SF/SPCA Feral Cat Volunteer Caregivers

Last week I had the opportunity to go out into the wilds of San Francisco to begin documenting the volunteers with the SF/SPCA who care for the feral cat population. I know it’s an odd thing for an architectural photographer to be doing but, I love cats and I want to make a contribution. This seems like a good way to do that.

In case you don’t know the SF/SPCA is a “no kill” facility. The goal of the organization is to care for the animals until they are adopted but sometimes adoption isn’t an option.

Feral cats are in a unique situation, most have never been a “pet” but are in fact wild, unfortunately many of them were pets that were either lost or in some cases dumped by the humans who were supposed to care for them. Feral cats if left alone will breed wildly and prolifically. This causes quite a few problems for the cats and the people who live near them.

The SF/SPCA has a trap, neuter/spay and release policy. Volunteers will care for the animals by feeding & watering them and ensuring they have some form of shelter available. They also use humane traps to capture the animals, give them medical treatment and to spay or neuter, and if the cat can be socialized they will bring it in and offer it to the public for adoption. Unfortunately many of these cats cannot be “tamed” and must be allowed to live out their lives in the “wilds” of the city streets, back alleys and parks.

I am setting out to tell the story not of the cats themselves but of the people who give their time, their energy and their love to these poor animals who have no one else to love and care for them. This is a long term project and I will be posting short episodes here on occasion and once the project is completed I will post a link to the final story of the remarkable people who go to rather extreme lengths to do the best they can for these most vulnerable citizens of our city.

Breakfast in the wild.