Trap Neuter Release

A feral cat is a cat who lives independently outdoors. Feral cats typically avoid people and rely on their instincts to hunt and survive. They often form groups or colonies around food sources and can be found in both urban and rural settings. Most feral cats have a lifespan of two to five years due to the elements, illness, or injury from predators or traffic.

Trapping humanly, neutering, vaccinating and returning (TNR) is a humane method for supporting feral cat populations and preventing pet homelessness. Feral cats are humanly captured, spayed or neutered and vaccinated, then released in their original location. This process helps to humanely manage the population of feral cats long-term.  

An ancestor of a feral cat was at one time a stray, lost, or abandoned cat that previously had an owner. This cat then had kittens, which joined other cats to form colonies, usually centred around a source of food, water and shelter. When cats in the feral colony leave or die, new stray cats come in from other colonies or from the owned cat population. While the size of the colony is limited by the amount of food, water and shelter available, cats will remain in the colony even when only sustenance levels of those resources exist. 

While you may think you’re doing the cat a favour, you may be unwittingly contributing to cat overpopulation. An unneutered stray cat will breed continuously and may pass on diseases to other cats. As an alternative, bring the cat to the Ottawa Humane Society — someone may be looking for them, or we may be able to find that cat a good home.

You may notice many free-roaming cats around your area, chances are that none of them are feral. Most are simply roaming house cats, stray or “loosely owned” cats. “Loosely owned” cats, also known as “porch cats”, are stray cats that are fed by one or many people. All of these cats are largely approachable and trust humans, unlike feral cats.

Feral cat colonies range in size from a handful, to dozens of cats. Colonies will increase in size as cats within the colony reproduce, as long as a minimum amount of food is available to sustain the colony. In one year, a female cat can have three litters with four to six kittens per litter — that’s 12 to 18 kittens a year!

Approximately half of these kittens survive; they grow up to produce their own litters within a year. On average, an adult feral cat will live only about five years. This is due to the high incidence of disease, accidents, starvation or predation in their environment. 

In Ottawa, feral cats are found both in the city and in rural areas. They typically form colonies wherever they can find food, water and shelter; for example, in parks, restaurant alleys and barns or on hospital or college and university grounds.

Cats in urban colonies raid garbage containers, scavenge for food or are fed by well-meaning people. Studies also show that many feral cats kill and eat small mammals such as mice, voles and shrews. They hunt birds to a lesser extent. 

Feral cats can carry diseases such as respiratory infections, feline leukemia (FeLV), feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and panleukopenia. If your owned cat comes into direct contact (such as a fight) with a feral cat, he has a risk of catching these diseases, especially if they are not properly vaccinated. Possible risks to humans who come into contact with feral cats (or their feces) include ringworm, rabies, and parasites such as hookworm. As feral cats do not willingly approach people, the risk of catching these conditions from feral cats is extremely low except in people whose immune systems are suppressed.