Feral Cats Program

We have temporarily scaled down our feral cat activities due to lack of funds, and can work with only a small number of cats. If we identify a new source of funding or receive a significant amount of donations designated for our feral cat program, we will expand our activities.

PAWS volunteers are working to reduce feral cat populations in Garrett County. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a non-lethal means of controlling and gradually reducing feral cat overpopulation.

What are Feral Cats?

It is estimated that there are tens of millions of feral cats in North America . A feral cat is a wild, unsocialized cat that was born outdoors and has never lived with a human family, or a house cat that has strayed from home and lived on its own for so long that it has reverted to a wild state. Feral cats are fearful of humans. These cats generally cannot be tamed and are content to live outdoors where they survive on food scavenged from garbage and around dumpsters, or feedings by sympathetic people. Stray and feral cats congregate near food sources, begin to breed and eventually form family units called colonies.

Unmanaged cat colonies are often regarded as a nuisance. Attempts to eradicate whole colonies of cats usually fail because other strays soon fill the vacuum created by removing the cats. Stabilizing the colony by neutering, on the other hand, has been shown to eliminate undesirable behaviors, result in healthier animals, and over time the numbers of cats naturally decline.

What TNR Does

Under our program feral cat caretakers can have their cats spayed or neutered at no- or very low-cost (in most cases $10 for neuters and $20 for spays). The PAWS TNR program is exclusively for feral or stray cats under the care of a person or persons who provide food, water, shelter and, when necessary, veterinary care to the colony. This program does not provide spay/neuter services to pet cats. Pet owners seeking spay/neuter help should look at our low-income spay/neuter assistance program.

How Can You Help?

If you are currently feeding stray cats, or serving as caretaker to a feral cat colony, we’d like to hear from you. We want to identify where TNR help is needed, and provide you with the information and spay/neuter help you need to properly manage the cats. (All information is kept confidential. PAWS is not affiliated with any other animal welfare organization or animal shelter in Garrett County.)

  • If you are willing to foster and socialize young feral kittens for eventual adoption…about a 2 to 6 week time period, depending on age and disposition… we would like to hear from you.
  • In rare cases where the cats are in danger of harm it may become necessary to relocate a feral cat colony. If you know of anyone who would be willing to have a spayed and neutered group of healthy feral cats released on their property, we’d love to know about them.
  • If you can help by trapping and/or transporting trapped animals to and from the vet your help would be appreciated.
  • If you would like to make a donation to help TNR, please consider donating a good used cat carrier or large sized dog crate. Monetary donations to help cover the costs of spays or neuters are always welcome.

If you’d like to volunteer your help in any of these areas, please contact PAWS at 301-387-3223.

For more general information on TNR, go to the Alley Cat Allies (ACA) Website at www.alleycat.org.