What is The Hawk?
The Hawk is a mobile feeding station for feral cat colonies designed to:
- Eliminate the waste associated with traditional feral cat feeding.
- Monitor and manage feral cat colonies.
The size of The Hawk is determined by the size of the colony it serves. The small
version comfortably supports colonies of up to ten (10) cats. Because cats can access
food at any time, they do not all need to eat simultaneously.
The small version of The Hawk features two entrances and two food bowls mounted at
the rear of the unit. Volunteers open the top to refill the food bowls and clean the
interior.
Larger versions of The Hawk will include additional entrances, more food bowls, and
interior perches that allow cats to move away from conflicts. The larger units will also
feature a rear access door instead of a top-opening lid, making refilling and cleaning
easier for volunteers.
How Does the Process Work?
FFCR will contact colonies that have registered with us (FFCR) to determine whether
they are interested in having a Hawk placed. If the colony agrees, the process begins.
FFCR will work with colony volunteers to trap, neuter, return (TNR), and microchip as
many colony cats as possible. If appropriate, the microchips can also be registered to
the colony. (Microchips do not need to be registered for The Hawk to recognize them.)
Once the colony cats have been microchipped, their microchip IDs are manually
entered or scanned into:
- The Entrance Scanner
- The Food Bowl access system
After setup is complete, colony volunteers will begin receiving notifications from the
Entrance Scanner on their phones. The Food Bowl does not send notifications.
Volunteers will receive one of three notifications:
- Colony microchip detected – No action is required.
- Non-colony microchip detected – Plan to trap the cat and attempt to return it to its owner.
- No microchip detected – Plan to trap the cat and evaluate the situation further.
Only cats whose microchips are registered to that colony can access the food bowls. Cats in scenarios 2 and 3—as well as other animals—cannot access the food, making them easier to trap if necessary.
The Result
The Hawk eliminates the need for disposable paper plates, tin containers, plastic bowls, and other temporary feeding materials traditionally used at feral cat colonies.
At the same time, volunteers can identify new arrivals in real time. This gives them the opportunity to return lost pet cats to their owners or place friendly, adoptable cats into homes before they become integrated into the colony or are injured.