Washington Heights Cat Colony
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FAQ
 


Q:  What is the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat?
A:  A stray cat is a domestic cat that has been abandoned or has strayed from home and become lost. A stray cat may be skittish in your presence, but because stray cats once knew human companionship, they can usually be re-socialized and re-homed.
A feral cat is born and raised outside with little or no human contact or is a stray that has lived outside long enough to revert to a wild state. Adult feral cats usually cannot be tamed and are most content living outside. Feral kittens up to eight or ten weeks of age, on the other hand, can often be tamed and placed in homes.
Q:  What is TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return)?
A:  TNR is a way to reduce unwanted feral cat populations by sterilizing cats so they cannot reproduce. TNR, when accompanied by ongoing management of feral cat colonies, is a proven, effective, and humane method of controlling local cat populations.
Feral cats are trapped and taken to participating veterinary clinics where they are sterilized, vaccinated and “ear tipped” so they can be identified as part of a managed colony. Healthy adult cats are returned to their colonies, and kittens are socialized and adopted out.
Sterilization helps make cats better “community citizens” by reducing or eliminating the yowling, fighting, and wandering associated with mating. TNR also makes colonies themselves more stable, and decreases the number of new cats that will move into a neighborhood. Over time, managed colonies gradually diminish in size.
TNR saves money. It costs cities up to $250 to pick up, house and euthanize one homeless cat. For the same price, the city can spay/neuter five cats.
With the help of the Mayor’s Alliance for Animals and the member organizations of the NYC Feral Cat Council (including the ASPCA and Humane Society of NY), TNR is now practiced in neighborhoods all over New York City. Hundreds of volunteers working in neighborhoods all over New York have made NYC a model for TNR efforts nationwide.
Q: What does a managed, sterile colony look like?
A: A managed, sterile colony is a clean site with healthy cats, winter shelters, and a feeding station.  Managed colonies are checked on daily by volunteers who feed the cats, monitor their health, and keep the area tidy.  Winter shelters provide a warm place for the cats to go when the weather drops below freezing.   Below are photos of a feeding station being taken apart and cleaned by a volunteer, and an ear-tipped cat being given a quick health check before being fed.
 
 
 
 
Q: What is ear tipping?
 
 
 
A:  Here is example of an ear tip. Removal of the top 1/4 inch of a cat's left or right ear tells colony caretakers, veterinarians, and animal control that the cat has already been trapped, spayed/neutered and vaccinated. Ear tipping is done at the same time the cat is spayed/neutered. The cat is under anesthesia, and the process is completely painless. An ear tip can be easily seen from a distance, and it allows caretakers and animal control to easily identify a TNR-ed cat and know that it is not necessary to trap the cat again. An ear tip is the universal sign, nationwide, of a TNR-ed cat.
 
All cats in the Washington Heights Cat Colony are ear tipped to show that they have been vaccinated and spayed or neutered. This helps Colony caretakers quickly spot any new cats that show up in the Colony (newcomers won't have the ear tip). New York City Animal Care and Control does not pick up ear tipped cats, because the ear tip indicates the cats have been TNR-ed and are sterile, vaccinated, and being cared for.