what we do

 Friends of Feral Cheshire Cats is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. Our mission is to humanely reduce feral cat overpopulation in the Cheshire, CT area by providing financial support to area rescues, feral cat trappers, Animal Control Officers, and Cheshire residents who find  stray cat or wish to provide TNR to a feral cat in Cheshire.

Sixteen years ago, feral cats could be found everywhere throughout the town of Cheshire – behind restaurants and other businesses, on the many farms in town, in industrial parks, at the post office and the town dump, and in backyards. Most famous among those was Kitty City with over 60 cats in three areas behind a cluster of local businesses. Friends of Feral Cheshire Cats was born out of the desire to humanely stop the overpopulation of feral and stray cats and to provide a better existence for these cats through trap-neuter-return (TNR) and feral colony management.  

Through the years, our program grew to include foster homes and placement for friendly cats and kittens, emergency help for sick or injured cats, and assistance to others doing the same work as us in different communities. 

Over the last 16 years, we have helped thousands of cats and kittens in Cheshire and surrounding towns! This has been an enormous achievement that could not have happened without our donors, volunteers, and veterinary providers. 

The time has come for a new chapter for Friends of Feral Cheshire Cats. We will no longer be involved directly in the trapping, transport, rescue, fostering, and placement of cats and kittens, but will instead focus on providing financial support for spay/neuter and vaccinations to area rescues, feral cat trappers, and animal control officers who work with feral cats, and also to community members in Cheshire who find a stray or want to provide TNR for feral cats.  

We will also provide financial support for medical emergencies for stray and feral cats as funding allows. Payments will be made directly to veterinary providers. Unfortunately, we cannot provide financial assistance for owned cats and kittens, but resources may found on our website for low-cost spay/neuter clinics and voucher programs. 

These changes allow us to keep going in our mission and to expand the number of cats we can help! 

Friends of Feral Cheshire Cats remains a 501(C)(3) non-profit organization and will still be supported by private donation with all funds going directly to the services for the cats and a very small portion for our administrative costs. 

With deep appreciation for your support, 

Lori Ratchelous and Kerry Bartoletti