Today is National Feral Cat Day – a day for everybuddy to think about the outdoor kitties. Y’know, the ones that look like they don’t have a home? Like I was when I was living behind the big building where the guy works. Feral cats live in every community. They’re the same as domestic cats ‘cept they’re not socialized to humans so they can’t be adopted into forever homes.
The best and most humane way to help a feral cat is through the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program, which keeps feral cats from breeding and helps them and humans to co-exist peacefully. It also ends alot of bad behaviors associated with outdoor cats like yowling, fighting, spraying and roaming.
Did you know that being killed in an animal shelter is the #1 documented cause of death for cats in the U.S.? Over 70% of cats that enter animal shelters are killed and nearly all feral cats brought to shelters are killed right away ‘cuz they’re not socialized and can’t be adopted into homes.
When I was caught by the guy and the lady with the yellow hair, they thought about taking me to a shelter but they knew that without proper socializing, there was no way I’d ever be adopted and I probably wouldn’t be here today. So they decided to keep me and socialize me themselves. Haha! They’re still socializing me!!
National Feral Cat Day began 9 years ago by Alley Cat Allies, a national organization dedicated to the protection and humane treatment of cats, ‘specially feral cats. And I’m happy to tell you that through the commentathon that we had the other day to celebrate the lady with the yellow hair’s birthday, there were 92 comments (yep, we even counted the belated ones!) for a total of $46 to be donated to Alley Cat Allies. But we’re gonna round this off for a grand total of $50 to be donated! Thanks to everybuddy who commented!! These green papers will really help the feral kitties!!
41 Responses to “Formerly Feral – Feral Cat Day!”
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We’re glad that you have found your forever home. we cannot believe that kitties are being killed in shelters because they are feral and not socialised. Mum bean says that her mum has saved stray/feral cats before and with a little effort and socialisation they turn out to be very loving cats indeed.
I’m lucky like you Zoey cuz Kevin & Sharon welcomed me into their life & gave me a loving home:) I am very thankful every day!
your pal,
Bruce:)
Hi Zoey…what a wonderful public service announcement today…Mom and I have a friend Remington (the sweetest big black dog) he lives with kitties too. We would like to invite you to go over to Remington’s blog
http://our-remington.blogspot.com/
to read his post of October 14 and look at the pictures.
His Mom and Dad built an outdoor compound for some feral cats in their neighborhood. It is so beautiful Mom’s eyes almost leaked!!
Madi and Mom
This is such a wonderful and informative post! Great work helping spread the word and bring awareness to TNR!! Unfortunately, in our local shelter the euthanasia rate for ferals is somewhere near 99% and sometimes they don’t even hold them the required 72 hours. It’s very sad. Great job on the commentathon too! Wow, $50.00 goes along way and you should be furry proud!
Zoey, you are such a furry lucky girl!
Great post!
We are happy for you sweet Zoey!!
Thats awesome! That is a lot of birthday wishes!
From one feral girl to another, I know how lucky we are to have found forever homes that will love us even though we are wired a little differently than the others. When I wandered in to the yard, mom and dad thought they would place me, but because I had asthma (which is now gone!) and I was, you know, freaky…they knew that would not work, so I got to stay. That’s what I wanted anyway!
What a wonderful post today, Zoey! And what a wonderful way to honor the ferals with the donation! I (Laila) was a wild and terrified feral kitten and have come so far.
Happy National Feral Cat Day!
Zoey, we love that your humans are still ‘socializing’ you! Our Mom laughed at that!
You’re very generous and that is a great donation from the commentathon!
Zoey, that was a very informative post. We are happy that you are still being socialised;)
We are very glad you are still being socialized! Keep working on that!
There are a couple of feral poodins in this house. And they are still being socialized too! That is great that you are donating $50 smakkers to ACA! We donate to them also.
Luf, Us
We are glad you were found by such a good family and are being socialized!
We is so happy that you found yourselfs just the right home to live in and just the right momma and dadd to ♥ you.
Our mama’s sister socialized a feral cat, and he is the most loving cat ever. We’re so glad that the same happened for you.
~Whisker Tickles,
Lizzie and Connor
Good info in you post about feral cats. Got to spread the word to help all homeless kitties!
