Relocation of Community Cats

Be sure to also visit our page on Barn Cats

Relocation of Community Cats

Relocation is when a cat or colony of cats gets moved to a new place. There must be a good reason to do so, because experience has shown us that it is risky and often does not work.

There are many things that can go wrong when people try to relocate a group of community cats. Cats often disappear in a new location, or they die trying to return to the old location.

Sometimes there is a good reason WHY it must be done:

• their current location is dangerous (nearby highway, poisons or chemicals, coyotes, etc.),

• the property is being sold or renovated,

• the cats lost their caretaker and no one else can do it, or

• their lives are being threatened in some way.

For these reasons Alley Cat Advocates strongly urges caretakers NOT to move cats to a new location, unless there is a dangerous situation like the one listed above. There is just too much that can go wrong. It takes a lot of planning and hard work, only to see cats die or disappear.

After you have spoken to a cat expert and have determined the cats must be relocated, please follow these guidelines to increase the chance of success:

Step 1:  Prepare

• Take your time in finding a safe and permanent home, with a caretaker who is committed to lifelong feeding, watering, medical care, and watching over them.

• Find a temporary room or safe area (in the new location) that is clean, quiet, not too hot or cold, and protects cats from the weather. Be sure there is enough light and air to breathe. An empty garage or shed often works.

• You will need to acquire some dog crates (minimum size 2 feet by 3 feet).  Cats relocate best when paired so acquire enough crates to house the number of cats you’re relocating in pairs.

• You also need to gather litter, litter pans, food and water bowls, a small carrier for the cat to hide in, and enough old bedsheets to cover the crate(s). This helps reduce their stress.

Step 2:  Confine

• After cats are trapped or caught, they must be confined for ideally at least 4 weeks (6 weeks or more is highly recommended) at the new location. Cats kept for shorter periods may bolt in an attempt to return to their prior home. This almost always results in the death of the cat. Many groups only require 2 weeks but this is why so many people say relocation does not work.

• This containment period helps them get adjusted to sounds, sights, and smells, as well as existing cats or animals as well as the new caretaker.

• The new caretaker must give them daily care: food, water, and litter box cleaning.

• During the first two days, the cats will likely struggle to find a way to escape, especially at night. They will calm down after a while, once they learn they will not be harmed.

  Read more from Alley Cat Advocates on how to have the best possible outcome when relocation is the only option.

To learn more, be sure to visit our page on Barn Cats. The links below provide valuable information from the organizations indicated when considering the relocation of individual cats or a feral colony.

Very stressful

Relocating cats — especially as a colony — is an enormous undertaking that can be very stressful for the animals, as well as the people who care for them. Therefore, it should be considered only as a last resort, usually when the cats are in immediate danger. In the vast majority of cases, it’s best to return community cats to the location from which they were trapped.

Dangerous

IMPORTANT: Even in the best case scenarios relocation can be very dangerous for cats and ineffective. Relocation is stressful for cats and since community cats are not socialized to people they can be unpredictable. Community cats bond to their outdoor homes and will try to go back—in some cases cats have died in the process, when people misguidedly believe that their life will be better someplace else.

Sometimes the only option

Circumstances that would justify a relocation include the demolition of the colony site and no way to shift the cats over to a safer adjacent spot by gradually moving their feeding station. A caretaker who is moving and cannot find a replacement feeder in the neighborhood is another time when relocation may be needed. The threat of harm to the cats may also be too high on rare occasions to allow a return to their territory.

Neighborhood Cats provides these tips when you really need to relocate a cat.

Feral Cat Focus offers tips for safe relocation here.

Learn more about relocating cats from Texas Barn Cats.

And here is some helpful information on relocation from Animal Rescue Connections.