Animal Welfare Professionals

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  • 1.  Period to return Community Cats back to their location

    Posted 02-28-2019 07:08 PM

    Hi everyone!

    I was wondering what period of time other organizations used when attempting to return a community cat back to their original location after it has already spent some time being fed indoors/shelter. When I attended a workshop at Austin Pets Alive! they used a three month mark that they considered safe to return the cat, but I heard today from a Best Friends Animal Society staff that they use a three week maximum. If you do have a set window to attempt a return, what references do you have to support it?

    Thank you so much in advance!


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    #returncommunitycats


  • 2.  RE: Period to return Community Cats back to their location

    Posted 03-01-2019 09:07 AM

    I have returned cats after a longer period - I am set up to foster feral-acting mothers that have come into the shelter in a trap, either with newborn kittens or have given birth in the shelter, and that can not go to a regular kitten foster. I keep them in a large crate setup (if possible, two connected) until the kittens are weaned. Mothers that are not adoptable will be returned unless there are circumstances where that is not possible. I do not have any success/failure numbers, because these are return to field cats that come in through the city's animal control. 


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  • 3.  RE: Period to return Community Cats back to their location

    Posted 03-01-2019 12:08 PM

    That makes a lot of sense, I hadn't thought about the moms we also keep until the kittens are weaned and then return to their original locations. Thank you for the feedback!


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  • 4.  RE: Period to return Community Cats back to their location

    Posted 03-02-2019 07:45 AM

    I don’t have stats but here is what the group I adopted my ferals from recommended, and this was for adapting them to a NEW location, it is a program for feral shelter cats that can’t be relocated to where they were trapped.

    i kept mine housed for much longer bc I have (well trained) dogs who share the yard and I spent 4 months getting all animals to live in harmony, which worked. Also weather was poor and I wanted to wait it out.

    http://www.tenthlifefoundation.org/beta/adopt/adapting-cats-to-their-new-home/


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  • 5.  RE: Period to return Community Cats back to their location

    Posted 03-03-2019 07:35 AM

    The goal should always be to return them as quickly as possible, but keep in mind if you grew up in a town and then went on vacation for a month or two would you forget everything about your town when you got back? Of course you wouldn't... same with these cats. If you have to hold onto them to treat for a cold, or mange or if they give birth in the trap and need to wean the kittens first, it's totally appropriate to return them once they are ready to go. 


    #CommunityCatManagement