Caretaker Support
Caring for outdoor cats can be physically and emotionally demanding. Caretakers must consciously seek ways to support and look after themselves.
Beat the caretaker blues with Karen Green of the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs as she sings her Feral Song.
Best Friends Animal Society Q&A on coping with symptoms of burnout
The Feral Cat Caretakers’ Coalition (FCCC) Information and support for feral cat colony caretakers.
Feral_Cats Yahoo Group A well-moderated teaching list for helpers of stray and feral cats. Join the group and take time to look through Files and follow Links to some very helpful advice.
Toronto Feral Cat Caretakers Yahoo Group.
Join this group and take part in discussions on GTA feral cat matters.
Cat Health
Keeping a pet cat healthy and happy is just part of being a responsible owner. Outdoor cats have the same needs, although it is often much more challenging to care for homeless felines.
Alley Cat Allies’ Feral Cat Health pages offer research and protocol treatment information for feral cats on selected health topics.
The Koret Shelter Medicine Program at the University of California, Davis is “a resource for all those involved with homeless animal care”. Check out their “Shelter Health Portal”.
The Winn Feline Foundation provides “cat health information from experts, including the results of grants for feline health research.”
Cat Rescue
There are many groups in the GTA working on behalf of cats in need. Their members feed, shelter, spay/neuter, socialize, rehabilitate and re-home thousands of cats each year. Visit these sites and find out how you can be part of this vital and rewarding work.
Cat Rescue Organizations in the GTA
Action Volunteers for Animals Toronto and surrounding area
Annex Cat Rescue Toronto
Organization for the Rescue of Animals (ORA)
Toronto Cat Rescue
Urban Cat Relief
Clinics
Affordable, accessible, high-volume spay/neuter services make the difference in getting stray and feral cat numbers under control.
Spay/Neuter Clinics, and Clinic Models
The Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project This Washington state clinic “…offer[s] free spay/neuter services for free-roaming cats and low cost spay/neuter services for tame cats”.
Humane Alliance Spay/Neuter Clinic of Asheville, North Carolina supplies high-volume, low-cost spay/neuter services and provides a model that has been replicated with great success across the U.S.
Toronto Animal Services East Spay/Neuter Clinic for Toronto’s feral cats. Call the clinic booking line at 416-338-6281 for information
Toronto Humane Society Free Feral Cat Spay/\Neuter Clinic
Toronto Humane Society High-Volume Spay/Neuter Clinic for cats and dogs
Education
Upcoming Conferences
Best Friends Animal Society No More Homeless Pets Conference 2012, October 25-28, 2012, Las Vegas, Nevada
Offerings from Humane Society University
Online Courses
College of Arts and Sciences Programs
Graduate Certificate Programs
On-Site Workshops
Scientific Studies on Feral Cats
American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) . Introducing the AVMA collection of scientific journal articles on feral cats. Includes links to the full articles!
PetSmart Charities Webinars
These are Web-based, interactive seminars for animal welfare organizations and individuals. Click on Live or Recorded Sessions for upcoming live, and archived, presentations on many important topics: animal health and care, fostering and adoption programs, spay/neuter programs, compassion fatigue and burnout, board development, fundraising, and much more.
Feral_Cats Yahoo Group A well-moderated teaching list for helpers of stray and feral cats. Join the group and take time to look through Files and follow Links to some very helpful advice.
Feeding
Check these sites to learn about the nutritional needs of domestic cats and how to provide for them outdoors in a safe and sanitary way. **Please be aware that cat food tins do not make good feeding or baiting dishes. Cats can easily cut their faces or tongues on tins. If you find tins or tin lids discarded outside, please remove them from the cats’ environment as a safety measure.
Advice from Alley Cat Allies on providing food and water
“The carnivore connection“, for those who want to go more deeply into feline nutritional biochemistry
Lisa A. Pierson, DVM presents her basics of feline nutrition
Neighborhood Cats
- Excellent ideas for feeding set-ups
- The basics of nutrition for outdoor cats
Pacific Animal Foundation This North Vancouver organization has significantly reduced the number of feral cats on the Vancouver north shore. These are their exemplary feeding stations.
Feral Cat Advocacy Organizations
These Web sites are worth exploring to learn about feral cats and how to work on their behalf. Keep in mind that references on these sites to local organizations, laws and practices may not apply in the Greater Toronto Area.
Alley Cat Allies is the “national [U.S.] nonprofit clearinghouse for information on feral and stray cats”.
The Humane Society of the U.S. ”…seeks a humane and sustainable world for all animals — a world that will also benefit people.” The HSUS produces a wealth of resources for feral cat advocates.
