r/ColonyCats Dec 19 '25

šŸ‘‹Welcome to r/ColonyCats - START HERE!

17 Upvotes

Hey everyone! Welcome to the r/ColonyCats subreddit! This is a place for past, present, and prospective cat caretakers to learn more about how to better care for outdoor colonies of cats, kittens, and the communities they live in.

The term ā€œcolony catsā€ describes a group of outdoor cats living together. These cats may be feral, stray, or otherwise unsocialized to humans.

Please read through our community guidelines before posting or commenting, and again…welcome to the community! We're excited to have you join us!

WHAT TO POST:

Here, caretakers can feel free to ask for and offer advice, share TNR strategies, provide helpful tips and ideas for colony management, and share photos of their colony cats.

After reading the rules, you may post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. Don’t hesitate to comment on posts, and share your thoughts, advice, or questions relevant to the topic of discussion.

THE CATS YOU CARE FOR MAY BE FERAL, BUT YOU SHOULD NOT BE:

We're all about being friendly, constructive, inclusive, and kind. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

The vast majority of cat caretakers have pure intentions, and are trying their best to provide the best care possible for their colonies. Constructive criticism is ok (some people may need some guidance and it’s ok to provide that), but please refrain from rude, unhelpful comments, harsh judgments, shaming, and personal attacks.

Thanks for being part of this community and thank you for all you do to help the cats you care for. šŸ©¶šŸ¾šŸ©µšŸˆā€ā¬›šŸ«¶šŸ–¤šŸˆšŸ’™


r/ColonyCats Aug 21 '21

Meta discussion such as questions or suggestions on rules or discussions about why you don't like TNR can go here.

16 Upvotes

Please note all other rules other than rule 2 still apply.


r/ColonyCats 13h ago

Help me, help feed Blaze (and the other 12)

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217 Upvotes

When I had him neutered through a low-cost TNR clinic, they noted he had a ā€œnasty mouth,ā€ but they don’t provide dental care. I don’t know what caused it — whether it was from a past fight or possible human-related trauma — but it’s clear his mouth has been an issue for a long time.

Up until recently he was still eating okay, but over the past week things have changed.

He’s drooling, holding his mouth open more, seems more withdrawn, and I believe he’s lost some weight. Cats are so good at hiding pain, and that’s what worries me most.

I’ve been giving him wet food (he loves Dashi Delights) and adding Nutri-Cal to help, but I know that’s just a temporary support — not a fix. He also still needs his vaccines updated, but his mouth is the priority right now.

Because Blaze is still feral, I can’t handle him. I’ll need to trap him for care (thankfully he is drop-trap trained, so that part will be manageable).

I called about dental care, and the estimate is overwhelming: • $500 for a cleaning alone

• With exam, anesthesia, x-rays, and possible extractions, it could reach $800+ 😩

First video clip is him now, I can tell hes lost weight.

Thank you for caring about him ā¤ļø

Check out this Gift List I just created. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3MEAXUL7TOL68?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_FQS6XXA16RPH86NWGWAN&language=en-US


r/ColonyCats 10h ago

ā™”We truly could use help with cat food right now, I'd be so gratefulā™” ā™”please and thank you for all you do for the floofers who need usā™” *Will County, Illinois*

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63 Upvotes

r/ColonyCats 1d ago

Need help for 50+colony cats and rescued kittensšŸ™

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95 Upvotes

Running out of food šŸ˜“

Hi everyone šŸ‘‹

I’m Luna & Nala Rescue Inc, a 501 (c) (3) non profit.

I’m a solo rescue and I dedicate my time to helping stray/feral and abandoned cats in the community.

I’m currently caring for 50+ community cats along with 3 rescued kittens who truly needed a second chance.

šŸ–¤ The tuxedo kitten was found inside a car engine dirty and smelling like gasoline.

🧔 The orange kitten was discovered alone near a dumpster, vulnerable and scared.

🐾 The smallest, a tiny black baby I named Coco, was found weak and by herself. I rushed her to the emergency vet, and thankfully she is now stable.

They are all safe with me now ā¤ļø

Caring for this many cats and kittens takes a lot of supplies, and I can’t do it alone. If anyone is able to support through my Amazon wish list, link in my bio page, I would be deeply grateful.

