Like most areas, southwest Colorado has thousands of wild, stray, and abandoned cats who live outdoors. They live in barns, under sheds and trailers: anywhere they can find shelter. Our commitment to help these cats was the beginning of the For Pets’ Sake Feral Cat Project in 2009.

The Feral Cat Project helps in three major ways:

1. Trapping the cats for their first and only trip to the vet, where they are spayed or neutered, get a rabies shot, a basic medical checkup and treatment for problems like fleas, ticks, and infections. Cats are then returned to their homes, a process known worldwide as TNR (trap-neuter-return). For Pets’ Sake pays 100% for these services with the goal of having healthier cats who will NOT produce any more kittens.
2. Feeding good quality food on a regular basis. FPS provides food to about 50-70 colonies every year for caretakers who are willing to feed the cats, but cannot afford the food. Colonies may range up to 40 or 50 cats, so food becomes a large expense. For Pets’ Sake volunteers also feed several colonies who have no caretakers.
3. Fostering kittens rescued in the colony. If trapped before they’re eight weeks old, kittens can easily socialize and find homes. We also rescue an occasional adult who is obviously friendly and desperately wants to have a family again. Rescues are the most satisfying part of the project — seeing first hand that we’re making a difference and saving lives.

They need warmth, safety, and food. If the kittens are under four weeks old, they need kitten formula (NOT COW’S MILK) in a bottle. And if they’re too little to use a litter box, their new human mom needs to help them with that, too. For Pets’ Sake is always happy to give experienced advice on how to care for them yourself. It can be quite a commitment for whoever rescues them.

Extensive information about feral cats can be found at Alley Cat Allies.

The Feral Cat Project must have financial support to do this important work. In our first three years, PetSmart Charities provided substantial grants to set up the program and get it going. Starting in 2011, the Friends of the Aspen Animal Shelter stepped in and have been providing the Feral Cat Program with certificates for free spays and neuters for feral cats every year. The average has been about 100 certificates a year, with double that number in 2020 to help during the COVID pandemic.

This consistent support is very welcome and much needed, but grants only pay for about 30% of the cats we fix. And they don’t cover food, vaccinations, or medical care at all. That money comes from individual donations and For Pets’ Sake fundraising events. Without this support there would not be a Feral Cat Project.

Do you need help with a Feral Cat colony?

If you take care of a colony in southwest Colorado or nearby, we can add you to the list of people needing help.

Call FPS: 970-565-7387 for program information.