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Community Outreach
One of our goals at Palisades is to help animals in our community in ways other than just animal adoptions. It is important for us to contribute and give back to the community that has helped us so much over the years. We began our outreach efforts in 2008 with the creation of our feral cat program. We hope to add other areas of outreach as the years progress.
If you would like to contribute to our outreach programs you can donate through PayPal or by standard mail. See our Ways to Help page for details. Please indicate that your donation is for outreach activities. Thank you!
Feral Kitty Alteration Team (of Feral K.A.T)
What is a feral cat?
Feral cats are the offspring of stray or abandoned house cats who have had little to no contact with humans and thus revert quickly to a wild state of being. They are considered wild animals and many cannot be tamed or acclimated to life as a house cat. Feral cats tend to form colonies where food and other resources are available. Ex-restaurants and gas stations.
What is TNR?
TNR stands for Trap, Neuter and Release. Cats are trapped using humane traps, spay/neutered and then released back into the area they were found. Caretakers then continue to provide fresh water, medical care, shelter and food for the colony. TNR is essential in controlling feral populations and keeping colonies healthy!
I found a cat with a tipped ear, what does this mean?
If you have seen a cat with one ear “tipped” this indicates that the animal has gone through a TNR program and has been spayed or neutered. The ear will look slightly docked or like it has been clipped. If you have trapped a cat with a tipped ear and it appears healthy you should release him back where he was trapped. There is no need to put him through the trauma of a car ride to the vets office.
Why should people be concerned with ferals and spaying them?
Feral populations increase extremely quickly if not maintained through TNR. Many ferals end up at animal control each year and are not considered adoptable. The vast majority will be euthanized as a result. Controlling feral numbers decreases the total number of animals euthanized which will save lives and ends up costing taxpayers less money in the long run!
I found a feral cat/colony, what do I do now?
If you have found a feral and need help figuring out what to do next we can help! We will walk you through trapping, getting them spayed/neutered/vaccinated and setting up feeding stations for care after TNR. We offer use of our humane traps for a deposit and when funds are available can assist with spay vouchers through Operation Catnip (www.OperationCatnip.org). There are a number of other options we provide for colony caretakers so please contact us if you need assistance.
If you are a colony caretaker and would like more information on our assistance program or if you know of a group of feral cats and are interested in working with them please contact us at anna@PalisadesRescue.org