There are no official statistics on the number of homeless cats in Brooklyn, but guesstimates are that they're in the hundreds of thousands. Feral cats are homeless felines that have been out on the street so long that they've reverted to their wild instincts. In many instances, these cats haven't been spayed or neutered, and a small colony can quickly explode into a large one.
A handful of dedicated volunteers spend their free time trapping these ferals in order to have them spayed or neutered and then vaccinated. Trap-neuter-return, as it's called, ultimately helps reduce the number of cats on the streets while also limiting territorial spraying and the noise of caterwauling animals in heat.
Independent rescuers in Brooklyn receive some financial assistance from nonprofit groups such as Urban Cat League, Slope Street Cats, and the New York ASPCA, but not all medical or caretaking costs are covered by these donations. Many volunteers spend their own money to feed colonies.
Doesn't feeding lure more ferals into an area? Actually, no. Cats are very territorial. Once they've found a spot to call home, they tend to kick out strangers. If you have a spayed and neutered colony, you can rest assured that the colony won't grow due to either new squatters or new babies.
But doesn't feeding keep them from leaving? Not necessarily. When you find a colony of ferals, they've already picked their location whether or not they're being fed or not. They've found a location that provides them with shelter and that provides them with food. In most cases, when caretakers aren't present to provide actual cat food, the cats tend to eat by tearing open garbage bags for leftovers. This can be a major nuisance for whoever has to clean up the torn up bags. Feeding the ferals cat food on a regular basis deters them from more destructive means of surviving.
Aside from paying for food, many rescuers also pull out of their own pocket to obtain additional medical attention for sick cats or kittens, and more often than not, find homes for the many friendly cats found living among the ferals.
Technically speaking, TNR stands for trap-neuter-return, but in many cases it translates to trap-neuter-rescue. I found this out during a TNR project in my neighborhood. Five of the thirteen cats we trapped were friendly, and rather than put them back on the street, where they wouldn't have survived for long, we cared for them ourselves or placed them in foster homes until permanent homes were found. Transportation, food, and litter for all these fosters costs money that in most cases comes out of a rescuer's own pocket.
Feral for Life is an attempt to raise funds to support Brooklyn's independent cat rescuers. Money will go not only to help pay for food and other necessities for our fosters, but also to pay for the food independent rescuers buy on their own to feed the feral colonies in their neighborhoods.
By purchasing a T-shirt or tote, you help Brooklyn's independent rescuers continue to help the borough's homeless cats and kittens.
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