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About Operation Sterile Feral
Instead of euthanizing feral, street or "community cats," Operation Sterile Feral (OSF) assists individuals to humanely trap homeless cats, spay/neuter them, and return them to their original environment where a caretaker provides life-time care for the colony, through feeding, monitoring, etc. This humane method stops the cats from breeding and allows them to live in their natural habitat under the care of a private citizen.
OSF works with local residents, business and government entities to help them humanely control feline overpopulation in their neighborhoods. Before we agree to assist with any Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) case, the following criteria must be met:
1. The cat(s) must be unowned, homeless, feral (wild), or barn cat. OSF does not spay/neuter personal pets, including rescued or foster cats.
2. A long-term primary caretaker must take full responsibility for the cat(s) and promise to feed the cat(s) and provide fresh water on a regular basis.
3. You must have permission from the owner of the property where the cat(s) reside or are being fed. This may be a private residence, business, home owners' association, apartment/condo management, or government entity.
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OSF Guidelines
1. Priority for appointments go to St. Charles County. Not currently accepting cats from St. Louis County.
2. By appointment only. Call 314-995-9266. No walk-ins accepted. No exceptions! Please leave a message, someone will call you back 7-14 days before the next event. Leave a full name, zip code where the cats are located, day and evening phone numbers. We are an all-volunteer effort. Our phone line is a voice mail only number and does not ring at any of our volunteers residents.
3. For everyone's safety, cats are only accepted in humane traps, hard carriers, or cages. Do not bring cats in cardboard boxes, pillow cases, disposable carriers, coolers, or in your arms. None of these modes of transport are safe for you or the cats and we can't monitor recovery when cats are in these items.
4. All cats/kittens will be spay/neutered, microchipped, ear tipped on the left ear, and given rabies and FVRCP vaccinations. No exceptions! No rabies tags or certificates are issued. Requests to not ear tip or for rabies tags indicates attempts to rescue and adopt out and does not qualify the cats for this program.
5. Please arrive promptly at your appointment time. We book in blocks and check-in can get congested if people come early or late. Please respect those who have earlier appointments
6. Be prepared to retrieve your cats at the indicated time given at drop-off.
7. Cats abandoned to OSF will be billed at an additional $60.00 per cat. Charges of animal abandonment may be filed. A/C will be visiting you.
8. Be prepared to provide a safe/enclosed recovery area for 24 hours after the surgery.
9. This is a spay/neuter event only. Other medical procedures will not be dispensed.
10. OSF charges $30.00 per cat (includes a microchip), payable by check or cash when the cat(s)/kitten(s) arrives. Limited scholarships are available. They are need-based and must be pre-approved. Please advise us when you call if you need financial aid. Please be prepared to provide documentation of need.
11. There are no waiting rooms or waiting areas at the event. Due to limited space, only event staff will be
permitted into the building and no restrooms are available. Cats/kittens must be dropped off. You must return to the location at the advised time.
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Services Not Provided
1. We do not assist with feral cat removal/relocation.
2. We are not a rescue group. We do not assist with placement of adoptable cats.
3. We do not euthanize unwanted cats at this event. Unwanted cats must be turned into Animal Control (A/C) during normal business hours. (The A/C charge to euthanize and dispose of feral and barn cats is $45.00 per cat.)
4. We do not assist with the process known as "Taming Down" for possible adoption. True feral cats are not normally rehabitable. It stresses the cats, fills homes/shelters with unadoptable cats, wastes limited resources and often results in disastrous outcomes for the cats.
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