Feral cats, you can see them if you know where to look. They are living outside in parks or in alleys, perhaps even in your neighborhood. They are cats who live outside without direct human contact. Some have been abandoned to fend for themselves; some of them were born outside. The longer they live on their own, away from human contact, the more feral they become.
Is there a solution for these cats?
Camp Companion believes there is. We believe we can improve the lives of feral cats and benefit the towns and communities they exist in through a program called TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return.
Please click the picture above to fill out an application for our TNR/Farm Program
Trap, Neuter and Return (TNR) is becoming widely recognized as an effective and humane strategy for managing and reducing feral cat populations. TNR involves humanely trapping feral cats and transporting them to a clinic setting where they are spayed or neutered and have their ear-tipped. They may also receive a health check, vaccinations, and may be treated for minor medical conditions. After surgery, the cat is returned back to his colony and habitat – typically where caring individuals have been providing food, water and typically a form of shelter. (Young kittens and tame cats are removed from the colony and placed into foster homes where they are nurtured until they can be adopted.) Since the cats are no longer reproducing, the colony will gradually diminish in size. By reducing or eliminating mating, fighting and wandering, TNR makes the colony more stable, impacts the influx of newcomers, and improves the health of the cats and their environment. Performed on a large scale, the successes of these programs can be felt at animal shelters and animal control facilities where fewer cats are admitted.
Ear-tipping is a technique of removing the top corner of the cat’s left ear. This is done while the cat is under anesthesia for its spay/neuter, so there is no pain. The “tipped” ear is the universal symbol that a cat has been through a spay/neuter program, vaccinated, and sterilized – and generally part of a managed feral cat colony. This makes it possible for caretakers to differentiate between cats that have already been sterilized and ones that have not been sterilized yet. Ear-tipping also ensures that a cat will not undergo unnecessary repeat surgery should it change its habitat. For more information about how a TNR program can help your neighborhood or community contact us at questions@campcompanion.org.
Camp Companion is devoted to helping stray and feral cats that would not be sterilized if not through our program. The number of these cats is so great that caretakers must often be placed on a waiting list.
Homeless free-roaming cats, Unsocialized feral cats, Unowned strays, Farm Cats, Kittens that are young enough to be socialized will be offered for adoption. They will be altered before placement.
Although we recognize that there are many other cats that should be sterilized, we are committed to devoting our effort to those that have no other options.
