Dane County is currently one of the safest places in the US for feral cats. Thanks to an all volunteer group called Dane County Friends of Ferals (DCFOF), the Dane County Humane Society (DCHS) has not had to kill any healthy or treatable feral cats for over a year. "The program recently broke the 300 cat mark!" states Carol-Anne Schultz, Program Coordinator, "it's incredible working with these wonderful animals."
The DCFOF works in cooperation with the DCHS. Once the Humane Society identifies a cat as feral, after a 7 day holding period the cat is transferred to the DCFOF group. The DCFOF arranges to have the cat sterilized, tested for FeLV/FIV and vaccinated through the Maddie's Spay/Neuter Project.
Afterwards, the cat is placed in an appropriate outdoor home with a responsible caregiver, or placed into an indoor home if the cat becomes friendly.
Approximately one third of the feral cats received by the DCFOF are successfully tamed and placed into loving homes.
The DCFOF demonstrates there is a demand for these cats. The hope is there will come a time when there isn't a surplus of feral cats. Until then, the DCFOF helps provide a good example of the care deserved by these felines.
