Q:    What is a “feral” vs. a “stray” cat”?
A:   A cat is considered feral if s/he was not exposed to humans at birth or shortly thereafter. A stray is a cat who is tamed but now lives outdoors due to abandonment, displacement or some other circumstance.  
 
Q:   What is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)?
A:   TNR is the humane trapping, vaccination, spay/neuter and return of feral cats to their home environment where caregivers will provide food, shelter and veterinary care.

Q:   Why is it so hard to find someone to do TNR for me?
A:   Most trappers are people just like you – with jobs, families and all the demands of life. They just choose to do more. But there aren’t enough of us and there never will be. But it’s not hard to do it yourself! See our “Trap-Neuter-Return” tab for step-by-step instructions and then ask us your questions!

Q:   My vet is so expensive. Aren’t there other resources that can help me with the expense of TNR?
A:  Yes! Many Townships offer free or low cost spay/neuter programs for ferals, including Town of Oyster Bay, Town of Babylon and Town of Hempstead. The Farmingdale Dog & Cat Clinic and Island Rescue (Bay Shore and Patchogue) are rescue-friendly too. For other suggestions in your area, email us. And, sometimes we can chip in too. Just ask and we’ll see what we can do!

Q:   Why not bring the cats to a shelter instead of returning them to their habitat after being spayed/neutered?
A:   Feral cats are usually too “wild” to be adopted and would only be destroyed if brought to a shelter. Kittens born outside need to be rescued before 8-10 weeks in order to have the best chance of being socialized (tamed) and adopted.
 
Q:   Wouldn’t they be better off being euthanized rather than living outdoors?
A:   No. Once they have been neutered/spayed, the cats can live a happy life outdoors with some help from human caregivers. And, if they were euthanized, new cats would only take their place because feral cats will appear wherever humans live.
 
Q:   How do we know Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) works?
A:   A thorough review of the available data concludes that TNR is the only viable solution for reducing the outdoor cat population; The Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association backs up these findings.