Why are the “Heart of Texas Feral Friends” feral cats not relocated?
The “R” in TNR is “return” so it’s putting the cats back in their home after we spay/neuter. These feral cats prefer to be outdoors and do not do well as someone’s pet. Feral cats can live pretty good lives if they are allowed to live in their own preferred environment, have someone to feed them and give them fresh water daily, and definitely spayed or neutered. We don’t do relocation at this point. TNR groups in other cities have tried it, but it takes about 2-4 weeks of constant care and supervision to acclimate the cats to their new environment, and it is not always successful. Just like dogs, these cats will travel long distances to get back “home.” So we return the cats to their chosen home to live out the remainder of their life happy and healthy.
Feral cats are not adoptable and are usually already living in established cat communities (one way you can tell is a nip in the ear as a sign that the cat belongs to a cat community). Feral cats prefer an outdoor life, so it is unkind to force them into captivity. Spaying and neurtering them helps control the population of feral cats and keeps the area from becoming overrun.
