Frequently Asked Questions

What is a feral cat?

Feral cats are outdoor, free-roaming cats who have never been socialized to humans and are living in a “wild” state. This could be a formerly domestic cat who has been abandoned and has reverted back to a “wild” state, or a cat who has been born on the streets and has never had any contact or interaction with humans. Feral cats look like regular domestic house-cats, but because they have never been socialized, they are very fearful and distrustful of humans. Some arch their backs and hiss and show aggression, others just avoid eye contact and run. With true ferals, you can’t pick them up or handle them. Very often you can’t even get close to them. They are the un-owned cats or “community cats.”

What is a stray cat?

Stray cats are former pets or companion cats who have been abandoned or “strayed” from home and become lost. Stray cats are generally tame and handleable. These cats used to be cared for by an owner, but are now trying to survive on their own on the streets. Stray cats can be handled and held, although they still may be skittish or frightened and run away from people. Generally, though, stray cats exhibit similar temperaments as pet cats and can be rescued off the streets and adopted into homes again.

What is a tame cat?

A tame cat is a friendly, domesticated cat. “Tame” refers to the disposition of the cat. Tame cats can either be someone’s pet or companion, or they can be a friendly stray cat making his/her way on the street. Tame cats can generally be picked up, held, touched, and are used to being around or living with people.

What is TNR and what does it stand for?

TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return. Trap-Neuter-Return is a community-based program. It involves concerned citizens like you trapping feral, free-roaming cats in your neighborhood, bringing them to a clinic like FixNation to get them spayed or neutered, and then returning the cats to the exact spot where you trapped them so they can live out the rest of their natural lives.

Why does TNR work?

Spaying and neutering the cats will end the cycles of homeless kittens being born so the population stabilizes, and over time it reduces naturally. Once the cats are fixed, the problematic behaviors of howling, cat fighting and spraying also subside. Trap-Neuter-Return is the only humane way to effectively reduce the feral cat population, so that people and cats can peacefully co-exist.

Can’t I just trap the cats and remove them?

Trap and remove does not work. Cats are there in the environment because of two main reasons: 1) there is a food source (intended or not) and 2) there is some sort of shelter. When cats are removed from a location, the surrounding cats breed rapidly to fill in the gap, plus new cats move in to take advantage of the natural food and shelter. This “vacuum effect “is well documented. Trapping and removing cats often results in you having even more unsterilized cats than when you started. Apart from being ineffective, trapping and killing is inhumane and very costly to taxpayers. Trap-Neuter-Return is the only proven solution. TNR stops the cycle of kittens and caps the population growth, so that the population will naturally be reduced over time.

What if I take the feral cats to the shelter? Can the shelter find homes for them?

If you take feral cats or feral kittens to the shelter, the shelter will euthanize them. Feral cats have never been socialized to humans so they are deemed “unadoptable” by the shelter and they are not even shown to the public. They are held for the mandatory state holding period of three days and then killed. Even supposedly no-kill shelters are not able to place feral cats in homes and the cats are killed.

I feel bad for the feral cat. Can I just keep it as a pet?

Feral or “wild” cats are not pets. Feral cats already have a home… outside. Feral cats are very fearful and distrustful of humans and therefore un-adoptable. Confining them in a home is like keeping them in captivity for life. Feral cats live outdoors just like other wildlife.

Feral kittens can often be adopted into homes, but only if they are socialized at an early age. Generally kittens up to around 12 weeks of age can be tamed relatively easily. However, the older the kittens get, the harder it is to tame them. Whether you can tame them or not also depends on the temperament of the kitten; some are more gentle and friendly than others. There is a critical window of time in which kittens must be socialized, and if they aren’t handled in time, they will remain feral and therefore unadoptable.

Stray cats, however, can be taken into homes as pets. Remember, stray cats used to be someone’s pet and were either abandoned or they “strayed” from home and became lost. These are cats who are used to being in homes and are struggling to survive on the street. Tame, friendly stray cats can and should be picked up off the street and adopted into homes again.

I’m way too busy to trap. What happens if I just ignore the cats?

