What is a colony?

Feral cats often live in groups called colonies, which are located close to food sources and shelter. This may be behind a restaurant or gas station, or in the sheds around a residential property. Colonies range in size from 4-40 cats depending on the size of their food supply. Urban colonies tend to be smaller but more densely-located, while rural colonies tend to be larger and more spread out.

What is a community cat?

Community cats are unowned cats who live outdoors in areas where people live. Community cats are generally not socialized—or friendly—to people.

What does Feral mean?

A feral cat is an un-owned domestic cat that lives outdoors and avoids human contact: it does not allow itself to be handled or touched, and usually remains hidden from humans. Feral cats may breed over dozens of generations and become an aggressive predator much like any other wild animal you might encounter in New Hampshire. They are capable of living a full, healthy life with their feline families (called colonies) in their outdoor homes.

Can a feral cat be adopted?

A truly feral cat can not and should never be adopted out as a house cat. A feral cat should be allowed to live out its life in the environment in which it is happiest - away from humans!

What is TNR?

Trap-Neuter-Return (or Trap-Neuter-Release) is a humane and effective approach to caring for and controlling the population of stray and feral cats. Scientific studies show that Trap-Neuter-Return improves the lives of feral cats, improves their relationships with the people who live near them, and decreases the size of colonies over time. Trap-Neuter-Return is successfully practiced in hundreds of communities and in every landscape and setting. It is exactly what it sounds like: Cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian to be neutered and vaccinated. After recovery, the cats are returned to their home—their colony—outdoors. For decades, animal control policy has wasted millions of dollars catching and killing outdoor cats, but the huge populations of colony cats are still there. TNR is an excellent solution.

What is a barn cat?

A “barn cat” is a cat that is unfriendly toward humans, but would thrive in a safe environment. These cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and adopted out to live in a barn as the property’s resident mouse control!