Community Cat Coalition

06/23/2026

Boys Boys Boys!!!!

While the moms and kittens tend to be the cats people want to take care of, to get help for, what about all those boys? How many times have you, the rescuer, heard people say “I chase him away – he’s mean!” or “I don’t want that cat around here – he sprays everything and beats up on the other cats.” In doing TNR projects, many times we hear “can you take that one somewhere? I don’t want him back”.

Too many people bring home cute little boy kittens and don’t worry about getting them fixed, because “he can’t have babies”. Sheesh – did those people not have fathers? :) Those cute kittens grow up to start roaming, spraying, fighting, and in general make themselves WAY too visible. Often, people are wanting to have these boys relocated – but you know what we’ve found? It is most often the males who do not do well with relocation. Males tend to be more likely to roam, and if removed from their territory who knows where they end up. Because there is often one in a colony that is targeted as the “problem” cat, people often want to move just that one – but moving a single cat to a new place is extremely difficult, and rarely has a good outcome. And how many times does that tom cat turn out to actually have a home? Yes, he’s unaltered – but if you neuter him and return to the site, chances are he’ll go home and stay there!

Educate those you encounter about why you don’t want to relocate these cats – help them understand that once the hormones dwindle, that big tough boy is very likely going to be a nice boy. Smells and fighting/mating behaviors will resolve, and it is essential to keep the males in the colony too – they help keep the balance. If a homeowner is insistent a cat must go, tell him “wait 4 months. We’ll TNR him, and give him time to mellow out – if he’s still a problem in 4 months, we can always re-trap him.” Some of us have used this line MANY times, and guess what? It works :) Most people can be reasonable if you work WITH them.

Babies are popping out all over now, and many more will be appearing before long. As you work to trap those moms and babies, don’t overlook the boys. They’re half the problem, and TNR for them really IS the best solution :) Happy trapping everyone!

06/22/2026

She was my sister's cat

My sister died and left behind a cat. Her cat. A little living being who had made the last two years of my sister's life bearable, little less lonely. Now, what happens to that cat?

I do Rescue – of course I would take care of Emma. My sister knew this, she and I had planned ahead so that there was never going to be a doubt, Emma would be taken care of. How many people make sure to create a plan for their companion animals, in case they die first?

It's part of my adoption application for any creature I am placing, if you die who will take care of your pet? And I ask for the name and phone number of that person so it's part of the record. Because one of the true heartaches of Rescue is seeing the number of times the human has died and no one stepped up for the cat/dog/bird...

I brought Emma home and gave her three weeks to just settle, getting to know her personally and understand what kind of home she needed. And then I talked to applicants who were good people but not the right fit for her. Then one day I remembered a couple who had taken in a 14-year-old, semi feral cat who was being abandoned after her human died. They gave her a wonderful life for another four years – and let me know she died earlier this year. They thanked me for trusting them to adopt her❤️

One text later "have you considered adopting another?" gave the response that let me know Emma was on the road to a truly perfect home. This little door dasher went from a tiny home with no outdoor access to a two level home with a giant catio- she settled in almost immediately and two weeks later she now owns the home❤️❤️❤️

There really is nothing more meaningful than that last gift you can give the person who died - making sure the little one they loved is cared for. Please, do make sure if someone you love dies and leaves behind a beloved pet, she is not forgotten. And ask everyone you know, "if you die before your pet, have you made a plan for her?" The biggest mistake people make is assuming their family will take care of their pet – don't assume. And don't put it off – do it today, because sometimes tomorrow never comes.

06/18/2026

A trick for taming kittens :)

We all have lots of tricks for taming those feral babies – food of course is a huge part of it, getting them to know YOU are the source of all things good :) Play is the other most common ploy to break down the resistance, since when they play they often forget you are the enemy :) Holding them lots, cuddling, giving positive attention, immersing them in the day to day life of the household (while safely confined, of course!) – these are all part of socializing.

