Welcome back to Sandpiper Cat Blog's 5th annual year of celebrating National Feral Cat Day. NFCD is sponsored by Alley Cat Allies - who created the event in 2001.
I love promoting and celebrating NFCD because one of my cats, Vickie, was a feral cat before we adopted her from our local rescue. In fact, oru three most recent adoptions - Bobby, PHolly and Charlie were trapped, neutered and rescued (not returned) in Cape May, NJ!
There are lots of misconceptions about what a feral cat is - and NFCD is out there to debunk rumors. My cats that were trapped, are domesticated and socialized to humans. True feral cats, are not socialized to humans.
The most basic information about this special day, that I want to reiterate, is what a feral cat (also referred to as a "community cat") is in fact.
Feral Cat Facts
- Cats have lived alongside humans for more than 10,000 years. They are part of the natural landscape. Feral cats 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 community cats—is the only effective method of stabilizing cat colonies. In the last decade, the number of local governments with official policies endorsing TNR has increased tenfold, with hundreds of cities and towns successfully carrying out TNR programs.
- However, in the majority of cities, 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 join us for National Feral Cat Day®, and every day, to help change society and create compassionate communities for cats.
Read our past posts: 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.
Spread the word and use #FeralCatDay!
Thanks for tuning in!
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