Northern Ont. woman seeks homes for feral cats through new cat rescue

Teresa Gilchrist is the founder of Shady Acres Feral Cat Rescue in Corbeil. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

Matilda is a feral cat that was trapped recently in Callander and is currently staying at Shady Acres Feral Cat Rescue, where she’s well on her way to adoption.

It’ll be her second chance at a home.

"She was extremely emaciated,” said Teresa Gilchrist, founder of the cat rescue.

“She was dirty and had scabs on her. She was grouchy but after a few days she came around.”

Gilchrist discovered she had a talent for working with feral cats, through previous work at the North Bay and District Humane Society and other animal rescues in southern Ontario.

In September 2021, when Gilchrist worked at the humane society, a smaller black male feral cat named Shady came into care. She quickly made it her mission to turn him into more than just a feral barn cat.

During his time with her, he learned to trust her and they developed a special bond. In December 2021, Shady became a member of the family.

Shady’s successful transformation is the reason Gilchrist founded Shady Acres, using a makeshift rehabilitation room in her home to help feral cats.

The wild cats are captured anywhere from Powassan up to West Nipissing.

"There could be 100 cats floating around,” she said.

“It's not only diseases … they'll take out bird populations. These cats are basically wild and will not approach people.”

Through her work and research, she’s discovered there are limited resources in northern Ontario compared to southern Ontario when it comes to feral cat care.

Teresa Gilchrist is the founder of Shady Acres Feral Cat Rescue in Corbeil and is seen here holding Matilda. (Eric Taschner/CTV News)

She said the best thing is to give the cats their own space to free up room at local shelters because each feline will take time to get used to being with people again.

"We struggle with housing anti-social, feral animals because of their length of stay,” said Janet Bredin, shelter manager with the North Bay and District Humane Society.

“Our rehab program might not be as identified as someone's home and that one-on-one situation."

When a feral feline comes in, it's isolated right away to be inspected for disease or other health issues. This also helps the cat to get used to its new surrounding.

At the beginning, the cats aren’t too keen on having too much company, Gilchrist said. But once they’re ready, the cats will then be introduced to the other cats in the rehabilitation room.

Gilchrist will then work with the animals to get them on the road for adoption once they're ready.

Just opened at the end of February, she's currently caring for three feral cats, including a pregnant female. But she expects to be quite busy.

"Ferals just aren't that angry type that nothing can happen to them and they need to go to a barn or back on the streets,” she said.

While the humane society does not partner with Gilchrist at this time, the shelter said additional organizations working for the betterment of animals is always a positive thing.

"We're really happy and eager to hear of other rescues and especially for feral cats,” said Bredin.

“We are excited to talk relationships in the future."

Gilchrist said the most important thing is finding these cats a loving, caring family.

"We want to get them into their homes and settled,” she said.

To learn more about Shady Acres, click here.