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Adult cats are the most looked over pets in shelters, but did you know they can actually make the best pets? Many adult cats spend the rest of their lives in a shelter, meanwhile kittens are the first to be adopted. Before adopting a kitten, pause to consider if a kitten is the right choice for you, because maybe an adult is the better fit. Here are 9 reasons why adult cats make great pets. 1. What you see is what you get What does that mean? Well, kittens are like babies, they are still learning and haven't grown into their personality quite yet. Adult cats on the other hand are fully developed and have their personalities laid out on the table for you to see. 2. An older cat doesn't mean a defective cat
People may assume that the older cat is in the shelter because something was wrong with him/her and that they are damaged goods. There are many explanations on why that adult kitty is in a shelter. The cat may of been a stray or may of out lived their owner and had no where to go. They could of been lost and there was no microchip to locate an owner. Unfortunately for the cat, some owners just didn't want the cat anymore, either because they were moving or the family develops allergies. Whatever the reason may be, it's usually no fault by the cat.  This is Pancake, she received our TNR spa package a while ago but was recently re-trapped because she was looking very unhealthy and unkept. She was taken to the vet and had half of her teeth removed due to rot. Because of TNR, she is now living her life much more comfortably. This is just one example of how TNR affects the lives of feral cats.
Cat Corner participates in the program called TNR. For those who do not know what TNR is, it stands for Trap, Neuter, and Return. TNR is the most effective and humane way to manage feral cat populations. After the cat is trapped, we decide whether or not the cat will go into foster care or be spayed/neutered and then returned. This decision is based on age and the behavior of the cat. Each cat is also medically evaluated and receives the necessary treatment (like Pancake). The TNR team started over a decade ago but was only managed by one person and has grown substantially since 2018. We have increased our numbers by over 300%, which is absolutely amazing, and the year isn't even over yet! The total amount of cats that were trapped by the TNR team in 2018 was 56. This year we have trapped 227 cats that have been TNR'd, 126 of which have gone into foster care.
 It's mid-April and the help requests are pouring in and kittens are being found daily outside on the streets. We get dozens of help requests EVERY day. We take in all the kittens we can, but once our foster homes are full we have to wait until we have more space to take in more.
What is the solution to our cat overpopulation problem? TNR! Trap-neuter-return is the ONLY way to help minimize the abundance of kittens from being born on the streets with no where to go. The last two months we've been working hard on the King Project. Thank you to everyone who donated to help us pay for the surgeries to do this crucial work! To date we have TNR'd (trap-neuter-return) 11 adult cats, and were able to socialize 2 of the adults and 3 kittens who have since been adopted! That's 16 cats at one location! We have a few cats left at that site who are very trap smart, but we're still working to get them spayed/neutered. Below are two cats we socialized from the location who have been adopted.
You may remember that last week we got a call from someone in the community that a kitten was injured and needed urgent medical care. A few of our volunteers immediately went out and brought the kitten to the Emergency vet. We named the kitten, King. Sadly, King had severe injuries and had to be humanly euthanized.  King King was held during the final hours of his life and finally got to experience love. May you rest in peace, King. Your short life was precious. We love you! This week was extremely busy and successful! We ended up working at three different sites. First off, we were able to trap momma kitty from the Yorktown project last week. She is actually friendly and is being adopted by her caretaker!  We also started working at a new project in Hampton. We trapped a male kitty we named, Acer. He has been neutered and is very happy to be back home! We will be returning there to help the other community cats in the area soon. The bulk of our week was helping out at an apartment complex in Newport News. Earlier this summer we had several cats fixed there, but we had a few trap smart kitties who we weren't able to trap yet. Well, those kitties made beautiful babies. So a neighbor called us in for assistance when she noticed multiple kittens.
Recently, several Cat Corner volunteers have teamed up to help our community cats live a healthier and longer life through TNR efforts. I am so excited to share our experiences and success stories with you all, and will post regularly to keep you updated on the work we are doing!
On National Feral Cat Day, The Cat Corner would like to raise some awareness about feral cats and feral colonies. Many people may have dealt with feral cats or seen cats wandering their community but might not be sure how or if they can help. Through our own experience and education from Alley Cats Allies here are some FAQ regarding feral cats, how they come to be and what you can do to help! What is a feral cat?
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