COMPASSION IS THE WAY: The Care & Feeding of Feral Cats Prepared for Best Friends Animal Sanctuary No More Homeless Pets Atlanta, Georgia October 25-27, 2002 Nathan J. Winograd 1 IT TAKES A COMMUNITY No More Homeless Pets. A decade ago it would have turnmost down were the wild, alley all toof themmake werea shortcut hungry. to Soher she house, started sounded like science fiction. Now we are poised to shefeeding saw them.the cats And staring she wantedat her. Someto have were them skinny, spayed. make it a reality. But whether you call it No More some looked pregnant, most were wild, all of them HomelessHomeless Pets, No Kill, or other things, in a nutshell, wereShe managed hungry. Soto shecatch started them —feedioneng by them. one. AndAnd shesince she the challenge is to build a humane “society.” wantedpaid full to price, have over them $2 spayed.00 for an exam, vaccinations, and spay/neuter, she could only afford one cat every two To meet that challenge, we needneed to get the community Sheweeks managed after sheto catchgot paid. them Jamie—one was by sacrione.ficing And sincefor “down excited, to energize people for the task at hand. Every- sheand paid out” full animals. price, Andover she$200 had for no an one exam, to turnvaccinations, to. Imag- body needs to be a part of the mission. And the meas- andine spay/neuter,what Jamie could she could have onlyaccomplished afford one with cat aevery trap and ure of how much we succeed—or fail—is a function of twolow -weekscost or after free shespay got-neuter. paid. Jamie was sacrificing for what happens to the cat living in an alley in our commu- “down and out” animals. And she had no one to turn nity, whether the business downtown adopts a ‘pets at to.When Imagine the localwhat SPCAJamie openedcould have a feral accomplished cat spay/neuter with a work’ policy, whether landlords will help our lifesaving trapclinic and and low began-cost loaning or free out spay traps-neuter. for free, Jamie went on goals by saying yes to renters with dogs, whether our to trap and alter over 120 cats in one year alone. And a neighbors adopt imperfect pets because they believe in Whenteam ofthe 70 San "Jamies" Francisco put SPCAtogether opened a neonatal up a feral foster cat ne t- our lifesaving mission. It is about the cafes, the store- spay/neuterwork that reduced clinic and kitten began deaths loaning by out85% traps throughout for free the, fronts, the squares, the neighborhoods. That is how we Jamiecity. went on to trap and alter over 120 cats in one will be measured. And that is what it takes to save all year alone. And a team of 70 "Jamies" put together a the lives at risk—regardless of how big or how small neonatalJamie exists foster in everynetwork community. that reduced We kittenneed to deaths tap into by your shelter is. 85%that throughoutenergy, that the compassion, city. that desire to do the right thing—and harness it. We build a humane shelter within What confuses a lot of people in this movement, what Jamieour walls. exists We in every become community. a humane We society need by to embracing tap into stops them before they start is the completely false idea thatthe energy,landlords, th atmerchants, compassion, and that feral desire cat caretakers to do the in right our that to end the killing of healthy and sick homeless pets, thingcommunities—and harness—and it.energizing We build them a humane for the shelter lifesaving within ef- you need to start with big bucks and big shelters. That ourfort walls. ahead. We become a humane society by embracing helps, it helps a lot, but it is putting the cart before the the landlords, merchants, and feral cat caretakers in our horse. And that’s not so great an idea when our cart and communitiesIt is absolutely—and essential energizing for the them humane for the movement lifesaving to andour ourhorse horse have have a long a longway wayto go. to go. effortembrace ahead. the community we serve. We cannot save the lives of animals without people’s help. To reachput it intoour goals,perspective, we must the first San focus Francisco our energies, SPCA not It is absolutely essential for the humane movement to savedon building every a healthy shelter, dog but andon rebuildingcat in the cityour yearsrelationship before embraceIf you reflect the community the community’s we serve. values, We if cannotyou are save doing the a theywith builtthe community. their groundbreaking new shelter—they did it livesgood of job animals for animals, without if people’syou tell themhelp. about it, and then in a 130-year old building with no windows in one of ask for their help. They do help. They want to be a part SanIf No Francisco’s Kill is going least to desirablebecome a neighborhoods. reality in our hom Thee- Ifof you the reflect effort. the Jamie community’s traps cats forvalues, spay/neuter. if you are Lan doingdlords a SPCAtowns, began the ethic, its road the tobeliefs, No Kill the when desire it mustwas justpenetrate 90 goodmake job their for apartments animals, if you“pet tell friendly.” them about Others it, andgive thendon a- daysthe community. away from Nobankruptcy.