But what about when you have a resistant kitten? Maybe one who is staying shy too long, one who is nervous and just not seeming to come out of his shell? Many times the power of a friendly adult cat is overlooked, but this can be a HUGE help in breaking through that barrier!

Snickers was between 4-5 months old; he was an older kitten when first trapped, but could not be TNR’d with his colony due to a resistant diarrhea; while some people are able to neuter and release cats/kittens with problems, many of us cannot do that, and will hold them for treatment. Snickers has finally improved, but has remained shy –yet is tame enough his trapper doesn’t want to return him now to his site. Happily his foster mom has some of those super-helpers, those adult cats who LOVE new babies and love to play. And so she gave them a try – with the pictures telling the story :) This was ONE HAPPY KITTEN! He was ecstatic to have feline attention – like many feral babies, his trust was in the cats of his colony. Putting him with human friendly cats will make all the difference in helping him learn to trust the humans too.

How about mixing with friendly kittens? Yep, that helps, though many of us have seen faster progression when there is an adult cat to model the behavior. Whether you are socializing or adopting out one of these shyer kittens, do work to place them with a friendly cat or kitten, it can make all the difference in the world :)

*one caveat – do remember ALL new fosters should have a minimum 2 week quarantine. Do not mix cats from different colonies/litters without first testing for viral diseases and waiting 2 weeks – most cat diseases will manifest within the 14 day time period, and you do not want to bring an apparently healthy cat into contact with other cats, and find out he actually has distemper… Do vaccinate your rescues asap, and do keep separate the full 14 days.

06/17/2026

Many people skip this step and never see their cat again!

People losing an indoor-only or newly adopted cat for the first time, often panic and do the first thing that pops in their head. A common first reaction is to run to the shelter or to post on social media. Those are all important in cat recovery, but those shouldn't be your fist action. In fact, those two actions are the LEAST likely to be work in the first days of a cat getting out in unfamiliar territory. Why? The biggest reason is that lost cats nearly always hide nearby. A hidden cat can't be picked up by a stranger and taken to a shelter and they certainly won't be spotted by someone on social media.

Last week, a senior, one-eyed feral cat got out of his home by a door left accidentally ajar. But his owner wasn't panicked. She already knew the number one best way to get them back inside.
**Contain other pets in a closed room and open the door or window from which he exited.**

I can't tell you how many people skip this step. Even people who seem to love their pets. Here are some of the excuses we have heard.

---"I can't leave the door open, it is too cold outside."

---"Someone may come in and steal stuff." (True, but what are the chances of that happening right now? If you live in a neighborhood where break-ins are common, consider monitoring the door from your locked car. Or get a neighbor or friend help you monitor the door.)

---"I'll try that in a week or two if he doesn't show up at the shelter."

Happily, Louise immediately opened the door and placed some cameras around her home. Then she monitored the camera from inside. Indoor cats usually hide very close to where they got out, so she aimed one of the cameras to the crawlspace under her home. She didn't have to wait long. A motion notification showed up and he was right where she expected. He came out from under her house and walked right back inside.

Picard was lucky because his home has a catio. He spends a lot of time there so he knows the sights and sounds of the environment around his home. Instead of hiding for a week or two as many indoor-only cats will do, he just went back in when he was through exploring. Phew!

Some people fear that shy, semi-feral or feral cats will be less likely to come back in. We haven't found this to be the case at all. In fact, the shy cats are safer because they are hiding and not moving around. That makes them far less likely to be spotted by territorial cats, neighbor dogs or predators. They may hide for days or even a few weeks, but hunger and thirst will eventually cause them to pop out.

06/16/2026

The Pantry is Bare!

The Community Cat Coalition supports our members who care for community cats by providing a quarterly food distribution. These food distributions help care for 0ver 400 community cats. Normally we are able to fill requests through our food donation barrels and regular donors but this quarter’s donations have been very low and we are very short of food to give out.

We would appreciate any help that you can provide to help us keep the community cats in our care well fed!

