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Jeeves and Wooster 

Two handsome brothers aged 18mths-2yrs, full of life and mischief, very affectionate and playful.  Not too happy around other cats so they have requested a home to themselves where they can receive all the attention!  As they are very close we would like to rehome them together.  They have been in our care for quite a while now and would love to join a family before the summer is over!

 

 

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 Items needed for our eBay site - DVDs, book sets - anything that we can send in the post or that people can collect from Pudsey, LS28.

Since 1997 the trustees of FCW had worked as volunteers for Adel Branch of Cats Protection in Leeds until it was closed in January 2010 by the National Cat Centre. As well as taking in and caring for unwanted domestic cats, the Branch had been supporting feral cats by neutering and providing food thus preventing their numbers from increasing and reducing their suffering.  Knowing the struggle feral and timid strays face, being the least popular of cats and the most persecuted, the trustees wanted to try and continue helping those that had once been supported regularly by the Branch and do whatever they could to help those that would come to their attention in the future.  Feral Cat Welfare was formed in March 2010.

HOW WE WORK

AIMS

• To educate the public with regards responsible pet ownership.

• To raise funds for and run neutering campaigns to reduce the number of unwanted kittens being born and so reduce the number of homeless and feral cats.

• To supply food to those people feeding feral cats on a regular basis and contribute towards veterinary treatment if necessary. 

• To loan traps to and wherever possible assist those people willing and able to trap feral cats for neutering.

• To raise funds to provide a permanent refuge for feral and timid stray cats.

WHAT ARE FERAL CATS?

Many times cats that are considered feral or wild are just frightened domestic pets that have been abandoned and left to fend for themselves, often unneutered.  Once in care they soon show their true characters and are found to be friendly and affectionate.  Even cats considered feral or wild can turn into loving, trusting and loyal companions if given time and patience.  If nursing feral mothers can be brought into care before their kittens are too old then the kittens are just as tame as a domestic kitten.  If brought into care slightly older, they can still be "socialized" and eventually become as friendly and trusting as domestic kittens. 

Feral and timid strays live an often precarious life and many kittens don't even reach adulthood.  They are considered vermin by pest control companies who trap and dispose of them, not always humanely.  Many people are unaware of ferals because they are shy and nervous of people and usually stay hidden during the day.  Calls for help with feral cats often only surface when a litter of kittens is found in a garden or outbuilding.

The responsibility of feral cats lies with humans as they are the result of the human desire to have cats as pets.  They exist because adult pet cats were not neutered and after being abandoned, thrown out or because they strayed produced litters of kittens in hidden "nests" outside.   These kittens grew without human contact and became nervous, and they went on to have more kittens who grew to be feral.  They are not the same as true "wild" cats and with patience and kindness many can revert back to the domestic cat they once were, or learn to trust and show affection to their feeder or carer.  Kittens can be socialized and become as friendly as domestic kittens if given time.  Others remain feral and avoid humans wherever possible but still rely on them for food, often scavenging around dustbins, back alleys and gardens.  These cats live a short and fretful life.

 

Unneutered females can become pregnant repeatedly, struggle to find safe situations to rear their kittens and are constantly hungry.  Before they have regained their strength and their kittens have become independent they become pregnant again.  A feral mother rarely succeeds in feeding two litters of kittens at the same time and  some inevitably suffer.  Unneutered male cats wander and fight for territory and food and soon deteriorate due to starvation, infected wounds and disease. 

NEUTERING ASSISTANCE

Feral cat numbers would be greatly reduced if pet cats were neutered.  Feral Cat Welfare does not have the funds available to support reduced cost neutering but if cat owners are on benefits or low income half price or free vouchers can be obtained from Cats Protection.  There are many Cats Protection branches around the UK that are run by volunteers, some of whom may be able to help with the trapping, neutering and return of feral cats.  They supply neutering vouchers to the public for their own cats, dependent upon income, and assist with funding the neutering of larger colonies of feral cats by providing grants.   

If you know of any domestic or feral cats in need of neutering, please contact Cats Protection on 03000 12 12 12 who may be able to assist.  You will also find a list of local Branches on the Catchat website:   www.catchat.org.