How to help

How you can make a difference

  • Start at home. First and foremost, make sure your own pet cats are spayed and neutered. The feral cat cycle originally began with pet cats.
  • If you see or feed feral cats in your neighbourhood, please make sure they get spayed/neutered.
  • Spread the word. Talk to people about the feral problem. Many people don't know that they can be humanely trapped and neutered and after that will live a better life.
  • Get involved as volunteer.
  • Adopt from a rescue group. Don't buy pets from a breeder while so many homeless animals are waiting for their forever home.

Hands-on help

Help is always needed and much appreciated for trapping. We have around 25 cat traps available. We will of course show you how to operate a cat trap and how to deal with the trapped cats. We also need people for transporting cats to vets for neutering, back to their colony or to their new homes. We also need handy people who could build feral cat winter shelters for us.

Fundraising

Although we get special charity rates at our vets (many thanks to Barna/Moycullen vets, Glenina, Ballybrit and Ark vets as well as Athenry Pet Clinic, Briarhill Clinic and Karl Verbruggen in Oughterard) our bills are huge. During this period of restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, fundraising is particularly difficult, so your donations are especially important for us now.

Donate

We will gladly accept donations of cat food, bedding, cat toys, food bowls, litter trays, cat litter, etc. - please contact us if you can help. We receive very little government funding and rely on the generosity of the public.

Our main source of expense is veterinary fees. Our vets in Galway accept donations directly on our behalf to reduce our veterinary bill. If you wish to donate to our vets, please do so to:

  • Ark Vets, Knocknacarra, Galway (091 510131)
  • Ark Vets, St. Mary's Road, Galway (091 584185)
  • Barna and Moycullen vet clinics (091 867008 and 091 868572)
  • Athenry Pet Clinic, Prospect House, Athenry (091 844085)
  • Briarhill Veterinary Clinic, Briarhill Business Park, Galway (091 380000)

You can also donate directly to us here.

Fostering

As we don't have run a sanctuary or shelter, we urgently need people who are willing to look after cats in their own homes. Fosterers are vital for us. We can only take a cat in if a foster home is available too look after the cat until a forever home is found. Since we get so many calls every day, we can always do with more fosterers.

Often feral kittens are very shy. Before we can rehome them, they need to be socialised. Information about socialising feral kittens will be provided.

If you have time but are worried about the extra costs for cat food and litter, we will be able to support you. Any costs for veterinary care are covered by us anyway.

One new foster home can make the world of difference. Please contact us if you can help.

Feral colony management

As a caretaker of a feral cat colony, your job is to bring food and water to the colony. You will also monitor the colony for new or sick cats. Food will be provided. After a while the cats will get used to you and greet you when you come. This is a very rewarding job.

Adopt a cat

Have you ever come home and been greeted by your cat walking in and out of your legs and rubbing up against you, happy to see that you are home? How about when you are at home after a long, stressful day and your cat snuggles up with you, curled up on your lap? Having a cat as part of your family is a lovely experience, especially for children. Think about whether you could provide a home for a cat or even a pair of cats or kittens.