New to Community Cats?

You've just come across a colony of feral cats and you know you want to help them...but how? Here are the first 5 things you'll want to do:

1Find a clinic for spay/neuter and make a plan.
a. finding a clinic b. funding surgeries https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/funding-tnr/

c. what will happen during TNR surgery/vet care d. testing for FIV/FeLV: why it's usually not done with community cats
2Trap those cats!
  1. finding equipment
  2. other things to think about/make sure you have in place before trapping (hint: traps aren’t the only thing you’ll need to have in place!)
  3. recovery & return – what happens after surgery
3Keep your colony happy & healthy.
  1. setting up a feeding schedule and finding help caring for your colony
  2. setting up shelters and feeding stations
  3. what to do with kittens and friendly cats
4Deal with issues that might arise.
  1. how to pay for surgery, food, and care for sick/injured cats https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/financial-resources-for-cats/
  2. local ordinances https://www.alleycat.org/community-cat-care/get-help-with-ordinances/
  3. unhappy neighbors
  4. sick/injured cats
  5. hard to trap cats
  6. relocation: why it’s not the best answer
  7. language barriers
5Find your community for support and help.
  1. online groups
    FeralCats https://groups.io/g/FeralCats is a large, nationwide message board group with lots of traffic, Facebook groups (search in your area, or check out Neighborhood Cats’ page https://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodcats/
    or Alley Cat Allies’ page
    https://www.facebook.com/AlleyCatAllies/)
  2. local shelters & TNR groups
    Google for resources in your area!
  3. Alley Cat Allies’ Feral Friends Network
    https://www.alleycat.org/our-work/feral-friends-network/feral-friends-network-connect/
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