Zoey, that was a GRRR-8 story on how you came to be with your humans! We wish they all could find furrver homes, but we know this is impossible, but at least some are as lucky as you!
Hi Zoey,
I want to first say how pretty you are. I just love your long whiskers too!
Thanks to your mom for the donation! It’s so sad about the fate of feral kitties in shelters.
Hugs,
Lucy
You have been truly blessed, Zoey…..
xxxxxxxx
Thanks for the great post, Zoey. We’re so glad you’ve found your furever home. 🙂
WOW! Wot a great and informative post. It made us very sad to think so many cats are killed when take into care ~ it’s tragic. Which make the birthday donation yoo are making even more impawtant ~ so thank yoo for being so kind and thoughtful.
AND we’re thrilled that yoo Zoey, have a wonderful loving forever home ~ that’s a very happy ending. Happy Feral Cat Day!
We love yoo all!
PS: We think yoo should insist that yoor dad takes yoor flatcats on a mega tour of his nursery ~ ‘cos we’d love to see it! Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeese!
Zoey
Our littlest Gracie was feral. Someone abandoned her AT Animal Care and Control they just gave her to us because they did not want to take her in because they knew she would end up dead. We are so glad that we took her in and socialized her, she is such a dear sweet cuddly furball. So we think your commentation was great and a great success!
purrs
Abby
Hey Zoey, my sisters and I are so happy you found your forever home too, we all just wish that everyone could. Great job raising the green stuff…ya done good!!!
We are so glad that you are in a great forever home Zoey! We are pretty sure two of our kitties were feral but they were so young when they were found they never really needed much socializing (Virgil was 4 weeks when we took him in, and Floyd was about 12 weeks). We think TNR programs are great and we love that there is a day to talk about Feral kitties. Congrats on raising so much green stuff for those kitties in need – it is great!
Happy Feral Cat Day!
All my love and purrs for you dear friends, I loved this beautiful post!
Luna
What a great post. Thank you so much for sharing all those facts. And Zoey, Glogirly and I are so happy you are in a forever home. Everybody and everycat deserves a forever home.
xxoo,
Katie
We’re so glad you found such a wonderful furever home Zoey! It’s furry important that people realize that feral kitties cannot be taken to shelters since they are not adoptable and no one has the time to socialize them. Alley Cat Allies is a great organization and our mommy donates some of her shop proceeds to them!
So glad that you were adopted and that you were able to become the beautiful cat you are now.. Hugs GJ xx
We are so glad that these wonderful people found you and saved you, Zoey! Congratulations on the success of the commenthaton!
Happy belated birthday to your mom. It makes our heart sad to hear that most of the ferals are put to sleep, and that so many shelter cats never get to have a furrever home.
We like being outside. But we like it even more that we have a house to eat and sleep in and all the sweet attention.
Great informative post! We’re so glad you got such a great forever home. We hope that someday soon kitties are no longer put to death because they don’t have a home. T-N-R programs are a very important part of the solution. Thanks for spreading the word.
Not only are you BOOTIFUL, you’re smart too… you found just the right humans for you!
Oh Zoey what a lovely post. So glad you came inside!
I am so very glad that your humans decided to socialize you themselves and kept you forever. Thanks for the very informative post.
Yay for all the money raised! You are lucky to be socializing so well. We give to Alley Cat Allies every month so the feral kitties have a better chance.
That’s a great amount to donate!
We are grateful not ta be outside in this awful weather. We is grateful fer good regular Stinky Goodness. And we would share it wif feral kitties ta help them get through the night.
That’s a wonderful and selfless thing for your mama to do, to donate $50 to take care of less fortunate kitties! Kudos! Great post today, too.
Youl should be on TV! I would listen to you ALOT! In our house, Perry was the feral one until Tommy brought him to Dallas. He’s really the only one that runs to the door–and out–like he did today, to roll on the patio. Tommy got him before he made a mad dash. For being an ol’ guy, he’s can be pretty quick.
I wish all the outside kitties had inside furr-ever homes. Would be so much safer.
Noir
Zoey, a big Bravo to your humans for their generous gift.