Feeding and sheltering feral cats

February 11, 1:50 AMOmaha Pet Rescue ExaminerVeronica Bright

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Most of us have a soft spot in our hearts for the cold and hungry cats and kittens we see on a daily basis.  The back of my home is toward an alley and inside one of the garages is where all of the feral cats congregate   I have lived here for several years and I even recognize most of them and know when I haven’t seen one for a while.  I know many of you are in a similar situation.

In the past, if you fed or cared for a feral animal it was then your responsibility to care for that animal and it became your cat.  The Nebraska Humane Society saw the need for more help for those who care for feral animals and they came up with a great plan.  Teaming up with Feline Friendz   Feline Friendz is an organization that works toward sterilization of feral cats.  And so an ordinance was passed:

The ordinance that has just been passed by the Omaha City Council will allow those who want to help feral cats do so legally. The NHS is hoping to sterilize 1,500 feral cats in the next 12 months. These surgeries will be offered under the auspices of Feline Friendz to caretakers with permits those who choose to operate within the law. These surgeries will be done at no cost to the caretaker.

You can now obtain a permit that, for two years, will allow you to care for the feral colony in your area.  The plan is to eventually try to trap one cat at a time from the colony to be sterilized and returned (at no cost to the caregiver).  Eventually, the size of the colony will dwindle down.  No one is expecting you to trap every cat in the colony but they do want you to try, occasionally to trap one.  So here is how the plan works;

• Obtain a permit
• Allow the NHS to visit your home to make sure you are not a hoarder and that you can care for the cats.
• Caregiver tracks the colony to the best of their ability
• The number of cats in the colony should not grow.  The ultimate goal is to trap, sterilize and release at least one or more of the colony.
• There is a $25 fee which covers and entitles the colony caretaker to sterilization and rabies shots for all the cats in their colony, as NHS has the ability to do the surgeries. And the permit lasts 2 years

The Humane Society gave the following instructions:  “If you are currently feeding feral cats and would like to continue and even get some help, please call the Nebraska Humane Society at 444-7800 ext 451. You will be asked to leave a message with your name and number and we will get back to you just as soon as possible. The NHS is excited about working together with those who love these cats and want to help them.”