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Low Cost Spay/Neuter for Feral Cats
A.C.T., 1719 W. Lemon St., Tampa 33606 (813) 250-3900
Humane Society of Tampa Bay, 3607 N. Armenia Ave., Tampa 33607 (813) 870-3304
Feline Folks, P.O. Box 6294, Sun City Center 33571-6294 (813) 944-7651
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About Feral Cats
A feral cat is one who has reverted in some degree to a wild state. Feral cats originate from former domestic cats who were lost or abandoned and they learned to live outdoors, or in environments involving little human contact. In most cases, feral cats are not completely wild because they still depend on people as a food source, whether it is a caretaker who comes by daily, or a dumpster outside a restaurant. Relatively few feral cats subsist only by hunting.
The Problem in Hillsborough County:
One expert has estimated that there are 200,000 feral cats in Hillsborough County. They are offspring of cats who were not spayed or neutered and left unaltered continue to produce litter after litter. Unlike colder climates, in Florida cats will continue to mate all year round. Feral cats group themselves together in packs called colonies. Most of their nuisance behavior can be attributed to mating behaviors that would most likely cease if the cats were sterilized. These behaviors include noise from fighting and mating and the smell from spraying urine to mark territories. These cats are not socialized to humans and adoption is not an option, however the breeding of feral cats does result in kittens entering our shelters and taking homes away from adult socialized cats. Most adult cats that are taken to Animal Services are euthanized because they are not adoptable and are a danger to employees who are trying to care for them. It costs our county more money to euthanize an animal than it does to adopt one. That means you as a taxpayer pay more taxes.
The Solution for our Community:
Trap/Neuter/Return (or TNR) is the only effective method to humanely manage and reduce feral cat colonies. TNR respects a feral cat’s wild state and allows them to live out their lives comfortably. The Humane Society of Tampa Bay, ACT, Feline Folks and Mission MEOW support TNR, and thankfully, we are not alone. It will take the support and understanding of everyone in our community to solve this problem. In 2009, Hillsborough County euthanized 17,697 animals and 12,561 were cats.
