FAQ > Services
Part of our mission as an open admission shelter is to accept every pet in need that arrives at our doors from our jurisdiction. We consider feral cats (and dogs) to be pets in need. The average lifespan of a feral cat is just 2 years, compared to the 15+ years of an indoor cat. The majority of feral cats we receive are rarely healthy, even if someone is providing them with food, water, and shelter. Many have not been vaccinated, or if they have it hasn’t been properly boostered, and as such may be carrying feline distemper, calicivirus, leukemia, or feline immunodeficiency virus, all of which are chronic and terminal. Should they not have a terminal virus, they are likely to have abscesses and wounds from fighting each other and wild animals and can be in debilitating pain from these preventable injuries and infections.
Some are anemic because of flea, lice, mite, and/or intestinal worm infestations, which means that their parasite infection(s) went untreated for far too long. Many feral cats we receive have a severe upper respiratory infection, which can permanently damage their eyes and sinuses.
It’s not fair to deny feral cats admission and continue to let them suffer and die of disease and/or trauma, nor is it responsible to deny them so they go on to reproduce and increase the number of homeless pets. It’s also not fair to the citizen who wants their property free of sick, fighting, yowling, mating cats when it’s often not their fault that the cats are there in the first place. We can’t find the anonymous person who allowed their cats to mate and then abandoned them to chance to properly lay guilt on the appropriate person, but we can help people who are caught in the middle. Most people don't want to see cats hurt by encounters with wildlife, predators, poisons, disease, vehicles, or cruel people who would do them harm.
Due to their feral temperament, most often we cannot safely administer the medicine feral cats need, especially if it’s a twice daily dose of oral antibiotics. Since we also have limited resources, we feel that we need to prioritize sick friendly cats over sick fractious cats. Since aggressive feral cats are unsuitable to share a home with a human being and present a health hazard to those trying to care for them, we feel that it’s in their best interest to end their suffering and prevent harm to the environment and people who try to care for them. Feral cats are the product of irresponsible humans and it’s not their fault that they were not cared for properly; however, we have a responsibility to keep them, the community, and the environment safe.
For more information about the impact of feral cats on the environment and the impact of re-abandonment on cats, see the following articles and studies:
Part of our mission as an open admission shelter is to accept every pet in need that arrives at our doors from our jurisdiction. We consider feral cats (and dogs) to be pets in need. The average lifespan of a feral cat is just 2 years, compared to the 15+ years of an indoor cat. The majority of feral cats we receive are rarely healthy, even if someone is providing them with food, water, and shelter. Many have not been vaccinated, or if they have it hasn’t been properly boostered, and as such may be carrying feline distemper, calicivirus, leukemia, or feline immunodeficiency virus, all of which are chronic and terminal. Should they not have a terminal virus, they are likely to have abscesses and wounds from fighting each other and wild animals and can be in debilitating pain from these preventable injuries and infections.
Some are anemic because of flea, lice, mite, and/or intestinal worm infestations, which means that their parasite infection(s) went untreated for far too long. Many feral cats we receive have a severe upper respiratory infection, which can permanently damage their eyes and sinuses.
It’s not fair to deny feral cats admission and continue to let them suffer and die of disease and/or trauma, nor is it responsible to deny them so they go on to reproduce and increase the number of homeless pets. It’s also not fair to the citizen who wants their property free of sick, fighting, yowling, mating cats when it’s often not their fault that the cats are there in the first place. We can’t find the anonymous person who allowed their cats to mate and then abandoned them to chance to properly lay guilt on the appropriate person, but we can help people who are caught in the middle. Most people don't want to see cats hurt by encounters with wildlife, predators, poisons, disease, vehicles, or cruel people who would do them harm.
Due to their feral temperament, most often we cannot safely administer the medicine feral cats need, especially if it’s a twice daily dose of oral antibiotics. Since we also have limited resources, we feel that we need to prioritize sick friendly cats over sick fractious cats. Since aggressive feral cats are unsuitable to share a home with a human being and present a health hazard to those trying to care for them, we feel that it’s in their best interest to end their suffering and prevent harm to the environment and people who try to care for them. Feral cats are the product of irresponsible humans and it’s not their fault that they were not cared for properly; however, we have a responsibility to keep them, the community, and the environment safe.
For more information about the impact of feral cats on the environment and the impact of re-abandonment on cats, see the following articles and studies:
- Conservation Biology: Critical Assessment of Claims Regarding Feral Cats by Trap-Neuter-Return
- Nature Communications: The Impact of free-ranging domestic cats on wildlife in the United States
- Parasites & Vectors: High prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii shedding in stray and pet cats (Felis catus) in Virginia, United States
- Journal of American Veterinary Medical Association: Welfare of Feral Cats and Wildlife
- Preventative Veterinary Medicine: Management of feral domestic cats in the urban environment of Rome (Italy) (Abstract only)