A tipped left ear identifies a feral cat who has been spayed or neutered.
The Cat’s Meow provides free spay/neuter and other medical services for feral cats on Guemes and Fidalgo Islands.
Feral cats are cats that have not been socialized to human contact. These cats tend to live in family groups called colonies. Because they are fearful and avoid interaction with people, feral cats are not comfortable living in a home; however, they still depend upon our compassion for their survival.
The Cat’s Meow advocates Trap-Neuter-Return, also known as TNR, as a humane method of population control for feral cats. Under this method, cats are captured in humane traps and spayed or neutered. After a brief recovery, the cat is returned to its colony where it will be looked after by a volunteer caregiver. Cats in managed colonies have shelter available and are provided with food and water daily. Over time the population in a stabilized colony will decline due to natural attrition.