A must-read: the HSUS Position Statement on Trap-Neuter-Return
Neighborhood Cats (“the feral cat experts”) is a New York City-based organization working to promote Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and educate caretakers and the general public.
Feral Cats and Ontario Law
Visit the Web site of Toronto lawyer Simon Shields ( www.isthatlegal.ca) for a guide to Ontario’s dog and cat control law (August 2008), and the text of his presentation at the Toronto Feral Cat Conference on November 22, 2008.
The Figures on Ferals
Some thoughts on how many feral cats there might be, and how quickly they reproduce….
How Many Kittens in Seven Years?
Feral Cat Times article, from the Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Project in Washington state. Scroll down to Page 3.
Trying to Herd A Cat Stat
The Wall Street Journal “Numbers Guy”, Carl Bialik, considered feline reproductive ability in a 2006 column.
Relocation
Although the best solution is usually to care for a colony at its original location, there are times when cats simply cannot stay where they are. Successful relocation to a new permanent outdoor home requires careful selection of the new site and caretakers, and safe confinement for a period of 3-4 weeks in the new location.
Relocation of Feral Cats/Colonies
The Alley Cat Allies guide to a Safe Relocation of Feral Cats
The American Cat Project’s tutorial on Relocation of Cats
Shelter
We tend to agree with the folks at the American Cat Project: “… every cat requires and deserves shelter. Cats are not wild animals. They cannot dig dens as most non-climbing wild animals do. They do not shelter in tree holes, as most climbing wild animals do. They will not share ground dens with other species, as many wild animals do. Cats cannot build their own shelter, therefore it must be provided for them. In our opinion, there is absolutely no exception to this.”
Ashot’s All-weather Bin Shelter. This page shows the shelter at all stages of construction.
Feral Villa This wooden shelter, with the unique lower level design that keeps out wind and water, can be assembled easily even by first-time builders.
Neighborhood Cats The Styrofoam Feral Cat Winter Shelter that can get cats through a GTA winter. Clear instructions and easily available materials ensure success with this project.
Spay and Stay offers illustrated instructions for building the Rubbermaid tub shelter model.
Winnipeg Humane Society An ingenious variation on the Styrofoam shelter with step-by-step illustrated instructions for building your own.
Taming/Socialization
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) may be the most humane solution for homeless cats who must live outdoors, but outdoor living is not the ideal situation for all domestic felines. Kittens of about 8-12 weeks can be successfully socialized and prepared for adoption using particular taming techniques. Older stray cats who require re-introduction to life with humans, and, more unusually, older feral kittens and cats may sometimes be tamed by the same process.
Best Friends Animal Society Socializing Very Shy or Fearful Cats
Feral Cat Coalition of San Diego, CA A short guide to taming and socializing feral kittens.
Neighborhood Cats This is the classic set-up for fostering, taming, or housing a recovering feral cat.
Urban Cat League, NY has produced this series of videos on taming feral kittens. The best taming videos ever - highly recommended.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
The Trap-Neuter-Return process can be accomplished by caring individuals with no prior experience, but proper equipment, planning and preparation are absolutely essential to a humane and effective outcome. These sites offer excellent information and instruction.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
Alley Cat Allies Find out what makes a TNR project successful: planning, tried-and-true technique, and good community relations. How to Conduct Trap-Neuter-Return , Colony Care Guide
The Alley Cat Allies guide to traps and humane animal equipment.
The American Cat Project Trapping and Handling Cats What you need to safely trap a cat, including photos of what everything looks like, for those of us who need visuals.
Best Friends Animal Society Much more than just feeding: the complete care of feral cats
FixNation presents a series of short training videos on all aspects of trapping feral cats.
The Humane Society of the U.S. (HSUS) Online course: Trap-Neuter-Return: How to Manage a Feral Cat Colony
The HSUS comprehensive guide to caring for feral cats.
Neighborhood Cats Information Centre. Trapping – The Basics
The Neighborhood Cats guide to some of the best trapping equipment, with suggestions for where to purchase.
Download the Neighborhood Cats TNR Handook . This is the must-have manual for anyone looking after homeless outdoor cats.
Helping Homeless and Lost Pets
Visit www.helpinghomlesspets.com. Someone missing a pet can set up a subscription and receive an email when a pet hits the map that meets their search criteria.
Here is a tutorial on how to add a shelter or reduce on the helpinghomelesspets.com website: http://www.helpinglostpets.com/addanorganization.htm
Helping Lost Pets
www.helpinglostpets.com
Project TNR‘s excellent, concise overview of all the crucial steps in planning and implementing a Trap-Neuter-Return project. Remember! Trapping is the last step in the process.