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Types of Cats

Barn and backyard cats are as varied as their colors   

Many types of cats are killed at shelters and are therefore eligible to be adopted through Tenth Life Foundation (TLF).   These are not adoptable pet cats or kittens that can be socialized to humans and then adopted as pets.

  • Feral cats: Some of the cats are “feral cats” that have either never had any contact with people or whose contact with people has diminished over time.  Feral cats are not socialized to people.  They are very shy, wary of humans and survive on their own outdoors.
  • Semi-feral cats: Some are described as “semi-feral” or “semi-social” cats.  These cats show greater comfort with humans, especially those who provide a source of food, and may eventually allow petting by a trusted human but are not candidates as indoor pet cats.
  • Tame stray cats: Some are “tame stray cats” that are generally socialized to people but have left or lost their homes and have learned to survive on their own outdoors.   Tame strays might accept petting and typically regain their trust of people over time.

What all of these cats have in common is that they ended up in an animal shelter with no other options and will be killed when deemed unadoptable.  However, it is difficult to predict how cats such as these will behave once removed from the stressful shelter environment.  Check out Tenth Life Cats to see some of their stories.

It is not possible for adopters to select the cats for adoption; however, we attempt to match cats to their adopters and new homes, as much as possible.

All TLF cats are spayed or neutered (S/N), vaccinated for rabies and FVRCP, tested for FIV/FeLV, treated for fleas and dewormed, as appropriate.  Cats are typically micro-chipped.