Feral Cat FAQs

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FAQs

Feral Cat FAQs

Feral Cat FAQs

Do you know what to do if you find a feral cat or kittens? Please look at the frequently asked questions below to find some of these answers. If you have a question that isn't addressed on this page, please feel free to email us at info@homelesscatnetwork.org, or call us at 650.286.9013.

What is a Feral Cat?

By definition a feral cat is a cat that exists in a wild or untamed state. Feral cats are found all over the United States and most other countries. The United Kingdom has an enormous feral cat problem and colonies of feral cats can be found catching rats in the ruins of Rome. To some, they are a nuisance, but for others they are a necessary fact of life.

Feral cats hunt and kill rodents and other pests in their territory. Cities and counties that have attempted to rid themselves of feral cats have found themselves overrun with rodents. During the Black Plague stray cats were rounded up and killed in an attempt to stop the sickness from spreading. In actuality the plague spread faster as the rats whose fleas actually carried the disease ran rampant through the streets.

There are feral cat colonies all over the Bay Area. Because the weather is temperate all year cats don't freeze and die with the frequency they do in other areas. With a low mortality rate colonies grow exponentially. Each kitten season (May-October) hundreds if not thousands of kittens are born in colonies. Our mission is to take these kittens out of the wild and socialize them, as well as trap their parents to be fixed. Kittens taken between four and six weeks of age have the best chance of being socialized to the point of being adoptable. Adults are generally released back into the colony once they have been spayed or neutered.

As part of our feral colony program we monitor colonies in San Mateo County. In addition to trapping and socializing we feed and maintain established colonies, and monitor the health of the cats to make sure none suffer needlessly with injury or disease. To find out how you can help feral colonies in your area check out our Volunteer section.

There are feral cats near my house, what should I do?
I found of litter of kittens, what should I do?

There are feral cats near my house, what should I do?

Please email us at info@homelesscatnetwork.org or call our hotline at 650.286.9013. These cats need to be trapped and spayed/neutered to keep the feral population in check.
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I found of litter of kittens, what should I do?

Contact our hotline immediately at 650.286.9013. Keep an eye out for a mother cat and whether or not she is taking care of her kittens. They do best with their mother, but if they are orphans they need to be bottle-fed often and checked out by a vet.
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