Community Cats
We used to think the best thing we could do for cats found outdoors is bring them to the shelter. We’ve since learned that it’s usually best to keep healthy cats in their neighborhoods.
Community cat programs are the most effective and humane model of free-roaming cat management. Feline Rescue provides support to our community’s cat caretakers, so we can all work together to keep the cats safe and healthy in their outdoor homes.
Don’t assume cats you see around your neighborhood have no home, or no one who loves and cares for them. They may even have a team of caretakers. Many times, free-roaming cats are cared for by a few neighbors. If you have questions about who is caring for an outdoor cat, try posting the cat’s picture to local social media platforms like Nextdoor or community Facebook pages. You can also attach a paper collar with a note asking for the cat’s caretakers to get in touch with you.
Indiscriminately removing cats, even friendly ones, from their outdoor homes separates them from the people who love and care for them. Very few cats who are brought to the shelter are ever reunited with their families.
Good-hearted members of the community want to know how they can help outdoor and free-roaming cats, but sometimes end up doing harm while trying to do good. Our cat programs are designed to protect cats and keep them safe and healthy.
Feline Rescue’s community cat program can humanely reduce the population of cats living outdoors, improving cat welfare and reducing conflicts with people and wildlife.
Frequently Asked Questions
Isn’t returning cats to the community, or allowing cats to remain in their outdoor homes, considered abandonment?
Community cat programs like Trap-Neuter-Return and supporting cats in their outdoor home are the most effective and humane model of free-roaming cat management. Feline Rescue provides support and supplies to our community’s cat caretakers, so we can all work together to keep the cats safe and healthy in their outdoor homes.
Abandonment laws, defined as intentionally, knowingly, recklessly, or with criminal negligence leaving an animal without proper or necessary care, do not apply to community cat practices.
Our community-focused approach assures that beneficial resources are available in the neighborhood, such as providing caretaker support with food and supplies, medical support for cats, and weather-appropriate housing as needed. Caretakers can contact Feline Rescue at outreach@felinerescue.org with questions, and to request support.
I understand returning feral cats to their outdoor homes, but why would you return or leave in place a friendly cat who could otherwise be adopted?
An outdoor cat’s friendliness is a sign that someone is taking care of them. They may even have a team of caregivers. Is the cat healthy-looking and not too thin? Then the cat is most likely thriving outdoors.
Community cats live outdoors and have been living outdoors throughout time. Outdoor cats become social with people when they have positive human interaction. Friendly cats impounded by a shelter are often indoor/outdoor pets or outdoor cats separated from their families when removed from their neighborhood.
When we bring free-roaming cats into shelters unnecessarily, we may be stealing them from families who love them. This creates a well of distrust between the community and the shelter. Removing the cat from the neighborhood and taking them to a shelter, often located far from their home, reduces the likelihood of that cat being reunited with their people. This disproportionately impacts marginalized communities that may not be able to have indoor pets in rental homes.
Indiscriminately removing cats may also lead to more intact cats moving into the area.
Are you saying no cats should come into the shelter or foster system?
All cats who still need our help will get it. Sick or injured cats, abandoned cats, and at-risk kittens are admitted to the organization for individual assessment and traditional services, like veterinary treatment and placement in the shelter or foster system.
What about healthy kittens?
We know it’s hard, but if the kittens are healthy, let them be until they are weaned at about six weeks of age. Keep an eye on the family – from a safe distance; don’t scare Mom off – and feel free to provide water and food for the mother cat.
Kittens who are six weeks or older and are weaned can often be fostered until ready for adoption. Contact us about how to get the kittens spayed or neutered and into homes.
You can reach out to Feline Rescue for supplies and other support, if you are able to foster. We can also answer your questions about how to protect kittens who are outside with their moms – and how to protect the moms, too.
Please reach out to us about kittens who seem sick, injured, or have been abandoned by their mother, so we can make sure they (and you) get needed help.
You can complete a Found Cat Inquiry Form on this page.
If I can’t take care of my pet cats anymore, should I put them outside?
No, pet cats who have lived indoors should never be abandoned outside. They lack the know-how and survival skills to be safe. Declawed cats are especially at risk since they don’t even have their claws to protect themselves. Pet cats should also not be abandoned inside a home or apartment that has been vacated.
If you have a cat who you can no longer care for, tell us what you need. We have some support available for people who are having trouble caring for their pets. Otherwise, the best approach is to try to rehome them yourself. If you can’t rehome a cat or other pet yourself, complete an Owner Surrender Inquiry Form on this page.
Don’t cats kill a lot of wildlife?
Reports of the impact of free-roaming cats on wildlife have often been wildly exaggerated. The most serious threat to wildlife is human encroachment and habitat destruction. However, most people care about both cats and wildlife and want neither to be harmed.
Community cat programs can reduce risks to wildlife by reducing the number of outdoor cats through spay and neuter efforts. If cats are present in areas of critical wildlife habitat, there are extra steps that can be taken to deter cats and protect wildlife.
How to Live With Cats in Your Neighborhood – brochure from Alley Cat Allies