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Home / What We Do / Promote Humane Care / Feral Friends Network / Learn More about Becoming an Organization Feral Friend

Learn More about your Organization Becoming a Feral Friend and Apply

Apply to become an Organization Feral Friend »


Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

  1. How can I find out if my organization already is a Feral Friend?
  2. What is expected of my organization as a Feral Friend?
  3. My organization wants to join the Feral Friends Network, how does it apply?
  4. Is there a fee to join the Feral Friends Network?
  5. What information about my organization may be given out by Alley Cat Allies?
  6. What are the benefits to my organization of becoming a Feral Friend?
  7. We are a veterinary practice. Will we be contacted for Trap-Neuter-Return advice or help that we don’t provide?
  8. If we agree to provide advice about Trap-Neuter-Return, will we be contacted for other types of help that we don’t provide?
  9. What if my organization decides later that it doesn’t want to be a Feral Friend?
  10. Does being a Feral Friend cause my organization or its employees or volunteers to be members or volunteers of Alley Cat Allies?
  11. My organization doesn’t have the knowledge and experience to become a Feral Friend, how can we get it?
  12. If my organization is a Feral Friend, can I also be an individual Feral Friend?

 

1. How can I find out if my organization is already a Feral Friend?

You can have a list of Feral Friends automatically emailed to you via our inquiry form. Check the option for contacting us on behalf of an organization. Enter the organization’s address and check the “Feral Friends” item on page two of the form. If your organization’s name appears on the list you are emailed, you are an active Feral Friend.

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2. What is expected of my organization as a Feral Friend?

As a feral friend, your organization:

  • Agrees with Alley Cat Allies’ mission to end the killing of cats and promote their humane care.
  • Will respond within a reasonable time to inquiries regarding feral cats. If the organization is unable to provide the necessary help, it will give referrals to other relevant organizations or individuals if any are known.
  • Is not required to provide services at less than its normal fees. Since the affordability of spay and neuter is often the major impediment to Trap-Neuter-Return in a community, any amount of discounted or subsidized spay and neuter of feral cats that the organization is able to offer is a sincerely appreciated community service.
  • Will identify a person within the organization who will be Alley Cat Allies’ contact if we have questions about the organization’s role as a Feral Friend. The contact will also keep Alley Cat Allies updated with any changes to the organization’s contact or other relevant information.
  • Agrees that it and the contact for the organization will receive periodic Feral Friends Exclusive e-mails from Alley Cat Allies containing information relevant to Feral Friends as well as e-mail or phone calls from Alley Cat Allies as necessary to ensure their information as a Feral Friend or contact is up to date.

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3. My organization wants to join the Feral Friends Network, how do we apply?

It’s easy. As long as you are 18 or older and have authorization from the organization to apply on its behalf, complete the online application.

Completing the online application is preferred, but you can also complete a printable version and send it to us via mail at 7920 Norfolk Avenue, Suite 600; Bethesda, MD 20814-2525 or via fax at (301) 482-1990.

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4. Is there a fee to join the Feral Friends Network?

No. There is no fee for being a Feral Friend.

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5. What information about my organization will Alley Cat Allies share with those requesting help?

  • The organization’s name, city, state or province, and country.
  • The contact information that the organization has granted permission for Alley Cat Allies to give out.
  • A listing of the feral cat-related services that the organization provides and any associated requirements for providing those services, e.g. all cats must be eartipped.
  • The areas (city, county, etc.) where the organization provides services.
  • The Trap-Neuter-Return or veterinary practices the organization follows.
  • Any information contained on the organization’s website.

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6. What are the benefits to my organization for becoming a Feral Friend?

  • Increased exposure. By being included in our Feral Friends list, more people with common interests are directed to your organization. It can lead to additional volunteers and donors for your organization. When we are contacted by someone who wants to volunteer, we often direct them to our Feral Friends in their area. For veterinary practices and spay and neuter clinics, being a Feral Friend often leads to additional clients who may also choose your practice for their pets’ veterinary needs.
  • Peer Connections through Online Community. Feral Friends can join Feral Friends Online, a list serv and online community. There, Feral Friends learn from each other’s knowledge and experience and provide encouragement and support. Anyone who provides feral cat services on behalf of the organization can join.

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7. We are a veterinary practice. Will we be contacted for Trap-Neuter-Return advice or help that we don’t provide?

Alley Cat Allies identifies which Feral Friends provide only veterinary services and asks that they be contacted about those services only. We work hard to ensure that veterinary Feral Friends are not contacted with irrelevant questions.

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8. If we agree to provide advice about Trap-Neuter-Return will we be contacted for other types of help that we don’t provide?

Because of the high volume of requests Alley Cat Allies receives and the large number of Feral Friends, Alley Cat Allies provides lists of Feral Friends based only on their service locations. Alley Cat Allies cannot attempt to match the specific type of non-veterinary help needed with Feral Friends who offer that type of help. Therefore, your organization might be contacted for help that it doesn’t provide. If that occurs, all the organization is expected to do is give any advice it can and provide referrals to other organizations or individuals who might provide the needed help.

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9. What if my organization decides later that it doesn’t want to be a Feral Friend?

The organization can inform Alley Cat Allies at any time that it wishes to be removed from the Feral Friends Network, and Alley Cat Allies will remove the organization and stop sharing its information. Simply email us at ffn@alleycat.org. Please note that we are not able to respond to general inquiries sent to this email address. Please direct all other inquiries to our inquiry form. 

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10. Does being a Feral Friend cause my organization or its employees or volunteers to be members or volunteers of Alley Cat Allies?

Alley Cat Allies does not have a membership program, and instead has supporters, donors, and others who are affiliated with us in various ways. An Alley Cat Allies volunteer works directly with us on a program that we are managing, under an Alley Cat Allies volunteer agreement. The Feral Friends Network is a much more informal affiliation in which we put those who want to help feral cats in contact with those who might be able to offer them assistance. Alley Cat Allies asks that our Feral Friends not represent themselves as Alley Cat Allies volunteers, but as a member of the Alley Cat Allies Feral Friends Network.

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11. My organization doesn’t have the knowledge and experience to become a Feral Friend, how can we get it?

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12. If my organization is a Feral Friend, can I also be an individual Feral Friend?

Yes, as long as you meet the qualifications. Learn more and apply.

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