The Golden State Humane Society will spay and neuter feral cats that have been captured by local trappers on Friday, April 22 at its North Long Beach location.
“Our goal is to spay and neuter all the feral cats and reduce population and essentially have no need for the program at some point,” said Alexandra Caswell, executive director of the Golden State Humane Society.
According to Caswell, cats can get pregnant as early as 4 months old, and can get pregnant while still nursing a new litter. Because of this, the number of feral unspayed and unneutered cats can increase exponentially if left unchecked.
According to the National Institute of Health, there are between 60 million to 100 million feral cats in the United States. The Humane Society has estimated that LA County has a feral cat population ranging from 654,000 to 1,635,000.
Feral cats differ from stray cats who have lived with humans at some point. While a stray cat that was previously a pet can begin trusting and building a relationship with a new human who starts caring for it, this is not possible with feral cats, according to Caswell.
The Golden State Humane Society only accepts feral cats to its Feral Friday events. According to Caswell, Golden State Humane Society staff assess captured cats within their traps to differentiate between stray cats, community cats (socialized cats that don’t have an owner but are cared for by people in the area) and feral cats based on their behavior.
“They are absolutely terrified,” Caswell said of feral cats. “They have very dilated pupils. They will often injure themselves trying to get away from humans, so some of the feral cats that we see have bloody noses, broken teeth, torn claws because they’re trying to escape the trap. Community cats or stray cats are very comfortable.”
The feral cats are brought to the Golden State Humane Society thanks to the hard work of local caregivers who trap them. These individuals look after the feral cats in their community, with some taking care of only one animal and others looking after entire cat colonies.
“The cat trappers and caregivers are incredible people,” Caswell said. “And they are working because they love cats and they know how important it is to protect them and take care of them.”
The Golden State Humane Society sells humane traps that caregivers can use to capture feral cats, which can be refunded if brought back after use.
While Golden State Humane Society doesn’t trap any cats itself, Caswell used to personally trap feral cats in Huntington Beach around twenty years ago.
“Socialized cats will walk in a trap for pretty much anything—feral cats, you have to entice them with some pretty good treats,” Caswell said. “So trappers will use strong-smelling food […] like tuna, sardines, anything that has a really strong odor to it so that the cats are attracted to it.”
Cats that are spayed and neutered by the Golden State Humane Society are released the next day in the same area they were trapped in.
According to Caswell, spay and neuter surgeries for feral cats differ from those for pet cats. Instead of regular stitches that have to be taken out eventually, tighter dissolvable sutures are used on feral cats so that they don’t require follow-up care. After surgery, feral cats are also put on long-lasting painkillers and antibiotics.
“Our entire surgical staff understand the special needs of feral cats when it comes to making sure the sutures are tight and making sure that the cats can’t tear them out,” Caswell said. “They are unlike pet dogs and cats who go home and they have to wear the cone for two weeks.”
The Golden State Humane Society began fundraising for its first Feral Friday event in 2019 and held the first one in April 2020.
Feral Fridays are entirely funded by donations, and anywhere from 10 to 40 feral cats have been spayed or neutered at each one. The Golden State Humane Society raises enough donations that it can afford to fix at least 30 feral cats at each event.
“Our Feral Fridays program focuses on absolutely the most vulnerable cats,” Caswell said.
The Golden State Humane Society’s next Feral Fridays event will be held on Friday, April 22 at its Long Beach location, 555 E Artesia Blvd. To reserve a free spaying or neutering appointment for a feral cat, call 1-562-423-8406.