- What does Forgotten Felines of Sonoma
County do?
- What is a feral cat?
- What is a colony?
- What is a caretaker?
- Will you remove a feral cat from my
back yard if I don't want it to stay there?
- If you only take care of feral (wild)
cats then why do you have an adoption program?
- Will you take other previously owned
cats into your adoption program?
- Is it a good idea to let a cat have
at least one litter?
- What other Animal Rescue
Organizations and Shelters are in the area?
What does Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County do?
Feral Cat Colony Control via TTVAR-M Method (Trap, Test, Vaccinate,
Alter, Release and Maintain).
Our primary purpose is to work with feral colonies. These may
be feral cats that are currently living and being cared for by
an individual on private property, such as a business or a farm.
Or a feral colony that is cared for by a FFSC volunteer -- with
the permission of the property owner.
FFSC practices the TTVAR-M method of feral cat control. Every
cat is trapped, taken to one of our participating veterinarians
to be tested for feline leukemia, spayed/neutered, and vaccinated
for rabies and distemper. All FELV positive cats are humanely
euthanized. Every cat is "ear tipped" as a means of
future identification by the colony caretaker. Our program results
in a stable colony of healthy and non-reproducing cats.
All the feral colonies we work with are fed and maintained
on a daily basis. FFSC provides Caretaker Guidelines for those
people caring for feral cat colonies. (see About
Forgotten Felines of Sonoma County)
FAQ Index
What is a feral cat?
There are three classifications of feral cats:
- Total Feral no previous human contact or only negative
contact
- Semi-Feral some positive human contact
- Converted Feral abandoned domestic reverted to semi-feral
FAQ Index
What is a colony?
A colony is any location where a group of cats congregate.
Most often near a source of food.
FAQ Index
What is a caretaker?
The caretaker is the volunteer responsible for feeding, providing
clean water and monitoring the cats for health problems.
FAQ Index
Will you remove a feral cat from my back yard if I don't
want it to stay there?
Relocating a feral cat can be a difficult process. First you
have to find a willing homeowner and a safe location. Removing
a cat from its established territory is only done as a last resort
and only if we have a safe relocation site. Once that relocation
site is found, the feral must be caged for three weeks at the
new site so it can become accustomed to the sights, sounds and
smells of it's new home. In addition, a regular feeding pattern
is established. This is the only motivating factor we have to
encourage the cat to stay at it's new home.
FAQ Index
If you only take care of feral (wild) cats then why do you
have an adoption program?
Sometimes tame cats who have been abandoned or lost find their
way into our established colonies. (They are drawn to the food
source.) Tame cats are removed from the colonies and placed into
our adoption program where we find them a home of their own.
And, sometimes feral females from our established colonies
have kittens before we can trap and alter them. The kittens are
then removed from the colony, socialized and then find homes through
our adoption program.
FAQ Index
Will you take other previously owned cats into your adoption
program?
No.
The only cats allowed into our adoption program are:
- Tame cats pulled from an established colony
- Kittens pulled from an established colony that have been
socialized
No domestic, feral or otherwise, cat should be allowed to have
kittens. Early spay is imperative.
(See About FFSC.)
Tame Cat Clinic