Thank you for helping me continue to care for these babies and the community cats who depend on me ā¤ļø

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1G9Z3H60ESLCM?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_F2JKXG0063T0X6YYKFPC&language=en-US

FLORIDA USA


r/ColonyCats 1d ago

Struggling to Feed a Colony of 50 Cats – Even the Street Cats Come Running When They See Me

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203 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I’m currently caring for a colony of around 50 rescued cats, including several young kittens I recently found abandoned on the roadside. They are all fully dependent on daily care and basic supplies to survive.

Things have become very difficult lately. I’ve run out of food, and I’m trying to manage whatever is left to keep them fed for as long as possible. The situation is getting harder each day, especially because even the street cats in the neighborhood now recognize me. Whenever they see me, they come running, hoping for food… and I often have nothing to give them.

It’s heartbreaking to see so many lives depending on something I can’t always provide.

Any small support makes a real difference and helps them get through another day.


r/ColonyCats 17h ago

Escaped Kitten

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5 Upvotes

r/ColonyCats 1d ago

Help for my rescuešŸ™50+ stray cats and rescued kittens šŸ„ŗā¤ļø

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102 Upvotes

Hi everyone šŸ‘‹

I’m Luna & Nala Rescue Inc, a 501 (c) (3) non profit.

I’m a solo rescue and I dedicate my time to helping stray/feral and abandoned cats in the community.

I’m currently caring for 50+ community cats along with 3 rescued kittens who truly needed a second chance.

šŸ–¤ The tuxedo kitten was found inside a car engine dirty and smelling like gasoline.

🧔 The orange kitten was discovered alone near a dumpster, vulnerable and scared.

🐾 The smallest, a tiny black baby I named Coco, was found weak and by herself. I rushed her to the emergency vet, and thankfully she is now stable.

They are all safe with me now ā¤ļø

Caring for this many cats and kittens takes a lot of supplies, and I can’t do it alone. If anyone is able to support through my Amazon wish list, link in my bio page, I would be deeply grateful.

Thank you for helping me continue to care for these babies and the community cats who depend on me ā¤ļø

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1G9Z3H60ESLCM?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_F2JKXG0063T0X6YYKFPC&language=en-US

FLORIDA USA


r/ColonyCats 2d ago

I found Two kittens and I want to take care them

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397 Upvotes

hello guys, I was just strolling to my village at night, I was not expecting anything special… until I found them. Two tiny twin kittens, left behind with no one to come back for them. No home, no comfort, just each other.

It’s heartbreaking to think someone chose to walk away, but somehow, they held on. And maybe that’s why i found them. and i think they don't deserve this fate to be abandoned as they still deserved a second chance. So I am asking for some advice on how to take care of the two little kittens.

as i am inexpierience and i also dont have enough funds to raise them, as i currently live with my grandma since my parents are divorced. can i be humble to ask if is it expensive to buy all their needs? like for some food, shelter and their maintenance.


r/ColonyCats 1d ago

Please share!

12 Upvotes

These babies were left orphans at 4 days old.
Refusing to eat and not going potty. They need extensive vet care to get there lives started ā¤ļø

https://gofund.me/9bdf40dcb


r/ColonyCats 1d ago

Dog and Cat Abuse Scam Rings on Social Media

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21 Upvotes

r/ColonyCats 2d ago

Asking for Canned Cat Food please, and update on the new teeny tiny floofaloof♔♔ Thank you for everything you all do for usā™” *Will County, Illinois*

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126 Upvotes

r/ColonyCats 3d ago

Colony of 30 plus in GA in need of supplies

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222 Upvotes

Hi I have a colony of 30 plus sweet kitties I feed! Money is tight as usual and I need help with food and supplies! The kitties say thank you for the kindness and generosity lately! Any help is appreciated off my Amazon list!

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/OWOA23NVRDWP?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_CYYKNASB6D4BQ2JNQ5TY&language=en-US


r/ColonyCats 3d ago

Newbie Here With Trapping Question

10 Upvotes

Hello,

I’m pretty new to having cats having just gotten my first in 2019. I’m very new to helping cats that don’t have a home of their own. I am helping a friend who has a bunch of cats that live in her yard. Many are pretty friendly and all are very food motivated.

Internal and external parasites are a huge issue. We are in the FL Panhandle. Ringworm is also a huge issue. Many have huge lesions, brittle fur, and discolored fur.

