BRANDON FCAP - HOW IT WORKS AT A GLANCE:
 An
individual calls Brandon FCAP (Mei Mei Brown
at 247.3971 or
e-mail us) with information
about a feral cat or colony in Brandon. FCAP
volunteers identify who might already be
feeding the colony (1 in 5 households report
feeding one or more feral cats on their
property) and enlist those individuals in
the trapping, sterilizing, and ongoing care
of the cats in the colony. FCAP provides all
of the training and equipment needed and
assists in the cost of spaying/neutering the
cat. Any tame adult cats and young kittens
who are trapped may be adopted into new
families through the Rutland County Humane
Society or FCAP.
TRAP/NEUTER/RETURN:
 TNR
is a proven procedure in which entire colonies
of stray and feral cats are humanely trapped,
then evaluated, vaccinated, and spayed/neutered
by veterinarians. Some kittens and tame
cats may be adopted into homes. Adult cats
too wild to be adopted are returned to live
out their lives under the watchful care
and feeding of sympathetic neighborhood
volunteers.
TNR works. The breeding stops. Cat populations
are gradually reduced. Nuisance behaviors
associated with breeding, such as the yowling
of females or the spraying and fighting
of toms, are virtually eliminated. Disease
and malnutrition are greatly reduced. Ongoing
care creates a safety net for the cats and
the community. (See Alley Cat Allies’ brochure,
“The Humane and Effective Solution”)
DONATIONS:
The
Brandon FCAP is a program of the Rutland
County Humane Society and, as such, is eligible
for tax-deductible donations as allowed
by law for a 501c3 through the RCHS. Donations
intended for the Brandon FCAP can be made
out to the RCHS, with a note indicating
the money is meant for FCAP. The RCHS has
set aside a dedicated fund to collect and
disburse this money to FCAP.
The number of feral cats that can be spayed/neutered
and vaccinated for rabies is directly tied
to the amount of money raised for FCAP.
Please consider making a donation to the
Brandon FCAP or joining FCAP as a fundraising
volunteer!
Donations
can be sent to:
RCHS,
765 Stevens Road, Pittsford, VT 05763, Attn: Brandon FCAP
MISSION STATEMENT:
Reduce
the number of feral cats in Brandon through
the implementation of a volunteer-run Trap/Neuter/Return
program.
FERAL CATS:
 A
feral cat is an unsocialized cat. Either
he was born outside and never lived with
a human family, or he is a house cat that
has strayed from home, and over time, has
thrown off the effects of domestication
and reverted to a wild state. Feral cats
avoid human contact.
TRAINING:
 Literally
hundreds of thousands, possibly millions,
of people are caring for feral cats in some
manner or another right now in the United
States, whether it is leaving out food on
their back porch or paying for the veterinary
care of the “neighborhood stray.” FCAP seeks
to unite Brandon individuals and families
who are already caring for ferals, and those
who would like to help the ferals of Brandon,
and provide them with the support they need
to carry out TNR, while also creating an
opportunity for caretakers to network and
support each other.
Beyond the informal sharing of information
amongst FCAP volunteers, FCAP provides training
on humane trapping, colony management, and
feral cat behavior. Training can take place
through meetings, personal assistance, literature,
videos, and the Internet.
Safety
|
The
Brandon Feral Cat Assistance Program is
a program initiated by the Rutland County
Humane Society to humanely and effectively
address the issue of feral (wild) cats in
Brandon. FCAP is run almost entirely by
volunteers and uses the Trap/Neuter/Return
(TNR) model to reduce the number of free-roaming
felines in Brandon.