Coastside Feral Care

Coastside Feral Care is an all-volunteer nonprofit that provides compassionate care for our local stray and feral cats, with a priority on reducing their numbers through spaying/neutering and adoption. We strive to find homes for all, but for those that cannot become house cats, we care for them in their territory through their lifetimes, providing food, shelter, and veterinary care.

Who are Half Moon Bay’s stray and feral cats?

Half Moon Bay’s stray cats are lost or abandoned pets, struggling to survive with rusty survival skills.  It’s usually easy to tell former house cats – they come quickly at the smell of food and want to interact with you. Most can become loving companions again.

Half Moon Bay’s feral cats were born in the wild. Hardened from years of living by their wits, they are wary of humans and hide until they trust you won't threaten them. Adult feral cats can be challenging to tame, and adoption is not always an option for them. 

On the other hand, virtually all feral-born kittens can become lap cats, and we scoop them up and foster them so they are ready for a new indoor home.

Our mission: Help the cats and reduce their numbers

Coastside Feral Care helps all cats regardless of how they came to live in the wild. We first trap the cat and have it scanned for a microchip that might lead us to its owner. We have the cat spayed/neutered and vaccinated. We seek indoor homes for the more social and domesticated cats, and return the truly wild to their territories, where we continue their care. Every day we feed between 50 and 60 cats in 10 colonies.

Reduce the population by spaying and neutering

The importance of spay and neuter can’t be overstated. Fertile female cats can have two litters each year. Although many kittens don't survive in the wild to become adults, one mother cat’s children and grandchildren still can number over 100 in three years. 

Breaking this cycle is what we are about. In eight years, we have sterilized over 200 cats.

Reduce the population by adoptions

We have found homes for nearly 150 stray cats of all ages and sizes and types. Nothing in our work makes us happier than getting updates from adopters with pictures of happy indoor cats who were once starving and cold!

Care for the homeless cats

Coastside Feral Care volunteers visit the feral cats daily to provide food and clean water and to monitor their health. This is not only the compassionate thing to do, but it is also required by Peninsula Humane Society as a condition of their support. Ill or wounded cats receive veterinary care and a foster home for recovery until they can be safely returned to their territory.

It works!

Our efforts have contributed to declining populations in Half Moon Bay's colonies. One has gone from 14 cats to 2 over seven years. Another began with 21 cats and is down to 3. And a third, which began with 27, is now just 13. As sad as it is to lose our cat friends to old age, illness and accidents, we are heartened that we were able to help them while preventing an explosion of new births, which is the goal.

Feral and stray cats will always be with us. Cats continue to get lost or be abandoned. Those that were not fixed by their previous owners have kittens who, unless fostered and socialized quickly, will be feral.  We will always be there for these newcomers.

Our 2024 goals: Further reduce feral cat populations through outreach and family assistance

We have some lofty goals this year!

1. To create an outreach program for the coast’s economically disadvantaged population, with information on the importance of spay-neuter and availability of low-cost spay-neuter services.
2. To support local food pantries with cat food to help families keep their pets.
3. To step up our trap-neuter work and adoptions.

Your donation goes directly to caring for the cats

Romeo gets his morning mealCoastside Feral Care is an all-volunteer non-profit. Your donation is used directly for cats for their food, shelter and veterinary care. As a non-profit, we depend on your support. Please donate today!