Feral Fraternity

Groups Band Together for Displaced Cats

The town of Toquerville, Utah, purchased a piece of land with a house on it for use as a parking lot for the new town hall. The only problem? There was a colony of feral cats living there.

The Spectrum, a daily newspaper in nearby St. George, ran an article that called attention to the cats' plight. A sympathetic town councilman, Paul Heideman, called the Animal Help department at Best Friends for advice.

That one call was like ripples on a pond. After getting more information, the Animal Help folks found that Sue Kroll and Don Wilson, a couple from Virgin, Utah, were already feeding the cats. A local rescuer, Kris Neal, identified groups that could help, and they transported the cats to the Best Friends Clinic for spay/neuter and then brought them to foster care.

With everyone working together, the rescuers were able to find placements for all the feral cats. Through the tireless efforts of volunteers from several Utah animal groups, 32 adult cats and 10 kittens were neutered and placed. Some of the cats have been placed in barns, one is working for a golf course, and eight have joined the Tuachan Center for the Arts as shop cats. The kittens were adopted out after being socialized. A family that lives near the colony's former location in Toquerville also accepted some of the cats.

And it turned out that at least a third of the rescued cats were actually displaced house cats who responded rapidly to people's kindness in their new homes. "All they wanted was a chance. They are great cats," Sue Kroll said.

The people and groups who stepped up on behalf of the feral cats are Cathy Martinez of PetMatchers Dot Org, Gwen Packard of Angels for Animals, Bitsy McClain of Cedar City Animal Rescue, PAWS, and Best Friends Animal Society.

Sue said there are good solutions for feral cats if "everybody keeps an eye out for these cats and asks for help when they find a colony."

If you are interested in helping feral cats in your neighborhood, please visit our No More Homeless Pets Feral Cat Resources.