Meet Wandering Cats, The Feral Cat Wranglers & Rescuers

As part of our “Hill Country Animal League in Action” stories, we’re excited to shine a light on another fabulous organization dedicated to feral cats. Like us, controlling the ever growing outdoor cat population in the most effective and humane way is everything for this group of volunteers, which is why we’re pleased to support them in their mission to save the lives of wandering cats through their Trap Neuter Return (TNR) program.

We’d like to give a HUGE thank you to Ralph Mayer Photography  for sharing this story and the team at Wandering Cats for safely trapping, neutering and returning cats to their environments in an effort to control the feral cat population.

“It starts with one cat, then another, and then someone calls for help.  These calls trigger these cat wranglers into action, beginning with waking up at 4 am to check traps that was placed late the night before. Then with real dedication and care for feral and stray cats, these committed volunteers stand in line at the San Antonio Humane Society (NOTE: At HCAL, feral cats need an appointment for surgery) to get captured feral and strays neutered or spayed.

Most folks assume that cat rescuers simply catch a cat, take it in to be fixed, and then let it go, but the TNR process is so much more than that. Instead of capturing a single stray to be handed off for surgery at the local vet, TNR rescuers focus on cat colonies, trapping multiple cats for surgery.

Wandering Cats TNR Typical Timeline:

• Day 1 – A local community neighbor, relative, stranger calls and says, “we have too many strays roaming around, please help.”
• Day 2 – Wandering cats volunteers consult with the requester to identify and acquire the correct type of traps and discourage feeding the cats
• Day 3 – Traps are set
• Day 4 – Traps are checked and cats are secured
• Day 5 – 4am, cats taken to low cost spay and neuter clinic
• Day 5 – 4pm, cats are retrieved and taken home for care and recovery
• Day 6-7 – Cats are released back into their colony”

Here at Hill Country Animal League, we believe that every animal deserves access to high-quality veterinary care, and cost should never be an obstacle. With the generosity from community members and volunteers, we can continue partnering with community organizations and provide affordable and accessible veterinary care and spay and neuter services.

Please consider joining us in our mission and donate today!