
Click on the logo to to go the FFC website!
Quite by accident, my lovely wife and I discovered this superb organization. We had discovered a new kitty wandering around with our existing colony of feral cats, and he looked ill. We took him to the the SCPA to be spayed and the gentleman who returned him after surgery is the husband of the lady who runs FFC, Diane Straney. Their current facility is on a 20 acre property in 2006. As a member of HumaneNet, The Feline Freedom Coalition has taken an increasingly important role in the ASPCA Community Partnership Program. They are the only organization in Charleston County that focuses solely on working with feral cats.
Beginning as a private operating foundation in 2004, they rapidly expanded their public outreach since 2009 to become more active in TNR (trap and release) and helping the public learn more about managed cat colony care. Since that time they have funded the spay/neuter surgery for over 1000 animals, provided assistance for over 350 privately managed colonies, removed and adopted over 500 socialized cats/kittens from colonies and trapped over 700 cats as part of Charleston County Free Roaming Cat Program. They are now integrated with PetSmart pet stores and have their cats in the local PetSmart store for adoption.
Very briefly, it works like this:
The FFC has two or three people who go around the Charleston area looking for feral cats, or they recieve phone calls from people who’ve seen one. They put out live traps and capture the cat, and bring it back to the property. The cat recieves its shots and is either spayed or neutered at a veterinary that works with the FFC on a discount. Then, the new kitty is housed and cared for until it’s determined whether it is tame enough to be eventually integrated into the adoption cycle at one of the local PetSmart stores. If it’s too wild, it’s cared for the rest of its life on the property – and well cared for, I might add.
The FFC is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and I’m proud to say my wife and I are now volunteers there. I’ll be working there on Saturday and will follow up with some photos. They currently house around 225 cats (you should see THAT in person:)), so as you can imagine, the care and feeding alone is a daunting task. Throw in medical care, repairs, and cleaning, and you can well imagine how much work is involved. I’ve installed a button in the right column where anyone wishing to do so can donate to this worthwhile cause. Failing that, take heart and go give your local organization some love. They are always in need for food, blankets, and other sundry items. Please, give for those who can’t get for themselves.
‘Nuf said.
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