All cat lovers have seen this: the dirty and unapproachable cat prowling in your garbage, the scrawny female cat who continues to have litters of kittens in your shed, but will not let you get anywhere near her.
Toronto Cat Rescue can help you help these cats. Our Stray/Feral Program provides you with information and knowledge on how to work with feral cats. Please call TCR directly for more information: 416-538-8592 (press #3). We may be able to provide assistance and/or advice to help you to help the feral kitties in your neighbourhood.
This is the Little Italy colony pre-TNR(M).
Feral cats may have once been domestic, and turned wild to survive, or cats who were actually born wild. They are definitely not your typical friendly kitty cat! They do, however, multiply at an alarming rate, and lead miserable lives which end with slow starvation, sickness, or freezing to death. Some communities find them a problem, and want to be rid of them, and other people show their concern by feeding them. It is not enough to just feed them; these cats must be spayed and neutered so that they no longer reproduce more sick and hungry kittens.
Trap-Neuter-Return (Monitor) is a proven effective program which tackles overpopulation at its core. Feral cats cannot be socialized as adults to become domestic indoor cats, despite being exactly the same physically as your pampered pet. They are unsocialized and handling them is therefore equivalent to dealing with a wild animal. We can’t stress enough how many people make the mistake of underestimating what a feral cat is. Despite their nature these cats deserve to live their lives and euthanizing them is not only inhumane, but it is also ineffective at ending the problem in the long-term. Spaying/neutering and returning these cats to their stomping grounds allows them to enjoy their lives in peace, while ensuring no more kittens are born into this hard existence.
Many people who take on a TNR project forget to plan from start to finish. Trapping the cats and getting them to a spay/neuter clinic is only half the work. These cats also need to be recovered post-surgery before being returned to their colonies. Recovery time ranges depending on factors such as the cat’s stress level, their health, and the weather – however a general rule is that males need to be recovered for 3-4 days, and females for 5-7 days.
Toronto Cat Rescue’s Step By Step: Recovering A Feral Cat (click to open).
Learn how you can build a winter cat shelter for feral or stray cats in your area via the links recommended by Toronto Feral Cat Project. Lots of tips and advice offered - shelters vary from Rubbermaid containers to wooden shelters. Help keep a cat alive this coming winter.
Hi there, I know of a old man that has passed away and has 3 cats at his house un attendant , can you help this cats???
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I was at my families company and it was brought to my attention that the company next door to him had over 30 cat and kittens living in the back. I hopped the fence and fed them some bread and a lot of them looked really unhealthy and there looked to me kittens that were only 1 week old. I don’t know what to do. I called animal services but they won’t do anything about it. I’m only 14 and my mom was watching me when the owner of the company pulled in with him truck. I quickly hopped back over the fence and he was telling my mom and myself that he doesn’t even know how many there are anymore. He feeds them, but they haven’t gotten any of there shots or have been spayed or neutered. I’m wondering if there is anything I can do.
Hi Stephanie, Thanks for trying to help these cats – please call our Help With Cats line to speak with a volunteer directly – they can offer advice and guidance. 416-538-8592, press #3.
I have rescued 3 feral kittens about 4 weeks ago,they about 8 weeks old now,brought them home and they doing fine,socializing,eating ,we probable will keep them all ,but my problem is the feral mother cat,she is young ,there will be another and another and another litter of kittens year after year or twice a year.I can’t take any more kittens .What to do?Help.
Please call TCR directly for help & advice by one of our amazing Line 3 volunteers: 416-538-8592, press #3.
We have 2 semi adult cats and 3 kittens here at our workplace. We all love them and feed them regularly. The mother cat just had another litter of kittens (we don’t know where they are yet) and one of the older kittens has a w0und on her neck that does not look good. We heard that there is somewhere we can call where they will take her, fix her up and bring her back. Is that true? We would love to have them stay here as they keep all our staff going and we all love them. We would also like to get the mother fixed so she will stop having babies. As much as we love to see the little ones we don’t want to be feeding 50 cats. Thank you
Thanks so much for helping these kitties!! Please call TCR directly for help & advice by one of our lovely Line 3 volunteers: 416-538-8592, press #3.
I have just rescued three 6 1/2 week old feral kittens and have brought them home. I have a number of questions:
1) How do I get them to eat?
2) How should I proceed in order to socialize them?
3) Does Toronto Cat Rescue take in feral kitten litters and hold them for adoption?
I would like to adopt two of these and would be prepared to contribute to their care while they are being socialized by Tornoto Cat Rescue.
Please advise.