AnimalSave's Feral Cat Program

What is a Feral Cat?

A feral cat is either one that has lived their whole life with little human contact, or is a stray who was lost or abandoned and has lived away from humans long enough to become wild. These cats avoid human contact and cannot be touched by strangers. There are approximately 32 million feral cats in the U.S.

AnimalSave works exclusively with a local feral cat trapper who traps these cats, brings them to us for spay/neuter surgery, and if they are adult cats, returns them to the property where trapped.

Please call (530) 477-1706 and leave a message with your contact information, the number of cats you have and where you are located, and we will forward that information to our trapper. You will be contacted as soon as possible about getting on the schedule, but know know that we are booked out at least a month.

stray kitten near a wall

Myths and Facts about Feral Cats

  • Myth 1: Feral cats can be eradicated by trapping and killing. 
    Fact: Decades of eradication campaigns have done nothing to reduce the number of stray and feral cats. Survivors breed exponentially . . . then as new cats move in, they too reproduce. 

  • Myth 2: Feral cats present a high risk of spreading rabies. 
    Fact: From 2000-2021, only 10 people died from rabies in this country, and not one of them contracted the disease from a cat.

  • Myth 3: Feral cats are sickly and diseased. 
    Fact: Feral cats in managed colonies generally enjoy the same health, fitness, and low occurrence of disease enjoyed by pet cats.

Do You Have a Barn That Needs a Cat?

We sometimes have outside, unsocialized cats that would would be perfect for your barn or garage. Even a feral cat can learn to trust, will eventually settle in and stay near your home, and can provide excellent rodent control.

These cats are always spayed or neutered and vaccinated before they’re placed with you. Call us at (530) 271-7071 for more information.

If You Have a Colony of Feral Cats

Please call (530) 477-1706 and leave a message with your contact information and the number of cats you have, and we will reach out to our trapper. You will be contacted as soon as possible about getting on the schedule, but know know that we are booked out at least a month.