Community Cats 101

Now, what exactly is a “community cat”? “Community cat” is an umbrella term that refers to any cat who lives outdoors AND is unowned. Community cats include both stray and feral cats, and everything in between. What exactly is the difference between a stray cat and feral cat? There are a few physical signs and certain body language that can help you determine whether a community cat is a stray, a cat that was socialized with people at some point, or a feral cat, a cat that has had little to no socialization with people in its life. Below is a quick reference detailing the differences between the main two types of community cats:

Determining whether a community cat is a stray or feral cat isn’t so black and white. There’s a very broad spectrum between strays and ferals, and it’s all determined by their experience, or lack thereof, socializing with people. Below we’ve created a brief “Cat Socialization Spectrum” to understand where a community cat might be. We highly encourage you to check out Alley Cat Allies’ website that goes fully in-depth about a cat’s socialization. “The measure of a cat’s comfort around humans is known as socialization. Each cat falls somewhere along a vast socialization continuum. To best help cats, every advocate, shelter staff member, caregiver, veterinary professional, and official needs to comprehend, respect, and apply this continuum.”

Now that we understand community cats a bit better, how can we best help them? TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return, which is a humane and effective method of managing community cat populations. TNR has been shown to be a successful way of reducing community cat populations over time because it addresses the root cause of the issue – uncontrolled breeding. When cats are spayed or neutered, they are unable to reproduce and contribute to cat overpopulation. In a TNR program, community cats are:

• Trapped using humane traps
• Taken to a veterinary clinic and given an exam, spayed/neutered, vaccinated against rabies and distemper
• Then returned to their outdoor colony to live out their lives without reproducing

The cats are ear-tipped (a small piece of the left ear is removed) during the spay/neuter surgery to indicate that they have been altered and vaccinated. Additionally, TNR allows community cats to continue living in their natural habitat, which can be important for their physical and emotional well-being.

Our Companions offers a Trap Training Program that provides our clients with training, equipment, and support to safely TNR cats in their care. We also provides cat shelters, food donations, and veterinary services to our community cat clients to help support the colonies they care for. You can learn more about our program here!

If you do find that your neutered/spayed and vetted community cat is social with people and could potentially live a life comfortably inside, we do offer a Rehoming Program to help search for a home for them! The cat would need to be in your home or indoors while we utilize our resources, media platforms, and marketing partnerships to find a suitable adopter and home that will best meet their needs. If the cat is truly feral and wishes to continue living its life outdoors, they need to be returned to their prior environment before trapping. Trying to relocate a feral cat can cause serious stress, anxiety, and confusion. Feral cats are fearful of humans and unfamiliar surroundings, and are also territorial. They not only will find their relocated environment quite confusing and stressful, but they will often try to find their original environment, which can lead to them becoming injured or putting their survival at risk. Furthermore, relocating feral cats is not always a viable solution to the problem of overpopulation. Removing feral cats from an area may create a vacuum effect, where other feral cats move in to take their place. This can lead to a cycle of removal and repopulation that is not sustainable.

Though our efforts are to decrease the population of community cats with the TNR method, of course we know that there will eventually come a time where breeding will occur and you find yourself spotting a litter of kittens in your neighborhood. The first thing to do is assess its health and safety. If it is in immediate danger  (near traffic or other animals), move it to a safer location. If it seems healthy, you can monitor it from a distance to see if its mother returns. If the mother doesn’t return after several hours, you may need to take the kitten in and care for it yourself or call your local animal welfare organizations for assistance. Below we’ve created a flow chart to best help you determine the path of action when you find kitten(s) outside.

It can be a bit tricky determining when how long kittens need to be with their mother and when it is best to intervene so that they can be socialized and live a safe life indoors in loving homes. Kittens are usually weaned and can start eating solid food at around 4-6 weeks old. However, they still need their mother for socialization and protection until they are at least 8 weeks old. We hope you find the infographic below helpful in recognizing the age of kittens and when they can be separated from their mother. Prior to intervening, always be sure to call animal welfare organizations before going to their location to make sure they are able to take in the kitten(s).

The age of socialization for feral kittens can vary, but it is generally considered to be between 2 and 8 weeks of age. During this time, kittens are most receptive to socialization and can learn to trust humans and other animals. However, the exact window of socialization can vary depending on a variety of factors, including genetics, environment, and previous experiences. After 8 weeks of age, feral kittens may become more fearful and less receptive to human contact. This can make it challenging to socialize them and may require more time, effort, and patience on the part of the person attempting to socialize them. If you find feral kittens outdoors, it is important to try to socialize them as early as possible to increase their chances of being adopted into loving homes. Working with a reputable animal rescue organization or shelter can be helpful in providing guidance and resources on how to socialize feral kittens effectively.

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about community cats and how to best help our feline neighbors! A special thank you to our Community Cat Program Coordinator, Beth, who compiled this incredibly helpful info and graphics! Be sure to check out our Community Cat Resources page for more information and resources to help you and the community cats in your area. For any questions, please contact our Helpline at 860-242-9999 or email [email protected]!