Community Cat Coalition | Camano Island, WA | Chewy
https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1HM66ZSYXV405?ref_=wl_share

06/15/2026

Those Shy & Skittish Kittens

We recently assisted an elderly gentleman at a site where he was feeding 4 adults and three 8 week old kittens. The kittens lived in a shed attached to his house and the adults ate on his back porch. Traps were delivered to the site about a week before his appointment to get the adults altered and although he tried to follow instructions to acclimate the cats and kittens to the traps he struggled with the process. So, when trapping day came it was a bit of a challenge.

After six hours the four adults were trapped but even though there was a trap set in the shed where the kittens hung out, we didn’t get a nibble. And we had tuna and warm KFC thinking they wouldn’t be able to resist. By the time the adults were trapped the kittens were even more spooked. So, we took the adults, told the gentleman not to put out any food for the kittens, and promised to return the next morning.

Again, traps were set in and around the shed. And of course, we immediately got a ‘bonus’ adult. After two hours we were about ready to give up on the kittens for the day and then one went it the trap! Now, how to get the other two? Using one kitten as bait to catch the siblings often works, so a trap was butted up against the trap with the kitten and covered to make a tunnel, and sure enough kitten #2 was caught. Would this work to get kitten #3? We absolutely didn’t want to leave one behind. Another trap was set and butted up against one of the traps with a kitten and in a few minutes we had kitten #3 as well!

Now all three are waiting for a foster home where they can be socialized for adoption. And the adults have been altered, vaccinated, and returned to their home.

So, if you are working to trap feral kittens and you can get one of them, using that one as bait for the others can work.

06/10/2026

A House Divided - Bully Cats and Pariahs

"Kittens are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are gonna get." Forrest Gump was right. Years ago, I became a foster failure and two sisters joined my happy feline family of 6. Sweet kittens, they bonded closely with my oldest cat, Ella, who slept with them and groomed them as if they were her own. She taught them to play nice with her and halted any kitten shenanigans with "the look". They had each other for rough-housing, so they learned young that it was okay to tackle each other but leave the adults alone.

It was a perfect introduction and life was good until they hit 12 months. Teenagers! Furry rule breakers, they tested every boundary. As alpha cat, Ella's boundaries were rock solid and she was the boss, but Nola's boundaries were blurry. Indifferent to them as kittens, she began to avoid them when they surpassed her in size. When they ran into the room, she ran away and the sisters thought this was WONDERFUL. Soon, teenage kitty "I'm bored" became, "Where is Nola? Let's get her!"

Considering it a phase, I dealt with this behavior with distraction (toys) and by rotating their access to the catio. When Nola went out, the sisters were locked inside the house. I carried her back in when it was time for their outdoor shift. When together, I supervised and gave them a sharp "no" if they started to chase her. (What was I thinking?) Smart sisters, they knew what this meant and instantly stopped. But, if they thought I wasn't looking, they would test the waters by casually approaching Nola's favorite cat tree and then looking over their shoulder to see if I was watching. If they saw me, they walked past as if the tree was merely a path to their destination. But if I was out of sight they would sit and stare. No physial fights broke out, but Nola was harrassed just the same and she took to hiding and sometimes running away. Her quality of life was diminished and my carefree kitty was becoming a pariah.

I know some of you reading this are going through kitty conflict now too. Like people, cats change over time and this is particularly true of kittens. It is nearly impossible to predict the adult personality and temperament of a kitten. They truly are a box of chocolates! But unlike candy, we can't throw them out. And we also can't sacrifice the quality of life of other household pets.

My strategy at the time was to literally live in a house divided. A gate on the stairs made my house into two cat territories. It wasn't ideal, but that was the easiest solution. Nola was happier having her own territory where she didn't have to interact with the bullies. Her sister and alpha cat Ella occupied both territories, but this meant I was their personal door opener. I might be the only one unhappy with this "solution".

Ignoring cat conflict can result in some unhappy cats. And sometimes it can cause litterbox issues when a pariah cat is ambushed at the litterbox. Don't ignore problems between cats.