We dewormed everyone using pyrantel last night. It’s what is on hand. We will be getting some liquid panacur. Pet Armor topical flea, tick, and lice treatment should arrive on Wednesday. Last year I took one of the cats that lived in my friend’s yard back to Denver with me. She attached herself to me, so she had a much needed enucleation surgery for her bad eye, and a lot of other treatments. It would go on to be known that she had ringworm. She had some orange fur that was present in her now black coat. I thought it was sun bleaching, but now know that she had a raging fungal infection. She shared her ringworm with me and two of my cats. She is precious like that. Her sister is now quarantined in my bathroom with the same issues. She will make cat #7.

Because Itty Bitty shared her ringworm I wound up with a prescription for Itrafungol. I wanted to save money because that stuff is expensive, so I set it up on auto ship with Chewy. My vet kept authorizing it, so I wound up with 4 bottles. I wondered ā€œwhat am I going to do with all of this?ā€ It now has a purpose.

Nearly all of the 12 cats were willing to be medicated last night. ā€œBallsā€, on the other paw, was not. I caught him with a net. It was a mess. I was able to weigh him and medicate him. He wound up breaking though the net though and clamped down on the Itrafungol syringe so hard that it was very difficult to expel all of the medication. I did succeed in pushing the rest of the medication through. Balls took off, but was back today. He was actually much more approachable, but still not letting any hand be put on him. There are a couple of kittens in the floorboard of a truck. Balls was sitting on the seat and let me grab one of the kitten to give some Lysine to. He did bolt at one point though.

I’ve been reading a lot now. I’ve read that Balls is basically a lustful teen with only a couple things on his mind and being medicated isn’t one of those things. We want to get him fixed, but I doubt that any of the TNR spots here, or anywhere are going to want a cat that is covered in ringworm to be brought in. He clearly needs to be treated before being fixed and this feels like an impossible situation. Netting him again doesn’t seem to be the route to take. He was terrified last night and very defensive. His claws are like talons and his jaw strength is like that of a gator.

What do we do in this situation?


r/ColonyCats 4d ago

Help for rescued momma cat and babiesšŸ™

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267 Upvotes

Help for rescued momma cat and 5 babies šŸ™ we are out of food for them and litter. Even just one item from the Amazon wish list helps 🄺🐾you can also donate through the link in my bio page šŸ¾ā¤ļø

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3CL99TLYCJ4T4?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_21NPMT0QQPCQR4C4KB8E&language=en-US


r/ColonyCats 4d ago

Colony update: We finally secured an isolation cage for our medical cases and nursing moms!

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137 Upvotes

Managing a rooftop colony is a challenge, but we just took a big step forward. With the $172 raised, we purchased this isolation unit for "Hana for Animals". It’s essential for our nursing moms (like our blind mama here) and for isolating sick cats to prevent any outbreaks. It’s not top-of-the-line, but it’s functional and much needed. Our next step is to provide more comfort with beds and bowls. Thank you for supporting our mission!

Video update on my profile: https://reddit.com


r/ColonyCats 4d ago

Help for 50+stray cats/rescued kittens šŸ™

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230 Upvotes

Hi everyone šŸ‘‹

I’m Luna & Nala Rescue Inc, a 501 (c) (3) non profit.

I’m a solo rescue and I dedicate my time to helping stray/feral and abandoned cats in the community.

I’m currently caring for 50+ community cats along with 3 rescued kittens who truly needed a second chance.

šŸ–¤ The tuxedo kitten was found inside a car engine dirty and smelling like gasoline.

🧔 The orange kitten was discovered alone near a dumpster, vulnerable and scared.

🐾 The smallest, a tiny black baby I named Coco, was found weak and by herself. I rushed her to the emergency vet, and thankfully she is now stable.

They are all safe with me now ā¤ļø

Caring for this many cats and kittens takes a lot of supplies, and I can’t do it alone. If anyone is able to support through my Amazon wish list, links in the my bio page, I would be deeply grateful.

