Cat Terminology

Welcome to our user-friendly guide designed to assist those who may feel overwhelmed by cat rescue terminology. Whether you're a seasoned rescuer or just starting out, we're here to demystify the language of cat rescue, making it accessible and easy to understand. 

• Community Cat: A free-roaming cat living outside. Includes feral and stray/friendly.

• Feral Cat: A cat that is wild or unsocialized to people. We prefer the term "unsocialized".

• Foster: An individual or family who agrees to house a cat on behalf of the rescue temporarily. This helps us rescue homeless cats and socialize the cat in a home so they are more adoptable. 

• Foster Fail: Someone who fosters cat and decides to permanently adopt. 

• Free-Roaming Cat: A cat living outside. Could be feral or stray/friendly.

• FVRCP: A 3-in-1 vaccine for cats against feline rhinotracheitis virus, calicivirus and panleukopenia (distemper).

• Neuter: Castration of a male cat (for the cat's health & safety and prevent unwanted litters).

• S/N: Spay/neuter.

• Spay: Hysterectomy or removal of uterus and ovaries of a female cat (for the cat's health & safety and prevent unwanted litters).

• Stray Cat: A friendly cat that is lost or abandoned.

• TNR: Trap-Neuter-Return (not Release) to help manage community cat populations, thus avoiding shelters and allowing cats to remain in their habitats without reproducing.

• Working Cat: A cat relocated to new guardians for the primary purpose of deterring rodents.