Cats of UNL
Current Efforts in Lincoln
Because feral cats are not classified as wildlife or owned pets, it can be tricky to assign responsibility and navigate feral cat management. Generally, any management that occurs is due to citizens or organizations that volunteer to sterilize, feed, shelter, and monitor feral cat populations. Costs of food and medical care are typically paid for by citizens that wish to control feral cat population sizes.
Husker Cats
The cats on UNL's City Campus are currently under the care of an organization known as Husker Cats, which was formed in 2008 by a group of faculty and staff. Husker Cats helps to control the population of feral cats on City Campus through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) methods. After the cats are sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, and returned to campus, they are monitored for sickness or injury. Husker Cats volunteers feed the cats at their feeding stations on a daily basis and outdoor shelters are provided, too. Through their TNR efforts, Husker Cats has reduced the campus feral cat colony to a manageable number and has found homes for several strays and feral kittens. Since their start in 2008, reductions in new litters of kittens and disease have been noted.
​
Husker Cats is a volunteer organization and, apart from minimal funding from UNL, pays for the expenses of feeding, sheltering, and providing veterinary care with donations and the volunteers' own money.
.jpg){kind=logo}
The Cat House is one organization that provides TNR in Lincoln. If caretakers in the community bring in free-roaming cats, a veterinarian will evaluate, vaccinate, and sterilize the cat. Trapping, transporting, and monitoring of the cats is the responsibility of the caretaker. If space is available, kittens and strays may be provided a place to stay at The Cat House until they find homes. The TNR program at The Cat House is entirely funded by donations.
​
Click here for more information.
Capital Humane Society is another organization in Lincoln that works with caretakers in the community to provide TNR services. They also have their Working Cat Program, in which feral and semi-feral cats can be adopted by those outside of city limits seeking to get rid of pests on their property (e.g., barns, garages, etc.). Before adoption, working cats are vaccinated, microchipped, sterilized, and ear tipped. The Working Cat Program gives feral cats a home, while allowing them to remain outdoors & relatively distanced from humans. This provides a safe environment for the cat away from the threat of cars and large populations of people, and will also reduce the number of cats that get euthanized.
​
Adopters of working cats must:
-
Live outside of city limits
-
Provide food, shelter, water, & veterinary care for the cat
-
Acclimate the cat to their new environment for 2-4 weeks in a confined space
​
Click here for more information.