Friends of Feral Felines

Do you love cats? Would you consider yourself a lifesaver... a changemaker? Do you believe unhoused felines deserve their day in the sun - a day basking in warmth and free from suffering?

A cat trapper is a compassionate person whose desire is to save the lives of community cats through prevention to alleviate suffering. What is a community cat? A community cat is a feline without a family of their own. Their life cycle typically begins when a cat is abandoned, not spayed or neutered, and with time becomes far removed from human kindness and must fend for themselves.

FACT: Girl kittens can get pregnant at FOUR months of age, have their first babies at SIX months of age and then endure a lifetime of reproductive cycles. What does this mean? Every nine weeks little ones can be born due to the warm temperatures in Charlotte, NC.

Let's start with the acronym, TNVR. This stands for Trap. Neuter. Vaccinate. Return. 

What does a trapper do, and how does the process begin? 

• Charlotte, NC citizens often start feeding a stray cat, cats who have likely been abandoned. Feeding is an act of compassion; however, without "fixing" and providing a constant source of food, natural instincts of procreation begin to take affect and before you know it 1 + 1 = 6, and the overwhelm and cycle of suffering begins, so...
• Friends of Feral Felines volunteers are contacted for help (almost 4,000 people reached out for help with community cats in 2024).
• A site assessment is conducted and a plan to trap, transport/hold, transport/surgery, recover and return is formulated.

The full TNVR process is as follows, but it can be a shared process among several volunteers and requires coordination.

1) Site Assesment to formulate a plan

2) Identify Partner Clinic and set up TNVR appointment

3) Trap Cat/s the night before in a humane trap certified by Friends of Feral Felines - this requires careful planning to ensure the cats receive quality care.

4) Hold Cat/s in covered traps in a secure/enclosed environment overnight to ensure safety of trapped cat (i.e. vulnerable cats in traps outside have been degloved by racoons - a sheet is not protection). Cat safety is a strong priority in what we do.

5) Transport in an enclosed vehicle (not a trunk or open bed truck... nada, never, NO!) with a fully prepared space to ensure one's vehicle is protected

6) Pickup and recover kittens/cats in a climate controlled indoor environment (68 - 70 degrees) due to administration of anesthesia and which prevents the cat/s from regulating body temerature and pain meds impair reactions. Time frames for recovery are 24 hours for males and a minimum of 48 hours for a female - female cats in heat or pregnant should be held 72 hours as intact males can assault due to attraction to female pheromones. Longer post-op times allows for successful recovery of cats in heat or pregnant. This can be impacted by individual cat responses.  

7) Return the cat to his or her outdoor home