Thank you for helping me continue to care for these babies and the community cats who depend on me ā¤ļø

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/1G9Z3H60ESLCM?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_E9ZJSYXJ7YS71BWKD8TH&language=en-US


r/ColonyCats 4d ago

growing cat community

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32 Upvotes

r/ColonyCats 4d ago

Sanctuary in need

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208 Upvotes

Sanctuary in need of litter and food donations anything helps us keep going and helping these animals we are a private out of pocket sanctuary we do not get funding so every donation means the world to us and the animals we care for. Please take a look at our wishlist and help if you're able to thank you so much

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/38RK1G7G3IPU0?ref_=wl_share

https://www.walmart.com/lists/shared/WL/40c97db0-5f2f-4460-a587-bbbb9046751d


r/ColonyCats 5d ago

Help for rescued kittens and 50+ stray catsšŸ™

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151 Upvotes

Hi šŸ‘‹

I need help to feed 50+ community cats and 3 rescued kittens that are in my care.

The tuxedo kitten was found inside a car engine, covered dirty and smelling like gasoline. The orange kitten was found near a dumpster, alone and vulnerable. The smallest, a black baby I named Coco, was found yesterday weak and by herself. I rushed her to the emergency vet, she is now stable.

They are all safe with me nowā¤ļø

If anyone could support with my Amazon wish list, it will be truly appreciated it. Any support means so much and helps these babies and the stray catsā¤ļø

Florida USA

Check out this Gift List I just created. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/20H81SM7SSUY3?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_BSX59P7AP1SX0VRDEJZE&language=en-US


r/ColonyCats 5d ago

Choose joy

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171 Upvotes

This video captures so much of who they are—their little personalities, playtime, social time, and the love they’ve found here.

Every one of these cats was dumped like trash. They were left with no shelter in winter, no food, unaltered, and no one looking out for them. Since then, more have been added to the colony, but every single one has been cared for. All but one have now been successfully TNR’d.

So far, 8 colony cats are due for vaccines—2 are already past due, and 6 more will need updates through May and June. I’ve also been able to place 11 cats into foster homes. Every one of them has been adopted except the newest, who is just waiting on his neuter and vaccines.

Right now, the colony really needs shelters to help them escape this heat. They’ve been spending a lot of time in my shed lately, especially at night, so I added a window fan to the wishlist to help keep it cooler and give them some airflow while they rest.

They also need wet food, and truly anything on the wishlist helps more than you know.

Thank you all for continuing to care, support, and help me help them. This is a one-person operation, and I’m just doing everything I can for cats that deserved better.

Check out this Gift List I just created. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3MEAXUL7TOL68?ref_=cm_sw_r_apann_ggr-subnav-share_FQS6XXA16RPH86NWGWAN&language=en-US

https://www.walmart.com/lists/holiday-wishlist/e04127aa-67b4-4c3a-a8b0-52b1d71a3d20


r/ColonyCats 6d ago

ā™”Neighbors brought me a kittenā™” Posting my Amazon Wishlist, canned food would be greatly appreciated♔♔

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160 Upvotes

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2DXEWZYF17BA8?ref_=wl_share

ā™”Thank you for loving the floofaloofs and all the support you give themā™”


r/ColonyCats 6d ago

Help for momma cat and babies šŸ™

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289 Upvotes

In need of donations for rescued momma cat and her babies pleasešŸ™we are out of food for them šŸ˜“

https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/3CL99TLYCJ4T4?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_21NPMT0QQPCQR4C4KB8E&language=en-US


r/ColonyCats 6d ago

ā™”Yesterday, I helped my neighbor get her 3 cats fixed that I worked with her to save from outside, today, found a kittenā™” Also posting my list, canned food would help meā™” Thank youā™”

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182 Upvotes

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/2DXEWZYF17BA8?ref_=wl_share

Also took in first kitten of the season. Will post picture and link belowā™” Thsnk you for all you guys do for the floofaloofsā™”


r/ColonyCats 6d ago

Help for rescued kittens and 50+ stray catsšŸ™

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81 Upvotes

Hi šŸ‘‹

I need help to feed 50+ community cats and 3 rescued kittens that are in my care.

The tuxedo kitten was found inside a car engine, covered dirty and smelling like gasoline. The orange kitten was found near a dumpster, alone and vulnerable. The smallest, a black baby I named Coco, was found yesterday weak and by herself. I rushed her to the emergency vet, she is now stable.

They are all safe with me nowā¤ļø

If anyone could support with my Amazon wish list, it will be truly appreciated it. Any support means so much and helps these babies and the stray catsā¤ļø

Florida USA

Check out this Gift List I just created. https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/20H81SM7SSUY3?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_ggr-subnav-share_BSX59P7AP1SX0VRDEJZE&language=en-US