All cat lovers have seen this: the 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.
This is the Little Italy colony pre-TNR(M).
There are an estimated 100,000 stray and feral cats in Toronto, and colonies can be found in every neighbourhood in the city. Toronto Cat Rescue can help you help these cats. Our Stray/Feral Program provides you with the information and knowledge to get you started helping these feral cats.
Unfortunately, Toronto Cat Rescue can NOT help with trapping feral cats and/or provide foster homes, as we just do not have enough volunteer resources.
Feral cats may have once been domestic, and turned wild to survive or cats that were actually born wild. They are definitely not your typical friendly kitty cat! They do, however, multiply at an alarming rate (2-3 litters per year!), and can lead miserable lives which end with slow starvation, sickness, or freezing to death without your help. 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. Handling them is 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.
Please email TCR at tcr.surrender@gmail.com for more information on how you can become a colony caretaker or help the feral cats in your neighbourhood. Please note that due to the high volume of inquiries, phone messages will not be returned.
Trap-Neuter-Return
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.
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 during the winter.
I have 6 stray cats that come to my door and I love all of them (they even have names). I don’t mind feeding them, but cat food is expensive, any suggestions, and help would be most appreciated.
Hi,
I live in Mississauga and have a femal cat mother and her 6 kittens at about 4 months old living on my backyard for the last week. I assume they are feral but it’s so hard to tell a difference between stray and feral. I wolud like to help these poor animals as the winter is coming bur not sure how? I give them food and water. I’d like to get some more information about your program and how could you help us.
If you could call me or email me back I would appreciate it. My phone# 416-871-4603,
Thank you in advance,
Patrycja
hi now i know how it feels like i had found one to in my backyard in the storage room they do try to attck me but i stay away and slip in the food my self quickly by the window since my mom said i was allowed to make a good home in the storage closet i did i came inside had food with me and they stopped i slided the food and they took it and they ate so i tryed playing with them and i got control of them then they were like my own cats i would play with them every day and since my brother finally got rid of his animal asma i was allowed to let then inside so i let them in my house and we played and easily got used to my family now since i have 4 cats in my home whicth are ferels not anymore so maybe try what i did and they could be your very own cats
Hi my name is kayla, I just live a little north of toronto very close to Newmarket. I recently came across a very small back female cat come to find out she had kittens in my storage space outside. there was four or five kittens at first but now theres only one left the mother is missing too. I went to my local pet food place and they gave me samples of cat food for the kitten. I feed it every day so it doesnt eat our garbage. how would i get it to trust me so i can take it to the vet? if i call it it comes now but it still wont let me touch it. its come along way since i first found it 2 weeks ago! its probably estimated to be around 8 or 9 weeks old. If i does come to me eventually will it ever be tame?
Trust is really hard to build. If you do have time I have noticed just sitting and eating outside while talking to the cat works a lot. I know people might call you crazy but yeah it does work. Time and patience is all it needs. And yes it took me 5 hrs one day to catch a 6 or 7 month old feral cat and now she is happily taking over everything in the house. So ignore people who say Feral cats can’t be tamed because I have 3 ferals and they are all very tame. Good luck
I have worked with and tamed many wild feral cats. You know the ones that climb up the walls , run across your curtain rod hissing at you and trying to attack you .THEY CAN BE TAMED! It takes time and patience..They are very loving and dedicated once they know you are not there to hurt them. They never forget what you did for them and are more loyal to you then a regular cat sometimes I find. To date I have tamed over 70 wild feral cats all out of my own pocket. I probably could have bought my own house by now with all the money I’ve spent but wouldn’t change helping them for anything…they needed me and I couldn’t leave them alone, scared and hungry and cold. Every animal deserves better then that.
Hi,
I just found a stray kitten today near my work place. I can’t take in cats myself but is there any close by rescue team that can help the poor kitten? I’ve seen cats around but haven’t lately so I’m scared that the mother has left the kitten behind. My workplace is at 23 Milliken Blvd, Scarborough, ON. Closest intersection is Kennedy and Finch.
Hi Crystal – Please call our Help With Cats line for how TCR can help – 416-538-8592, press #3.
I have just moved to a new neighbourhood and the last owner of the house was feeding a stray mother cat and the cat had four kittens two months, I gladly get the kittens adopted and i know the mother would make more kittens if not fixed, i would like to fixed the mother kitten so she cannot get more kittens in the neighbourhood i can feed her till she die please help if you can.
Hopefully you have had another reply by now with offers of help. If not, the best suggestion I can give you is to contact your local SPCA. You are likely going to have to ask for assisstance in getting this family spayed/neutered ( fixed) as the costs to have them done are quite high. The SPCA may have a “SNIP” program that can help financially to get these kitties fixed. Also ask them if there is a local cat rescue group where you live that may be able to get you more assistance. Without knowing where you are it is hard to direct you. Try typing in cat rescue groups in your area also….Hope this helps
Obtain a Live Trap, and pan-tie the door open for a week or two so that the cat learns to eat in the trap. Once it is trained to do this, remove the pan tie and set the trap. Don’t feed supper the night before so the cat is VERY hungry (also better for surgery to be performed on an empty stomach). You may be able to tap into a TNR vet/programme so the fees are lower. Be ready to provide a week of indoor/protected recovery time, and be careful not to be attacked by her.