What does “Feral” mean when referring to a feral cat? A Feral cat is a cat who was born in the wild, where a “stray” cat is a cat who at some point had a home and now lives outside. Stray cats are accustomed to contact with people and can be tame, but feral cats are not accustomed to contact with people and are typically too fearful and wild to be handled. Stray cats may be reunited with their families or adopted into new homes, feral cats do not easily adapt or may never adapt to living as pets in close contact with people.
North Hill participates in a TNR- Trap-Neuter-Return program. Trapping, neutering/spaying and returning the feral cats to their outdoor home benefits the cats and the community. While here the cats are spayed or neutered, vaccinated for rabies and their left ear tip is trimmed (the universal symbol of a neutered/spayed cat), and then the cat is returned to their outdoor home. The colony’s population stabilizes- which means no more kittens! This improves their lives and improves their relationship with the community- the behaviors and stresses associated with mating stop.
