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Especially in a city, few feral cat colonies are able to independently sustain themselves. They rely on people for food and human-built structures for shelter. The colonies don't exist on islands, but in neighborhoods, parking lots, behind buildings, in gardens - in areas also inhabited by people. Consequently, properly caring for a feral cat colony requires taking into account the community in which they live, including people who come by and feed them, building superintendents whose basements they sleep in, neighbors who the cats wake up at night with their fighting, passerbys who stop and enjoy watching them, and employees who work at the factory where the colony is located.
Initially, we recommend simply walking around the site and talking to anyone you come across about the cats. Do they know about them? How many are there? How long have they been there? Who feeds them? When? Do people like them? Gather names and phone numbers of helpful people. Talk to store owners, landlords, superintendents, people who work outside. You're on an information-gathering mission and the more you get, the better. You might be surprised how you'll need that phone number in a few months when you're trying to find a wandering kitten, or putting together a mailing list, or any number of possibilities. Make appointments to meet with people, co-op boards, whoever is in a position to help, or hurt. Put up flyers announcing your intention to take care of the cats and asking for help and information. Most importantly, stay alert for allies - other people who will do hands-on work, whether feeding, trapping, fostering or giving donations. Most of the time, they're there. Community Board meetings are an excellent resource for finding volunteers. Local churches, council members, community officers at your local police precinct, and borough presidents' offices can be helpful for your project. Above all, realize that typically feral cat colonies come to caring people's attention because the situation is in crisis - there are too many cats, too much noise, a mess left by feeders, etc. Often, somebody's called animal control, or there are rumors of poison, or someone's made loud threats. Expect hostility, but don't let it stop you and avoid being confrontational at all costs. Instead, be understanding - if you were being kept up at night by yowling cats, or unable to enjoy your basement garden because of the smell, you'd be angry, too. Let people know you realize there are problems and that's why you're there - to offer them a solution. Have your mantra memorized - "Neutering means less noise, less odor, no kittens." Talk about the benefits of returning the neutered cats - continued rodent control, no new, unneutered cats moving in to start the cycle of problems again. It does happen that, sometimes, people simply are not receptive and they are either uninterested or just want you to get rid of the cats. Explain that the cats aren't going away - more will come to take their place if these current ones are removed, or else, if nothing is done, the situation will just get worse. If unfortunately either circumstance then comes to pass, the community might become more receptive, having learned the hard way that you're their best chance - provided you didn't burn any bridges the first time around. Before you set out to win over the neighborhood, we highly recommend you read the fact sheet "Community Benefits of Feral Cats" and the article "How to Talk to Absolutely Anyone about TNR" (which appeared in Alley Cat Action, Winter 1999). Both items are available from Alley Cat Allies. |
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If you ignore this and limit your work strictly to the cats, you do so at the cats'
peril. Remember, the cats are being returned and your efforts
will help determine the climate they are being returned to - a hostile,
uninformed situation where the cats face constant anger, or an educated,
helpful community which appreciates and looks after the cats. Obviously,
the latter is to the cats' benefit and so building good community
relations should be the first step in any TNR project. 