Organizations Offer Advice On Feral Cat Issue

An initiative we reported on last week aimed at helping to decrease the number of feral cats in Seminole Heights may require streamlining before residents can round up the animals, according to an official with a cat rescue group who is participating in the roundup.

Jeanine Cohen, co-director of Cat Crusaders, an all-volunteer cat rescue, said she was contacted by a resident in Seminole Heights regarding the volunteer trap and rescue effort. But Cohen said there are steps that would need to be taken before the cats can be removed from Seminole Heights neighborhoods, and ways to keep them away for good.

"The feral cats are there because they have a food source," she said. "If you move the cats, others will come in. It's better to tame them and get them fixed so there won't be kittens. Eventually, the colony will slowly die out."

Cohen, who says she will participate in the to-be-announced trap and rescue, said the animals would have to be taken to the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, spayed, neutered, vaccinated for rabies.

After that, there are two options: The cats are either placed into a foster program for adoption, or taken back to where they were found with notched ears to show that they aren't feral cats.

"It's a matter of helping people in the community get the cats under control," Cohen said.

To assist, volunteers can email Cohen's organization at tampacatcrusaders@gmail.com.

Click here for tips and advice from the Humane Society of Tampa Bay about how to handle feral cats.

See our Complete Coverage of the Feral Cat Issue in Seminole Heights

More coverage:

Coverage of the Feral Cat Issue on Patch:

• Organizations Offer Advice On Feral Cat Issue
• Volunteers Planning to Round Up Feral Cats in Seminole Heights
• Feral Cat Volunteer Organizer Clears Up Misconceptions

Resources:

• Humane Society of Tampa Bay - Feral Cat Program
• The Tampa Cat Lady
• Cat Crusaders
• Tampa Feral Cat Database

What do you think about the volunteer effort? Do you plan to participate? How bad is the feral cat issue in Seminole Heights? Tell us in the comments.