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Feral & Community Cats

How can I tell the difference? 

Image by Shawn Rain

Feral Cat:

An unsocialized, outdoor cat who has either never had physical contact with humans or contact has diminished enough over time that he or she is no longer accustomed to it.

We apologize for the inconvenience, but we are not currently able to schedule feral and community cat appointments online. Please call and leave a message or email us directly. Your call will be returned within three business days. Our call volume is very high, but we will return your call in the order in which it was received. We appreciate your understanding and patience!

Image by Shawn Rain

Community Cat:

An outdoor, unowned, free-roaming cat. These cats may be friendly, skittish, or somewhere in between. They may or may not have a community caretaker who feeds them occasionally. 

Often born and raised in the wild, feral and community cats should be trapped in humane, live traps and covered for transport to minimize the risk of life-threatening anxiety and stress to the animal.

Following surgery, these cats should remain contained for up to 48 hours to reduce the risk of injury and infection to the surgical site. 

Handling feral and community cats can be very dangerous for both the animal and our staff. Animals who become fractious will need to be rescheduled and medication prescribed to calm them prior to transporting them for their rescheduled appointment. 

Payment for Services is required at the time of check-in

Feral cats in covered live animal traps
  • .Please review feral cat containment requirements 
  • Traps MUST be covered during transport and while in our facility. Please see below:
    • Uncovered traps may cause these animals to have adverse health events and/or complications during the surgical process.
    • Feral and community cats may experience adrenaline surges as a result of trapping and transport that could make it difficult to sedate them for the surgical procedure, and cause them to require higher doses of medication.
    • Overstimulation may also result in the animal being too fractious or aggressive to be handled safely by staff
  • Feral and community cats will receive a rabies vaccination and ear tip at no additional cost
  •  Pain medication will be administered during surgery
  • Community/Feral cats arriving in carriers rather than traps will be charged  FULL PRICE for surgery and additional vaccines if the animal can be safely handled.
    • Animals that cannot be safely handled will have their appointment rescheduled or canceled and a cancellation fee will be assessed.
    • Animals requiring transfer from a plastic carrier to a live animal trap will be assessed a transfer fee. 
  • All cats scheduled as FERAL or COMMUNITY CATS MUST receive an ear tip
  • All feral/community cats receive a Rabies vaccine at no cost, funded by our SPAY IT FORWARD program. 
  • All feral/community-owned cats receive a FVRCP vaccine at no cost, funded by a generous grant from PETCO LOVE! 

AVOID THE INCONVENIENCE AND ADDED FEES ASSOCIATED WITH RESCHEDULING BY OBSERVING THE FOLLOWING RESTRICTIONS:​​​​​​​​

CONTAINMENT REQUIREMENTS

  • Feral and community cats must arrive for surgery in INDIVIDUAL, LIVE, HUMANE TRAPS OVER 30" LONG.
  • Traps meant for small animals are not acceptable.
  • Traps should be COVERED during transportation and remain covered when you enter the building.
  • Failure to comply with these requirements will result in your appointment being RESCHEDULED and a cancelation fee assessed!
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