rescue

REDUCING the Feral Cat Population By Nancy Dewar Kittens dumped in Eliot

Kittens found in Hampton Cat abandoned in Rye

26 seacoastbarkmagazine.com I recently met with Board member Michelle Gorneau, who has been actively involved with SAFER since 2003, to learn more about the group’s work and feral cats. Wild cats have been around forever. Their population grows primarily because of ongoing breeding as well as new groups formed from abandoned cats. When dumped, survival instinct kicks in quickly and they become wary of everything. Most won’t come near people as they are extremely fearful. This leads to continued growth of the feral cat population, which could be mitigated by one easy choice by humans. Instead of dropping off an unwanted cat in the middle of nowhere, take them to an animal shelter so they can be cared for and find a loving new home. There is no shame nor cost in giving an animal up. It’s the best thing to do if one can’t care for their pet. Some people think that their friendly cat will quickly find a new home if they leave it in a neighborhood; that it will go up to a person or nearby house. But most go into survival mode and run and hide; hence, another potential feral cat. SAFER has several “feeding stations” in the area for feral cats that have been around for years. Volunteers visit them daily to leave wet food, kibble and water. The stations are monitored so that when a new cat shows up, SAFER traps the cat. If friendly, it is transferred to an area shelter for adoption. If feral, the cat is medically examined and spayed or neutered before returning it to the location where it was found. I asked Michelle how they manage to trap “new” cats and not others in the group. She laughed and said, “Once a cat has been trapped, it’s highly unlikely that they will ever go near another trap again!” The non-profit also works with what they call the “friendlies.” These are cats that got lost or abandoned, but if taken care of quickly enough can be adopted as they are familiar with people. They get many calls from people who have a stray cat in their yard. SAFER will trap the animal and then surrenders it to local animal shelters where the cat receives medical care and is then placed up for adoption. “95% of the calls we receive for cats that show up at people’s homes are friendly and easily adoptable,” Michelle explained. Prior to trapping the cat, SAFER asks people to place food and water out, ideally under some sort of cover. This will keep it in the area and easier to trap. She also explained why it’s important to call immediately upon finding a stray cat. “Some people will feed them for months, and then call us when the weather gets cold. Cats can become feral very quickly. If kittens are found, they need human contact and socialization right away in order to not go feral. If people don’t call right away ‘because the kittens are so cute,’ they will miss the critical early socialization period.” Michelle shared numerous sad stories about abandoned cats. One in particular really struck me. A woman called saying that someone had dropped off a cream-colored Persian near her home. Unfortunately, her son let their dog out and the cat scampered into the woods, never to be seen again. This was a house cat who didn’t know how to fend for itself in the wild. The ironic part of SAFER (Seacoast Area Feline Education & Rescue) is a different kind of rescue group. Founded in 1998 in Hampton by the late Nancy Higgins (original owner of The Old Salt Restaurant) along with a few other founding members, it primarily focuses on two key areas: (1) caring for and reducing the feral cat population and (2) taking care of lost cats and those that have been dumped. This allvolunteer organization started as a “TRN” group; Trap, Neuter & Return, though their care has expanded considerably.

Feeder Laurel George

Jen Abbott with Baxter

Instead of dropping off an unwanted cat in the middle of nowhere, take them to an animal shelter so they can be cared for and find a loving new home. Joe Vandenbussche at Seabrook feeding station One of the Hampton kittens

this story is that whoever dumped the cat also left a small dog crate with a blanket and a bag of food. If they cared this much (if one can even call this caring), why on earth didn’t they just take the cat to an animal shelter where it would be safe and assured of getting a new home? Unbelievable.

SAFER also has a “Barn Cat” program. Sometimes they end up with cats who can’t go back to where they were trapped, typically due to lack of shelter and a food source and aren’t friendly enough to be adoptable. The group receives calls from people with barns looking for barn cats. Prior to placing the cats in a barn, volunteers visit to make sure it is suitable and approved. Cat rescue groups are always in need of good barn homes. Michelle said, “This isn’t ideal but sometimes is our only option. It’s successful about 50% of the time. The cats are placed in a pen, stall or tack room and gradually become used to people and their surroundings prior to being released on the premise.” Once released, the barn makes sure the cats are always fed. The annual operating budget is approximately $20,000 to $25,000, so financial donations are welcomed along with donated goods. Veterinary care and food consume the largest part of the budget. SAFER has no physical location and is supported by their committed board members and approximately 35+ volunteers who all work tirelessly to reduce the area’s feral cat population. Their efforts are working. “We used to feed over 200 cats a day, and now we’re feeding around 15 to 20. We’ve been able to reduce the number of feral cats through spaying and neutering,” Michelle said with pride.

Kudos to all the volunteers and the deeply committed board members: Jenny Abbott, Gloria Everett, Lynn Barrett and Michelle Gorneau, all who assist with trapping and fostering; and Pam Vandenbussche who coordinates the feeding station volunteers. If you know of someone who needs to rehome their cat or kitten, please tell them to contact their local shelter or call SAFER. They will help with no questions asked.

Crazy Cat Stats Why is it important to spay & neuter? It’s been estimated that a single pair of breeding cats, and their offspring, can produce over 400,000 cats in 7 years.

Low-Cost Spay & Neuter Clinics New Hampshire SPCA / nhspca.org Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (Catmobile Program) / mrfrs.org Manchester Animal Shelter / ManchesterAnimalShelter.org Animal Welfare Society of Kennebunk / AnimalWelfareSociety.org Londonderry Animal Rescue Veterinary Services / arvsonline.org Rozzie May Animal Alliance / RozzieMayAnimalAlliance.org