About
Our Mission: Reduce the population of homeless cats and provide them with loving forever homes.
Throughout the city of Boston there is a population of feral and abandoned cats suffering homeless lives. BFF is a group of dedicated caretakers who feed, TNR (trap, neuter, return), and re-home friendly cats. We make sure every cat in our care gets fixed and we provide medical help for injured and sickly cats. We believe education is the key to decreasing and one day, preventing animals from being homeless. You, too, can help end this cycle by being responsible pet owners, including spaying/neutering your pets and stop abandoning them. Boston’s Forgotten Felines is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. We rely on a network of volunteers and your donations to keep us going.
Trap, Neuter, Return:
Many feral cats cannot be adopted, so we focus our efforts on TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) to reduce Boston’s cat population. Besides feeding our feral cats daily, our dedicated Feral Cat Warriors (FCWs) will trap any new cats who arrive at the colony site. The cats are brought to the vet, where they will be scanned for a chip to make sure they are not owned. If needed, the cat will be spayed/neutered and will get a thorough check-up, including updated rabies & FVRCP vaccinations, flea and dewormer treatments, and teeth and ears checked. If feral, the cat will be eartipped, which is the common practice so that once back on the street, others will know that they are part of a colony and fixed.
Interested in becoming a Feral Cat Warrior? Click here!
Our Story:
Over 30 years ago, BFF’s founder, Joni Nelson, began feeding feral cats on the streets of Boston. A year later, she was working on TNR’ing hundreds of cats and setting up feeding stations for the ferals. At one point, Joni and her friends were feeding 200 cats at 69 locations across the city each day. Today, with the help of our BFF network, Joni now has a 501(c)3 nonprofit with dedicated volunteers of all ages. However, because of the large number of abandoned cats and kittens, we continue to need rescuers, foster homes, feeders, and other volunteers. With your help and support, we can rescue even more cats and kittens and place them in loving homes.
“There are moments in one’s life when everything changes, and you are never ever the same; that’s what happened to me when I went out to feed Boston’s Forgotten Felines with Joni
in January 2015… I knew I had to help and that I’d never be the same.” – FCW Danapel
Meet Mouse:
We trapped Mouse and six of his relatives during the summer of 2024. At the time, Mouse was a scrawny and sickly kitten. He was so skinny, his fur stuck up, and his face was covered in gunk. We didn’t think he would survive.
But thankfully, we were wrong! Because of our dedicated volunteers, Mouse is now a healthy lovebug– we can’t count the number of people who have fallen in love with him.
And we don’t blame them: Mouse is a bundle of joy. Whenever someone walks in, he rushes to jump up into their arms and purrs very loudly. Although he loves being held, Mouse has so much energy; he adores playing and hanging out with kittens.
FAQs
Do you accept cat food donations that my cat won’t eat?
YES! Please contact us here, and we’ll give you an address for drop-off. We will even accept that open bag of dry food your cat now refuses to eat.
How much is the adoption fee?
Our adoption fee is $125 for each adult and $150 for each kitten. We only adopt our kittens in pairs as they are bonded.
Can I adopt one kitten? I only want one kitten.
BFF firmly believes in adopting our kittens in pairs. If we have an odd number of kittens, we adopt one kitten with their mom or into a home with another resident kitten. Kittens learn from observation and need lots of stimulation. When the kittens are in pairs, they have each other to play, learn, and cuddle with.
Will I be able to adopt the cat that I am fostering?
We love our “foster fails!” Yes, it is possible. That said, we will assess each situation, as the needs of the cat(s) are of utmost importance.
What kind of home do I need to become a foster home?
All our cats’ needs are different. Some cats need a foster home with no other pets, while others are okay in a home with another pet. Some cats need a quiet home with no kids, while others benefit from a home with children to play with them. Our most successful foster homes have a guest room or office that the cat can use for their acclimation period.
What is the time commitment to be a foster?
It all depends on the cat. We have short-term foster situations, where we just need 2-3 nights as the feral cat recovers from being spayed/neutered before being released back to their colony. For our friendlies who are looking for forever homes, fostering can be anywhere from a couple of weeks to months. If you are an approved foster home, you may have potential adopters come to your home for a “meet and greet.” Potential adopters will have already been preapproved by BFF.