Colony Caretaking
They are hungry, they are breeding, they may be ill or injured. This is the scene that many people come upon BEFORE humans intervene in a feral cat colony. Feeding is the first step in caring for feral cats, but not the ONLY step and not even the most important step!
The most important first step is spaying and neutering your colony. If food is provided, yet you neglect to follow through with the spaying and neutering you will double, triple and quadruple your colony in no time. This will be an extra burden to you finacially and an extra burden to the colony itself.
You can find low cost spay and neuter clinics in Jacksonville, one of the best being First Coast No More Homeless Pets, located at FCNMHP that have a feral program and also Animal Control Feral Freedom program, which offer free spay/neuter for ferals.
The most important first step is spaying and neutering your colony. If food is provided, yet you neglect to follow through with the spaying and neutering you will double, triple and quadruple your colony in no time. This will be an extra burden to you finacially and an extra burden to the colony itself.
You can find low cost spay and neuter clinics in Jacksonville, one of the best being First Coast No More Homeless Pets, located at FCNMHP that have a feral program and also Animal Control Feral Freedom program, which offer free spay/neuter for ferals.
Maintaining A Colony
What to Feed - Dry food is recommended for colony feeding because it can remain out all day and not spoil. If you choose to feed wet food, do so in a separate plate or bowl rather than mixing it in with the dry food. Wet food will spoil if not eaten, attract ants and other insects.
When to Feed - It is recommended that feeding take place first thing in the morning or during the day for the following reasons:
Water: Fresh water should be given each time fresh food is supplied. If water is gone when you visit the colony, increase the number of water bowls or get a bigger one. It is important that water is available at all times.
Feeding Station/Winter Shelter: Unless there is a covered area where food/water bowls are kept, a feeding station is recommended to keep the food protected from birds and the weather. Feral cat sleeping shelters, designed to protect cats from the winter weather are also a great idea. Check out the Shelter page for affordable ideas on shelters and feeding stations.
When to Feed - It is recommended that feeding take place first thing in the morning or during the day for the following reasons:
- The cats can eat all day
- Less chance for attracting wildlife to feeding station at night
- Safer for caretaker
Water: Fresh water should be given each time fresh food is supplied. If water is gone when you visit the colony, increase the number of water bowls or get a bigger one. It is important that water is available at all times.
Feeding Station/Winter Shelter: Unless there is a covered area where food/water bowls are kept, a feeding station is recommended to keep the food protected from birds and the weather. Feral cat sleeping shelters, designed to protect cats from the winter weather are also a great idea. Check out the Shelter page for affordable ideas on shelters and feeding stations.
Relocating A Colony
If there is no other choice, then relocation of feral cats must be done carefully. Many people don't realize you can't take ferals and simply let them go in a new territory and expect they'll stick around. Most of the time, they won't. Because they are so territorial, they must be taught their food source has changed before they can be safely released. This is typically a two to three week process which requires confinement of the cats in the new territory. For more information download this document on relocating a feral cat colony.