Helping Community Cats
What is a community cat? This is an umbrella term for any unowned, free-roaming cat living outdoors, which may include feral (unsocialized) or stray (socialized) cats. They often live in colonies, rely on human caretakers for food/shelter, and are best managed through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
Many cats who roam outdoors may be owned and have a home right down the road, so please monitor any cats you see for a few days to see if they appear to be actually lost or just making a visit to your backyard. Please keep in mind that cats are permitted to roam here in Maine and truly feral cats will not let you approach them unless you have been feeding them for a while which builds trust. Please visit our website at https://gahumane.org/lost-and-found/found-pets/ for information to help navigate the process, report a found cat or submit and Stray Animal Intake Form.
Every year, the GAHS takes in hundreds of kittens who are born to feral and stray mom cats. We believe that TNR is the most humane and effective method known for managing unowned community cats and reducing their numbers. We have options to help with management of colonies in our community, including free or low-cost medical services.
Our medical team can help ensure that community cats are humanely spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and ear tipped to indicate that they have been sterilized. After they’ve recovered from their surgeries, the cats are returned back to their original outdoor home. With consideration of available space here at the shelter or in foster homes, young kittens and friendly adults can be taken into our custody and placed for adoption.
If you know of a colony of cats who are producing kittens, are seeking support managing a colony or have questions about cats in your neighborhood, please reach out to us at info@gahumane.org or give us a call.
Why is TNR so important? Because TNR’d cats can no longer reproduce, established colonies have the potential to decline in size over time. Spaying and neutering can also reduce nuisance behavior. Once the cats are fixed, fighting, yowling and other noise associated with mating stops almost entirely. The foul odor caused by unaltered males spraying to mark territory disappears and the cats, no longer driven to mate, roam much less and become less visible. The cats themselves are healthier and less likely to spread feline diseases. Meanwhile, rodent control is maintained by the cats’ continued presence.
Ready to help? Reach out and get engaged as a volunteer! At this time, we are not able to assist with trapping cats in the community, but we are looking to expand TNR services in the future. We anticipate engaging volunteers to help with trapping and caregiving for these amazing cats. You could be part of the team that helps this program take shape!
There are several groups in our area also working to help community cats:
Cat Coalition of Western Maine
Additionally, lower cost medical care (including spay/neuter and vaccinations) may be available through:
Please visit https://gahumane.org/what-we-do/pet-wellness-services/ for information on upcoming GAHS Pet Wellness Clinics where community members can access affordable vaccinations and microchipping for their own pets.