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June, 2015

 



After the huge success of our book sale and the huge amount of TNRs in May, June has been a very quiet month. Only four neuters were done and it seems that everybody, including the cats, have gone into hibernation now that the cold weather is upon us.

Rita and Sandra continue to make every effort to trap their two "outstanding" ferals and we hope that they will have better luck in July. I must still take a trap to Mandy and this will be done immediately after festival.

Once festival is done and dusted, I will get hold of Lara to discuss progress of our calendar. In the meantime, please get in touch with her at lara@evanescent.co.za if you'd like to have your cats featured.

Viv and Eileen, organisers of our successful book sale, will be arranging a clothing sale for later in the year - date still to be decided - so please keep us in mind when you are clearing out your pre-loved items.

On 3 October Mary and Lorraine will be holding another food and cash collection outside Pick 'n Pay, so nearer the time we will be asking our loyal volunteers to help fill our roster.



Feral and Stray Cats - An Important Difference

Pet and stray cats are socialized to people. Feral cats are not socialized to people. While they are socialized to their colony members and bonded to each other, they do not have that same relationship with people.

Stray:

  • A stray cat is a cat who has been socialized to people at some point in her life, but has left or lost her domestic home, as well as most human contact and dependence.
  • Over time, a stray cat can become feral as her contact with humans dwindles.
  • Under the right circumstances, however, a stray cat can also become a pet cat once again. Stray cats that are re-introduced to a home after living outdoors may require a period of time to re-acclimate; they may be frightened and wary after spending time outside away from people.
  • Another definition that may help:
    "A stray cat is a domestic cat that has been abandoned or has 'strayed' from home and become lost. Stray [cats] were once pets and they can usually be successfully rescued and placed in homes." - Stray Cat Handbook

Feral:

  • A feral cat is a cat who has either never had any contact with humans or her contact with humans has diminished over time. She is fearful of people and survives on her own outdoors. A feral cat is not likely to ever become a lap cat or enjoy living indoors.
  • Kittens born to feral cats can be socialized at an early age and adopted into homes.

Why does it matter?

  • Stray cats can readjust to living with people and can be adopted as companions.
  • Adult feral cats are not socialized to people, which means they cannot be adopted. As a result, they are likely to be killed if picked up by animal control or brought to shelters, so it is in their best interest to continue living outdoors.
  • Stray and feral cats can be difficult to tell apart, especially when they are trapped or frightened. Scared stray cats often need time to relax and show their level of socialization. Learn more.
  • Trap-Neuter-Return takes into account each cat's level (or degree) of socialization to determine the best environment for them. Feral cats are returned to their outdoor home after being trapped and neutered. Socialized cats and kittens can be adopted into homes.

How do I tell the difference when the cats are outdoors?

Since it is difficult to determine each cat's socialization during a stressful event such as trapping, it's a good idea to observe cats on their own outdoors using the guidelines below. Remember that these guidelines are not hard and fast rules and that just one of these traits is probably not enough to draw a conclusion.

Bottom line: If a cat you don't know approaches you or if you can touch her, she is most likely not feral. Not all stray cats will do this though, especially at first-each cat will act differently in a variety of situations. More monitoring using these guidelines may be necessary to determine if the cat is socialized.

 

STRAY

FERAL

SOCIALIZATION TO HUMANS

May approach people, houses, porches, or cars

Will not approach and will likely seek hiding places to avoid people

SOCIALIZATION TO OTHER CATS

Will likely live alone, not be part of a group

May belong to a colony

BODY LANGUAGE

Might walk and move like a housecat, such as walking with tail up—a sign of friendliness

May crawl, crouch, stay low to the ground, and protect body with tail

Will probably look at you, blink, or make eye contact

Unlikely to make eye contact

VOCALIZATION

May be vocal, meow, or “answer” your voice

Won’t meow, beg, or purr

SCHEDULE

Will be visible primarily during the daytime

More likely to be nocturnal; occasionally out during the day

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

Will probably be dirty or disheveled

Will probably have a clean, well-kept coat.

A male with a big head and thick neck, muscular body, and/or scars from fighting is more likely to be feral, since these are traits associated with intact males (and only 2% of feral cats are neutered in the U.S.). He may also have a spiky coat from high testosterone levels and less time spent grooming; may also have “stud tail”—hair loss, greasiness, or bumps at the base of the tail due to hormones.

Will not have an eartip

Will likely have an eartip if neutered as part of a TNR program

PREGNANCY, NURSING, KITTENS

 

A female who is pregnant or lactating is more likely to be feral, since only 2% of feral cats are neutered in the U.S.


For more information and a PDF factsheet:
http://www.alleycat.org/StrayorFeral

 


Late in 2014 Allon and Carol Poole adopted two kittens born to Cloudy McKeown. Mom Carol has sent us a pic of Morris and three of Moggy.

 

Donations

(1 to 30 June)

Thank you so much to everyone who donated. Your support means so much to us and helps us to continue with our work.

Marcelle van Hees
Cecilia Blight
Jo Fitzhenry
Anon
Jenny Gon
Colleen Duffy
Sheryl Drennan
Sandra Coetzee

If making electronic payments please remember to include WILDCAT and your name as a reference so that we can thank you. Please email proof of payment to: l.grant@nelm.org.za

 

About Us


All donations go to sterilization and a small portion to food.
Occasionally there are costs for veterinary care of ferals who are ill or injured.

We appreciate your generosity greatly as it enables us to continue helping the feral cats.
Spays cost us R440 and neuters R287,
plus extra for any complications such as pregnancy or undescended testes.

The adoption fee is R500, which includes first deworming and inoculation and obligatory sterilization.

If you would like to donate any amount, please deposit into our vet account at:

The Grahamstown Veterinary Clinic,
Standard Bank Account No 282625054
Branch Code 050917

Please add the reference "W/CAT" and your name, and please notify us if possible
so that we can follow up donations in case of accidental misallocation

Please do not take any feral/stray cat into the vet for attention and charge it to our Wildcat account without prior approval from Lynne.

The Wildcat account with the vet is meant for sterilization of ferals and will only under certain exceptional circumstances be used for other procedures.

Grahamstown Feral Cat Project uses the TNR (Trap, Neuter & Return) approach - globally recognised as the most humane, least costly and most sustainable way of stabilizing feral cat populations.

Volunteers humanely trap the feral cats; we take them to the vet to be spayed or neutered; the tip of the right ear is snipped off so we can easily identify that they have been sterilized; we return them to their original territory where they live out their lives (adult ferals cannot be tamed). Feral kittens, wherever possible, are fostered, tamed and homed.

 

Archived Newsletters

December 2014
January 2015
February 2015
March 2015
April 2015
May 2015

 

The Grahamstown Feral Cat project promotes responsible pet ownership. This includes proper care (feeding, vaccination and preventative treatment against parasites, etc.) and sterilisation to prevent unplanned kittens and reduce the number of homeless animals.

See
http://www.ru.ac.za/greenliving/action/petwise
and
http://www.ru.ac.za/greenliving/action/animalwise/feralcats

 

To subscribe to our monthly newsletter, please click here or follow this link:
http://fables.activedns.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gfcp-list

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http://fables.activedns.co.za/cgi-bin/mailman/options/gfcp-list

 

Page updated on February 6, 2018
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