Are You Feeding A Street Cat Colony? Guidelines for Feral/Stray Cats Colony Caretakers Am I ready for this Responsibility? Theyre hungry, theyre breeding, they may be ill or injured. This is the scene that many people come upon BEFORE humans intervene in a feral/stray cat colony. A colony is the term used to describe a group of unowned cats living in the streets. Feeding is the first step in caring for feral/stray cats, but certainly not the ONLY step and not even the most important step! Before supplying food to feral/stray cats and/or kittens, you should consider the following questions. -Are you willing/able to make a long term (lifetime) commitment to these cats? -Do you have the financial means to commit to these cats? (Food, spay/neuter, medical attention, if necessary) -Is this a safe place for a colony of cats to exist? -If you are not the property owner, do you have permission from the property owner to feed/water and maintain the cats on the premises? (Is the property owner aware of this long term commitment?) -If you plan on moving in the future, are you prepared to or will be able to find someone to take over the care of your colony? (Are they aware of this long term commitment?) -When youre on vacation, would you be able to find a substitute caretaker until you return? If you can answer yes to all of the above questions, then set out the food and prepare for the next step in Colony Management - spay/neuter. SPAY/NEUTER. As stated above, the FIRST step in caring for a cat colony is food and water, but the most IMPORTANT step is the spaying and neutering of your colony. If food is provided, yet you neglect to follow through with the spaying and neutering you will double, triple and quadruple your cat population in no time at all. This will be an extra burden to you and the members of your colony, and brings kittens into a world of wild living and overpopulation, not mentioning the risks of complaints from the neighbours which can end in a very sad situation where cats will be rounded up for euthanasia or can be harmed by the people complaining. It is always safer to control them by neutering and spaying TNR rather than losing them to hurtful people. Please contact any rescue group for more help or info on the TNR program - neutering and spaying. MAINTENANCE. Once all the cats in your colony have been neutered/spayed, then you can settle into the last step of colony management, which is maintenance. Below are the suggested guidelines for Feral/Stray Cat Colony Management. FOOD: In regards to the questions mentioned previously, if you are unable to commit for a lifetime or be responsible in finding a replacement to feed the cats if you had to leave the country or go on vacation or get sick or anything that could hinder your daily feeding, then it is very important to realise that you will be harming the cats by feeding them daily. Feeding cats daily for a long time will make them solely dependent on humans for their food and they will lose the ability to fend for themselves to eat. And once the food stops for any reason, they will starve to death, get sick from lack of food and suffer slowly. It is highly recommended to feed cats 3 times a week only (every second day), enough to keep them healthy and and at the same time not starve. If you are already feeding daily and want to change the routine to 3 times a week, please do it slowly and gradually, start by feeding them 6 times a week, and then after couple of weeks reduce to 5 times, and then after few more weeks reduce to 4 times, and so on.. Please commit to daily feeding ONLY if you can commit to the life-time responsibility. *What to Feed - Dry food is recommended for colony feeding because it can remain out all day and not spoil. If you choose to feed wet food, do so in a separate plate or bowl rather than mixing it in with the dry food. Wet food will spoil if not eaten, attract ants and other insects and smell and complaints. *When to Feed - It is recommended that feeding take place first thing in the morning or during the day for the following reasons: The cats can eat all day Less chance for attracting wildlife to feeding station at night Safer for caretaker *How Much to Feed - One cup of dry food per cat in your colony is plenty. You should, if you are able to, monitor the amount of food the cats leave behind to determine the proper portion. If the food is all gone (and it hasnt clearly been eaten by wildlife), then you may want to increase the amount. If there is a substantial amount of food leftover, you should decrease the amount. WATER: Fresh water should be given each time fresh food is supplied. If water is gone when you visit the colony, increase the number of water bowls or get a bigger one. It is important that water is available at all times especially in the summer. It is known that most street cats doe because of dehydration from lack of water. THE SITE: It is extremely important to keep the feeding station neat and clean. This is vital, not only for the health of the cats, but also for keeping neighbors happy. Keep the food/water dishes clean by having two sets. One at the site, and another clean and available to replace the dirty ones. FEEDING STATION/WINTER SHELTER: Unless there is a covered area where food/water bowls are kept, a feeding station is recommended to keep the food protected from birds and the weather. Also, it is very important to keep the dishes hidden from the human eye, preferably between the bushes, or in the alleys away from any humans..etc to minimise any kind of complaints from people. Feral cat sleeping shelters, designed to protect cats from the winter weather are also a great idea. Feeding station and feral cat shelter plans can be found at the following links: neighborhoodcats.org/info/wintershelter.htm spayandstay.org/wintershelter.htm alleycat.org/ PDF Instructions for Inexpensive do-it-yourself wooden shelter all-creatures.org/ak/feral-shelter.html ANTS/BUGS: Some ways to keep your food ant/bug free are as follows: Feed ONLY dry food - wet food attracts ants more readily Surround food bowls with a line of food-grade (no chemicals added) diatomaceous earth - This will need to be reapplied after rain, but effectively keeps insects away. Apply cooking oil to the outside of the food bowl - Bugs and ants will not walk on oil. Place food bowls on a tray, cookie sheet, or plant tray with a 1 lip and fill container with water. - Cats can get to food, but bugs cant. THE HEALTHY COLONY CAT The general health of the cats should be assessed at every opportunity. Note the condition of their eyes and fur. Eyes should be clear without discharge, coats should be clean. Unkempt fur can be a sign of disease and discharge from eyes could mean upper respiratory infections or a sign of more serious illnesses. At the first sign of injury or illness, contact your veterinarian and establish a plan of how to get care for the cat. -- Keep in mind that removing current cats from a colony may only open the territory to new cats and the process begins all over again. Spaying/neutering and feeding is the BEST way to control a feral /stray cat colony. Ignoring the colony and thinking that theyll find food somewhere or someone else will fix the problem is the easy way out.
Posted on: Sun, 16 Nov 2014 09:17:10 +0000
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