National Feral Cat Day

As an ADVO-cat, I have strong feelings about spay/neuter. I feel it is the only solution to the pet overpopulation problem and the deaths of so many unwanted animals. Today is a special day and I wanted to tell you a little about it in case you haven’t heard of it.

National Feral Cat Day was created in 2001 by Alley Cat Allies, a national advocacy organization dedicated to the humane treatment and the protection of feral cats. They were the first organisation to introduce the Trap-Neuter-Return method to control feral cat colonies in America.

By establishing and promoting standards of care, the organization has promoted the humane treatment of cats into the national spotlight. Their approach is now embraced by major cities and animal protection organizations all over the world. Every October 16th is a day to recognize the growing problems of feral cats, and their place in our lives.

Free-roaming Cats – Feral Cat vs. Stray Cat

Feral cats are cats that have been born “in the wild.” They are unable to be handled and demonstrate unsocial behavior toward people making them unadoptable. They are not the same as stray cats, which are pet cats that have been lost or abandoned. Free-roaming cats include lost, abandoned, loosely-owned and stray cats in addition to feral cats.

From the Alley Cat Allies website:

Feral Cat Facts

• Feral cats have lived alongside humans for more than 10,000 years. They are the same species as pet cats. Feral cats, also called community or outdoor cats, live in groups called colonies and can thrive in every landscape. They are just as healthy as pet cats, but they are not socialized to humans and are therefore unadoptable.
• Trap-Neuter-Return—a humane approach to managing and caring for feral cats—is the only effective method of stabilizing feral cat colonies. In the last decade, the number of local governments with official policies endorsing TNR for feral cats has increased tenfold, with hundreds of cities and towns successfully carrying out TNR.
• However, in the majority of cities, feral cats are still caught and brought to animal pounds and shelters where they are killed. The shelter system is the number one cause of death for cats in the United States. About 70% of cats who enter shelters are killed there, including virtually 100% of feral cats. That’s why it’s so important for people like you to use National Feral Cat Day^®, and every day, to help build more compassionate communities for cats.

National Feral Cat Day is more than just thinking about the problem. It is a day of action — where veterinarians throughout the U.S. offer their services to these felines. You can learn more about these events here.

Humans have created this feral cat problem through lack of responsible pet ownership. Is it fair to put these feral cats to death? Please support TNR and humane treatment for feral cat colonies. If fewer feral cats are brought into shelters, there is more room for truly stray cats that are adoptable.

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