-Kill may Andbe defined to reach by thosewhat happensgoals, asktions. for their help. They do help. They want to be a part theyto the first animals focused within their the energies, halls of notthe onshelter, rebuilding but it their can of the effort. Jamie traps cats for spay/neuter. Landlords shelter,only be butachieved on building by what their happens relationship outside withof them. the coHowm- makeWhether their its apartments pets in rental “pet housing, friendly.” dogs Others at work, give doncats a-in munity.much the lifesaving ethic is embraced in the cafes, store- tions.alleys, or finding homes for older, sick, injured or trau- fronts, squares and neighborhoods. By how much we matized pets in our shelter, if we are going to save lives, Ifbuild No ourKill imageis going by to reflecting become thea reality values in thatVirginia people Beach, hold Whetherwe need itsfour pets things: in rental desire, housing, creativity, dogs flexibility, at work, andcats in thedear, ethic, and inthe turn beliefs, expand the thedesire resources must penetrate to save morethe alleys,most importaor findingntly, homes community for older, support. sick, injured or trau- community.and more lives No at-Kill risk. may be defined by what happens to matized pets in our shelter, if we are going to save lives, the animals within the halls of the shelter, but it can weThe need big, fourbeautiful things: shelter, desire, the creativity, expanding flexibility, resource and base, onlyLet me be giveachieved you oneby what example. happens Jamie outside had never of them. heard How of mostthe successes importantly, will communityall be a byproduct support. of that, not their muchferal cats, the lifesavingdidn’t know ethic what is embraced a Tomahawk in the trap cafes, was, did cause. stornot eknowfronts, that squares there andwas neighborhoods.anyone to turn to.By howAll Jamie much The big, beautiful shelter, the expanding resource base, weknew build was our that image after by she reflecting fed the hungrthe valuesy stray that in people the successes will all be a byproduct of that, not their holdher yard, dear, she and started in turn noticingexpand others.the resources to save cause. moreWhenever and more she would lives at turn risk. down the alley to make a shortcut to her house, Letshe mesaw give the youcats onestaring example. at her. Jamie Some had never heard of feralwere cats,skinny, didn some’t know looked what pregnant, a Tomahawk trap was, did not know that there was anyone to turn to. All Jamie knew was that after she fed the hungry stray in her yard, she started noticing others. Whenever she would 2 FERAL CATS NO ONE KNOWS how many there are, or even ex- sidized spay/neuter is a start! Not only will it prevent actly how to define them. Webster's dictionary defines more litters from being born, it will be the beginning of feral as “having escaped from domesti- a relationship between your organi- cation and become wild,” but this defi- zation and feral cat caregivers. nition does not cover all the cats we THE FERAL CAT ENIGMA know as feral. Buy a humane trap—or several— Strategies for saving feral cats and share them with cat caregivers. Cats in our society occupy a spectrum (and their offspring, who can Some trap distributors offer dis- make up the bulk of the kitten that runs from the cherished pet to population in our shelters) can- counts to humane organizations. Or ferals who may have had little or no not rely solely on aggressive ask local pet supply stores or hard- human contact or support. Some of adoption programs or strate- ware stores to donate a trap to your these elusive felines were born in gies appropriate for healthy and group. treatable pets. The answer for parks and alleyways and will never be- feral cats lies in community- come accustomed to people. Others based programs that allow Meet with local veterinarians to may be “marginally owned,” living in them to live out their lives side- request that they provide free or someone’s backyard, garage, or barn, by-side with the rest us, while discounted services for feral cats. we devise other programs to or traveling from doorstep to door- humanely control their num- step in search of food and occasional bers.