PV Cat Relocation Project
Welcome to the official PV Cat Relocation Project page! Let me start off by giving you a (somewhat) brief history of how I ended up deciding it was time to relocate the cats at PV High School.
In 2013, Neighborhood Cat Advocates (NCA) was contacted by school personnel and were asked to trap, spay/neuter, and return (TNR) the feral cats that resided on school grounds. We did just that, and asked them to sign our standard agreement, giving us permission to trap and return the cats to the property after they were spayed/neutered and deemed unadoptable because many of them were feral. There were 50+ of these cats back then. Some were young or tame enough to adopt out; the rest were returned as agreed upon. We also agreed to take over their care, which is not our standard practice but we wanted to make sure the cats were being taken care of and at the time there was no one else willing or able to do it. The cats still currently live in the metal shop yard on campus.
A couple years later, I (their current caretaker - Sarah Downs) was contacted by someone at the school/district because they were planning on trapping and removing the cats. The employees at the school at this time also began removing the food and water bowls and disposing of bedding, and eventually removed access to where the cats were by changing the lock on the gate. I was forced to dump food along the fence line, outside the property, where it was rained on, and the water bowl was also tipped over or removed nearly every single day. After much complaining from me, the school and the district agreed to build a food station box for their food and water to be out of the elements, which was great! However, the box at one point was tipped over so a friend of mine helped me set up a way to attach it to the fence it was sitting by, so it couldn’t be moved again. Also, numerous times, access to their food and water was blocked by someone placing an object in front of the entrance to the box. I would discover this when I went to check on them later in the day. This happened numerous times in the summer, when temperatures would reach over 100 degrees regularly. The cats would be without water for a number of hours because access to their water bowl was blocked.
Myself, alongside NCA, then worked with the school district to put in place a district-wide policy that enabled me to once again have access to care for the cats (including continued TNR efforts). However, over the course of time since this policy was passed, the cats have continued to be harassed by continually having access to their food and water blocked (one time by a metal plate with penis shapes carved into it), or by having cat feces and dirt dumped into their food and water bowls, or other such harassment tactics. Finally, I was informed a few months ago that the district plans on cleaning out all of the scrap metal and starting a major construction project this summer in that location. This location is no longer safe for these cats, and I must act now. I met with the district in February and informed them of my plan. In the meantime, their food box is being slowly moved to a new location, to try to persuade the cats to move away from the metal yard in which they currently live.
After careful deliberation and many, many sleepless nights, I have decided it is best to remove all of the cats from this situation permanently. Finding appropriate, safe, and trustworthy homes for this many cats is impossible, as relocating feral cats is a major undertaking and it is best to relocate an entire colony together. But it can be done!
The idea to relocate them came to me a few months ago but I’ve had a difficult time narrowing down the best way to do it. First I thought I could do it with my own good credit; I could purchase the land and put a home on it for me, and housing for the cats too of course. I actually was approved for a couple of loans, but don’t have any sort of down payment to put toward it. So then the plan to write and publish my book came about. It’s published now and available for purchase on Amazon here. A portion of the proceeds will go toward this project.
However, I don’t want to rely solely on some fantasy funds to appear because of my book; it will take time and that is something myself nor the cats have. I also tried to go the non-profit route but hit a wall for two reasons. First, the scope is too narrow, and second, the IRS would definitely raise their eyebrows at what is called “inurement of benefits” - meaning, if I formed a non-profit, raised money to buy the land for the cats and put myself on said land, I would benefit from it. I hadn’t really thought of it that way but it makes sense. The non-profit idea is out.
How many cats are we talking about here? There are roughly 16-17 feral cats remaining at the school. Once all cats have been removed, the school and school district will be given strict instructions to ensure that another population of cats doesn’t appear. How? They MUST instruct all employees and other visitors that no one is to feed any new cats, and they must agree to make sure the property is clean of any leftover human food every single day. They will also be asked to contact NCA if any new cats do appear/hang around so they can be scanned for a microchip first, and relocated to the new location if necessary. If the school personnel follow the recommended guidelines put in place, new cats should be few and far between, and more often than not will likely wander in from the nearby neighborhoods and can be returned to their rightful guardians or caretakers there.
The plan: I plan on purchasing a piece of land and a manufactured (pre-fab) home with the funds raised. The land will be no smaller than a half acre (a full acre or more would be amazing). Once the land is purchased and the home installed, I will be installing the following:
6 foot no-climb fencing, buried 1 foot deep with coyote rollers on top, covering the entire length of the fence. Coyotes can and will dig, which is why the fence will need to be buried, and the coyote rollers on top explain themselves. This will also ensure that the cats cannot get loose and put themselves in danger, or become a nuisance to any neighbors.
Sheds for housing and relocation adjustment timelines. What does this mean? Long story short, feral cats cannot simply be trapped and dropped somewhere else. The cats need time to adjust to their new surroundings, and to do this you need to keep them confined for at least a week. Building permits for a large barn are not something I can do, nor is it feasible if relocating a large number of cats. I’ve determined the safest and most compassionate way to move the cats is to move a small number at a time, and keep them housed in sheds with windows (that they can’t escape from, of course) until they are ready to safely explore their new surroundings. If you’d like to read more about the process I am going to follow, please follow this link. There is tons of great info here and will most likely answer some questions I have not addressed: Feral Cat Relocation-Alley Cat Allies
Planter or raised bed boxes: For litter boxes! These will be cleaned regularly so as not to bother anyone living nearby.
I have only done very rough estimates at this point because (a) I do not have the lot/land chosen yet so I do not know the exact size of the property or cost and (b) there are always going to be things that I haven’t thought of. However, based on my rough estimates, I have decided that a fundraising goal of $50,000 would be a safe bet to put the money down towards the lot/home, purchase the sheds (with windows and insulation, and eventually heating for the winter), fencing (coyote rollers and all).
Here it is broken down:
Fencing: ~.50 acres = 104 (linear feet) x 4 (sides) = 420 linear feet of 6’ no-climb fencing. Estimate: $2000-5000
The coyote rollers: $25/4 feet x 420 linear feet = $2625 - $3000
(more about coyote rollers here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=957yxi1E_kg)
Sheds: Pre-built and sturdy sheds that won’t deteriorate over time or fall over in the high winds run roughly $2500-3000 each. I plan on buying a minimum of four, so $10,000-12,000 (plus taxes, etc.) I also plan on insulating these and providing some sort of heating system for the winter (TBD - but I am looking at something small and portable [but not movable by cats jostling around] and of course, fire safe and efficient). Prices range anywhere from $40-$100. Insulation costs are unknown at this time. I also plan on adding cat trees and ledges for perching inside the sheds while they acclimate and/or if they choose to stay inside.
I realize this is asking A LOT. These cats, though, have become an extended part of my cat-family, and I’ll be damned if I don’t give it my all to get them all safely out of there. Any funds not used for the relocation costs will go toward their lifelong care. These cats mean so much to me and I will not give up on them.