Here are some tips to deal with conflict.

1. Talk to your veterinarian. Some pariah cats are concealing health issues. You may not see it, but the bully does! They may recommend medications or refer you to someone who can help you resolve or reduce the conflict.

2. Add more vertical space to your home. Cat trees, shelves or even a bed on the refrigerator can give cats a place to escape conflict.

3. Build a catio to provide some outdoor space. This can be great stimulation for the bully cat and may provide some relief for the pariah cat while they are "outside".

4. Make sure you have redundant resources. Litterboxes, food, water and comfy beds should be in multiple locations in the home to minimize conflict or competition.

5.Try a kitty pheromone diffuser like Feliway.

6. If the situation is serious, you can divide your home as I did. This is a tough one, because you don't want to isolate a cat from people or from non-bully cats. Make sure that both territories include space where you spend a lot of time.

7. Consider rehoming either the bully or the pariah. This is a tough one because nobody likes to rehome a pet. But sometimes it isn't humane to keep them. Take your time an find a home where you can stay connected. Family and friends are best, but you can also find great homes with careful screening. I had to rehome a young bully cat many years ago, and I felt okay about it because I maintained a relationship with the adopter. I provided canned food and vet care and offered nail clipping and grooming whenever needed. It took away the guilt and sense of loss that comes with rehoming a cat because I could visit whenever I wanted. And his new "mom" appreciated the food and vet care because these expenses prevented her from being a cat owner. He had a great life there and she benefitted from having a cat companion on her limited income.

What solutions have you come up with when confronted with a bully-pariah situation?

06/09/2026

Persistence Pays Off!

Back in February we assisted a colony caregiver with a large colony of 25-30 cats……….we scheduled appointments and over two days she successfully trapped 24. But she had cameras set up and realized there were at least 3 more that needed to be trapped. In March she was successful in getting two more……but there was still one hold out and it would not go into a trap. But she didn’t give up – she was determined to get that last cat – and Monday she was successful. We were thrilled to get her text – ‘I got her!’ She used a trap set up with a remote switch to activate the door when the right cat was in the trap and monitored the trap with a camera set up on her deck. Miss Pearl will visit our friends at Everett Animal Shelter Wednesday for her spay and vaccines……and Kathy’s colony will never see kittens again!

Thank you Kathy for never giving up. And hopefully everyone will take a lesson from her, the job’s not finished until you get that last cat!

06/08/2026

Having trouble keeping wildlife out of your traps. Here are some helpful hints from Neighborhood Cats.

Summer trapping means more chances to catch critters other than cats! Here are a few good ideas for keeping unwanted creatures out of your traps.

First, get your cats on a daytime feeding schedule, since most wildlife is nocturnal. Then, trap at their feeding time. (Unless birds are your problem animals… then, feed the cats soon after dusk or later at night when the birds are sleeping!)

If they’re still hanging out at trapping time, distract them with food they like but cats don’t. Here’s a cheat sheet:

😋 Chickens: cracked corn
😋 Raccoons: apples, marshmallows, corn, bread
😋 Possums: acorns, tomatoes, apples, bananas
😋 Skunks: nuts, bananas, apples, bread

Save this post so you have it handy next time you’re trying to keep critters out of your traps!

06/04/2026

Kittens and Pregnant?

Recently one of our volunteers helped some folks who had found a mom and a litter of kittens. It turned into a bit of a challenging project and by the time mom and the kittens were trapped the kittens were 8 weeks old. When mom was taken to the clinic to get spayed and vaccinated she was already well into yet another pregnancy, meaning she had gone into heat when the kittens were about 3 weeks old.

Please don’t wait – if the mom is not confined with her kittens don’t wait to trap her and get her spayed. If you can trap the kittens with mom and hold them until the kittens are weaned she’s safe. But if you can’t get the kittens at the same time catch mom and spay and release her – she can still nurse the kittens will not end up pregnant again! Don’t take a chance on mom having another litter.