What is the Asilomar Accords philosophy as it relates to feral cats and TNR? Are they considered treatable or unhealthy & untreatable?
The definitions in the Accords of both “treatable-rehabilitatable” and “treatable-manageable” refer to the standard of care “typically provided by reasonable and caring pet owners/guardians in the community.” Feral kittens who can be tamed and adopted may be categorized as “treatable-rehabilitatable.” Ferals who aren’t rehabilitatable may come under the “treatable-manageable” category. Ferals fall into this category if pet guardians in the community typically provide long-term care that enables these animals to maintain a satisfactory quality of life. With greater collaboration between shelters and feral cat colony caregivers and with the rise of feral cat groups operating successful TNR programs, increasing numbers of shelters are returning ferals to their original habitats to be overseen by responsible colony caregivers. In some communities, feral cats will fall into the “unhealthy & untreatable” category (again, based on the community standard). However, keep in mind that just becau
