What is a Feral Cat?

Feral cats are the descendants of domesticated cats that were abandoned by their owners or that strayed into wild areas from their homes. When the domesticated cats mated, their offspring were never handled by or associated with humans, thus making their kittens feral.

Adult feral cats, that were never socialized with humans, can rarely be socialized. Feral kittens can sometimes be socialized to live with humans. The ideal time for capture is between six and eight weeks old. Taming at this age may only take a couple of days. Older kittens can be tamed - but it takes longer. Also, an older kitten may only bond with the person working with them, which can make adoption difficult, but not impossible. (information from by wikipedia)

Why Do These Cats Need Our Help?

Left unaltered, free-roaming cats continue to reproduce creating more homeless kittens. Through TNR, free-roaming cats live out their lives without adding to the homeless cat population. According to scientific studies, free-roaming cats gain weight and live healthier lives after being altered. TNR programs are proven to stabilize and significantly reduce the size of free-roaming cat colonies. By limiting free-roaming cat populations, fewer unwanted and homeless cats are taken to shelters and euthanized. (information from Feral Cat Project)

Facts About Pet Overpopulation:

-Pet overpopulation is the leading killer of cats and dogs in our country.

-The majority of pet overpopulation comes from unaltered pets living in low-income neighborhoods.

-Your unspayed cat and her kittens can produce up to 420,000 cats in 7 years.

-50,000 kittens and puppies are born every day in our country.

-Only 1 in 9 will ever find a home.

The New York City Feral Cat Initiative, a program of the Mayor's Alliance for NYC's Animals, invites you to attend: Kitten Palooza!!!

Socializing Feral Kittens Part I: 10 Weeks & Under

Socializing Feral Kittens Part II: 3 Months & Older

Bottle Babies: Proper Care of Orphaned Kittens

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This video was taken found on www.youtube.com

Forgotten Cats, Inc. is a 501 c3 dedicated to reducing the unwanted cat population without killing and to stop the suffering of the thousands of kittens born to abandoned, homeless cats.

Click Here to Learn About Feline Immunodeficiency Virus