How to Report a Cat Colony

Stray or abandoned cats often band together to form colonies. Cat colonies can be wonderful support systems for lonely kitties, but they increase breeding, antagonize your indoor cats and can be a nuisance for a residential neighborhood. Here are some helpful hints for dealing with a cat colony.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Make sure the cats do not have owners before you take steps to report them. Watch the cats carefully for several days; you will be asked questions when you report the colony.

2. Research what your local support system is for stray or feral animals. Most regions in the U.S. rely on one or more of the following: animal shelter, humane society, TNR system (trap-neuter-release) or a cat colony farm.

3. Contact the local outreach program of your choice. The most humane option for the cats is to relocate them to a colony "farm" with a caretaker. These are areas--usually in rural parts of town--where cats can live peacefully outdoors under the management of a caretaker.

4. Take matters into your own hands. Some outreach programs cannot help everyone. Few employees and very high demand make it difficult for farms and shelters to keep up. If your local outreach program is overwhelmed, consider using a TNR program for the cat colony. TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Release or Trap-Neuter-Return. TNR humanely traps cats, spays or neuters them and then returns them to their original dwelling. The purpose of this program is to stop stray cats from breeding.

5. Learn to trap a cat humanely. TNR organizations may need your help to trap cats once you have reported the colony. The organization or animal shelter will provide free traps or give you instructions on the materials and methods to use. Trap at dusk. Develop a pattern so cats within a colony are feeding at the same time over a number of days. They will be much easier to trap.

6. Be persistent. Almost every community has a system to deal with cat colonies. If you strike out with all options, talk to vets and keep working to solve the problem. People get frustrated with cat colonies and continue to feed them because they think there is nothing else to do. Feeding a cat colony without proper shelter and veterinary care is the worst thing you can do.

Tips & Warnings

• Many animal organizations are moving to email as their primary source of communication. Busy schedules make it difficult to answer the phone, but they often have a designated employee who responds to email inquiries.
• Keep your own cats away from a colony. Cat colonies have a high incidence of disease and illness. Wash your hands thoroughly if you have been exposed to cats within a stray colony.