Kitty Crusaders
We estimate that there are close to 20,000 feral cats and kittens in Athens-Clarke County alone. CZA's Kitty Crusaders program hopes to use education to mobilize community involvement and tackle this growing situation of homeless felines. It is important to realize that we are NOT an organization with a shelter that houses homeless cats.
Since we have very limited resources at this time, the Kitty Crusaders program primarily exists to offer advice to individuals who want to help a particular feral cat or colony of feral cats by providing information about the most humane and effective strategies out there. There is a list of local resources and other animal assistance organizations in the Links section of this site.
If an individual wants to help a particular kitten or kittens, we can also give special advice about trapping kittens and evaluating them for possible socialization and adoption. Age, health factors and personality are some of the things that will need to be considered. Usually, the longer a kitten or cat has been outdoors without much human interaction, the longer it will take to socialize him/her so in many cases, returning the animal to its territory after it has been spayed/neutered and vaccinated may be the best choice, granted there is a dedicated caregiver for the feline once he/she has been returned.
Unfortunately, we do not have the resources to trap, foster, and find adopters for feral kittens. In the future we hope to have a barn cat referral program where some feral cats and kittens may be able to eventually (with help) adapt to new homes in barnyards and/or on farms. However, that program is only part of the solution, not the solution for all 20,000 cats in the Athens area!
If you need advice about a situation involving one or more cats whose territory is NOT on the University of Georgia campus but within Athens-Clarke County, please first review the local resources listed on our website and then if you need further help, contact us at 706.207.1013 or e-mail feralcatcaregivers@yahoo.com.
If you don't need help but simply want to OFFER your help, we heartily welcome it---whether you can help just a little or want to help a lot. There are a myriad of ways to help Cat Zip Alliance so please just contact us at the e-mail address above to volunteer!