'Self' Feral Cat rescue as Animal Experience?

[Futubet431]

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Hello!

So, in my town we had lots of feral AND stray cats. My neighbors kinda provided comfort & protection and they ended up overpopulating.
My neighbors are old and some doesn't speak english so I helped them to take care of these cats by:
- Reaching out to local shelters & town for support
- I trapped (safely) and relocated them to a new home where they will be safe! did 11 kittens and currently on-going.

Would this be an appropriate animal experience?
I'm just worried that the admission will think I'm doing this as a non-professional and its illegal to handle animals like this. am i doing it wrong? Is this like illegal thing where i handle feral cats to somebody else.

 

[BlueCats]

I had a similar situation where I did a lot of fostering. I would foster the sick/injured strays that were brought into my work and then I would take them to the local humane society when they were better. I often went out and did TNR at places where the strays were found too. I partnered with a low cost spay/neuter place and I would pay some of the cost out of pocket. Eventually I did connect with a rescue and start fostering for them. I already had hundreds of hours under my belt though. I listed it as animal experience and explained with bullet points. I also put paid dog walking and pet sitting in the same category.

I could not say if it was looked on favorably by admissions since no one asked me about it during my 2 interviews. I did two file reviews as well and this experience was not mentioned. Maybe reach out to the school before applying? It’s a tricky situation.

 

[thankdog]

Hello!

So, in my town we had lots of feral AND stray cats. My neighbors kinda provided comfort & protection and they ended up overpopulating.
My neighbors are old and some doesn't speak english so I helped them to take care of these cats by:
- Reaching out to local shelters & town for support (they were so busy and never came)
- I trapped (safely) and relocated them to a new home where they will be safe! did 11 kittens and currently on-going.

Would this be an appropriate animal experience?
I'm just worried that the admission will think I'm doing this as a non-professional and its illegal to handle animals like this. am i doing it wrong? Is this like illegal thing where i handle feral cats to somebody else.

I think this is fabulous experience because it shows you have a genuine passion and it also incorporates working with demographics of people who might not get this sort of help otherwise (due to language barriers, etc). I did something similar in undergrad with feral cats in my neighborhood and I can tell you that it has been something that my current faculty members ask about. I did include this experience in my personal statement too. I’m happy to talk to you about this via direct message too. I was accepted for class of 2026. Best of luck!! And thank you for saving cats 🙂

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I would ask admissions representatives and current students/SAVMA members. From my own perspective, I can see this as a good experience but I also think how you partnered with local shelters or organizations should also be encouraged. To me it's not just about your own passion to care for the feral/stray cats, but it's also about how you worked together with a larger community on the issue.

(insert picture of my fostering cat here)...

 

[Futubet431]

Thank you very much everyone for your kind and helpful comments! I will reach out to schools. As Mr.Smile12 mentioned, yes i think its also about how I work together with the community!