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Articles & Information

Is Return to Field recommended for a healthy social cat?

Published on:

Dec 30, 2015

Dear Million Cat Challenge, Are Return to Field programs primarily for cats deemed feral or too unsocial for adoption? Is RTF recommended for a healthy social cat? – Curious

Dear Curious,

Any cat who is thriving in her environment is a candidate for RTF.

For unsocialized cats, return to their origin will help stabilize populations, improve the cats’ health and help build bridges with folks in the community who may be caring for and feeding unowned cats. For friendly cats, sterilization and return can be the shortest pathway to reunification with the cat’s family. In general, adoptive homes should be reserved for socialized kittens, owned cats/kittens in need of rehoming, and friendly cats that are not thriving in the community due to injury or chronic illness.

Dr. Julie Levy