kittens that are not "socialized" to human touch before the age of 8-10 weeks require significantly more time and work to ever be comfortable around humans.
Undersocialized cats are rarely adopted.
Watch our homepage for announcements about the next socialization workshop at the ASPCA where to date we’ve trained over 250 people to socialize kittens.
Follow this link to an excellent guide to interpreting the physical behavior of a cat.
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/tailtalk.htm
ADOPT A RESCUED OR FERAL CAT
Ready for that next BIG THRILL!!
What will your next love affair be like? Are you capable of unconditional love?
Few things match the thrill of bonding with a wild animal, even though gaining their trust can be painstakingly slow, and at times a bit frustrating. No, we're not talking about animals from deepest Africa; would you believe from the streets of NYC?
There are beautiful "feral" cats born on our streets every year who can slowly adjust to living with humans if given the chance. They are born to abandoned house cats but have never set foot indoors and don't yet trust a single human being.
Check out our Success Stories on the Photo Essays page.
For our adoptable cats, see our listings on PetFinder.
Time and kindness in a peaceful home is all it takes for most of these cats to adjust to a happy indoor life. No lion taming skills or special equipment is needed, no suit of armor. What's more, living with a feral cat can make a heart-warming addition to one's life. The progress is usually slow but in time, the cats become what most of us think of as a typical domestic house cat.
Wild to Tame: Read the day by day journal of one person's experiences adopting feral kittens. The progress is usually slow but in time, the cats become what most of us think of as a typical domestic house cat.
Read the Rosie and Mo Diaries
Have you got what it takes to be the next "Cat Whisperer?" Those who have accepted the challenge will tell you that there are some incomparable experiences waiting for you just down the street. Careful though, once your heart belongs to a "feral," you may be spoiled for life. URBAN CAT LEAGUE specializes in matchmaking for feral cats and caring New Yorkers. We have years of experience socializing ferals to indoor living and will help you every step of the way. Every cat is healthy, neutered, vetted and ready to take that leap from the street and into your heart. Feral cats usually bond effortlessly with the other cats in a home.
ASPCA
To refer a cat to the ASPCA for adoption (cats will receive free vet
exam, vaccinations, spay/neuter services), contact:
Benjamin Li'Gon, Intake Manager, Animal Placement Department at (212) 876-7700, ext. 4162 or email benl@aspca.org.
They will examine any cat/kitten for potential adoption and pay for everything if they think they can adopt the cat/dog.
They don't do the rest unless a person is seeking to surrender the cat to them for adoption. The cat must be friendly and socialized. They will examine kittens pre-socialization but they must be socialized by the time they are released for S/N and Adoption. At the time of the first exam the cat/kitten is vaccinated. The cat must be fostered for another 10 days until the vaccination takes effect before they will take the cat into the shelter. This prevents the cat from becoming ill from contagion at the shelter and then not able to be neutered.
More useful Links.