If you ignore the cats, they will continue to breed prolifically. Cats can start having litters when they’re only five months old, and they can have 3-4 litters a year, usually of 5-6 kittens per litter. If you just ignore the situation, in a short time you can easily go from three or four cats to 30+. Trap-Neuter-Return is the only solution to control the population growth. Start TNR’ing now before the problem gets out of control.

What is FixNation’s free feral program?

FixNation offers free spay/neuter services for homeless, stray and feral cats. Under our free feral program, all homeless cats who will be “eartipped” for identification purposes will receive the following free services at the time of surgery: Spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, feline distemper (FVRCP) vaccine, flea treatment, de-worming, fluids, antibioitic and pain medication.

What is an eartip? Why do I need to eartip a feral cat?

Eartipping is the universal symbol to identify that an outdoor or free-roaming cat has been fixed. This involves clipping off, or “tipping” the upper 1 centimeter of the cat’s right ear so that it’s straight across instead of coming up into a point. This is done while the cat is under anesthesia, is relatively painless for the cat, and it does not significantly alter the appearance or beauty of the cat. (See photo below.) Since feral cats are wild, you cannot get close enough to them or pick them up to tell if they have been fixed before. The eartip allows you to recognize at a distance whether the cat has been fixed. It is a sign to your neighbors, other trappers and caregivers in the area, and even to Animal Control that the cat has been fixed.

I have feral cats in my neighborhood that I would like to get fixed. Where do I start? What do I need to do?

Before you can come to our clinic, we first require an application. You can download our application from our website. You will find both our Feral Cat Application and our Tame Cat Application on our homepage in the lower right-hand box under our Forms & Resources section. You can complete whichever application is most appropriate to your situation. When you’re done, you can either email it back to us, fax it to us or mail it in. Our fax number, email and physical address are all listed on the top of the application form.

Once we receive your application back, a staff member will call you within 48-72 hours to get you started, loan you humane traps if need be, and get you scheduled for initial reservations. Reservations must be made in advance. Please do not bring cats to our clinic without a confirmed reservation, as you will be turned away.

I want to get my own pet cat fixed, but I can’t afford to. Can you help me?

FixNation will provide free spay/neuter services for any cat, regardless of your income qualifications, provided that the cat gets eartipped. Under our free feral program, all homeless cats who will be “eartipped” for identification purposes will receive the following free services at the time of surgery: Spay/neuter, rabies vaccine, feline distemper (FVRCP) vaccine, flea treatment, de-worming, fluids, antibioitic and pain medication. We can do a small eartip on request, particularly if the cat is your own companion cat, a stray cat who you rescued and are trying to find a home for, or for any kittens who you rescued who you are trying to tame down and adopt out.

What if I don’t want to eartip the cat?

For any tame, companion cats or rescued kittens who are not getting eartipped, we do offer spay/neuter services at reduced rates. The cost of a female spay is $55 and a male neuter is $40 (as of 1/1/10). We also offer vaccines and flea treatment for tame cats for an additional cost and only at the time the cat is here for spay/neuter surgery. If you live in the city of Los Angeles, you may qualify for a city spay/neuter voucher good for $30 off the price of the surgery (or $70 off for low-income families). City vouchers can be picked up at any city animal shelter provided they have some available.

What if the cat is pregnant?

It is safe to spay your cat even if she is pregnant. The pregnancy will be humanely aborted. While later term pregnancies pose a slightly higher surgical risk, our veterinarians are highly experienced and it is safe to spay your cat at any point during the pregnancy.

This female cat just had kittens. When should I get her spayed?

We request that you wait until the kittens are 5 weeks old before you trap and bring in the mom. Kittens under 5 weeks need their mother since they have to nurse every couple of hours. They also require their mom to be able to keep warm, since they can’t hold in body heat on their own yet. The kittens also can’t go to the bathroom on their own yet; the mother has to stimulate them to go. After 5 weeks of age, kittens can go a slightly longer time without their mother and they are able to eat wet food and go to the bathroom on their own.

After the spay, can the mother cat still nurse her kittens? Is it safe for the kittens?

Yes, the mother cat can still safely nurse her kittens after the spay surgery. She will continue to produce milk, and nursing won’t interfere with her ability to heal post-surgery. It is also safe for the kittens to nurse and the spay won’t interfere with the milk production at all.