Taming Tom Timeline...

The World Animal Foundation spent hundreds of hours patiently taming this feral feline.  When Tom first arrived in his foster home he was unapproachable - not allowing humans anywhere near him.  He would hiss, bite and claw.  His first several weeks were spent hiding under his cat bed.  Below is a recap of his slow taming progress.

Trap-Neuter-Return is almost always the best option for feral felines.  Taming a feral cat requires months of hard work and dedication--beginning with cage-taming until the cat starts to trust his new human companions.  Above is a photo of Tom in his cage after several weeks of adjustment.  Until this time he would not allow himself to be seen by humans - hiding under his bed or litter box.  For his first month in captivity everything seemed foreign and frightening to him: the sound of a television or phone ringing, lights turning on and off, any movements outside his cage, even cat toys.

Tom's first meow:  Tom began to meow after a month in captivity when his human companions first woke in the morning.  Cats usually only meow to humans (not other cats) and ferals rarely meow at all.  Perhaps he was beginning to reach out to his new family.  (Tom blinks at camera flashes making it difficult for a photo with his eyes open.)

Tom Relocated:  After a period of isolation to calm down from his stressful ordeal, Tom's crate was moved to the main living area of the house.  His humans interacted with him often to encourage him to trust them.  Tom had a tremendous fear of humans and spent most of the day hiding under his bed.  He came out after midnight when no one was around.

Stress Therapy:  Tom was placed on herbal therapy, aromatherapy and pheromone treatment to help relax him and relieve his stress.

Communication: Tom began to meow throughout the day.  His vocalizations sounded sad and eerie.  Maybe he missed his colony from the wild.  Perhaps he was trying to tell his story.

Animal Communicator Offered Insight:  A national animal communicator volunteered her services to WAF to "speak" to Tom.  If her findings were accurate, Tom was thrown away in a sealed box as a kitten with two siblings, left to die.  He managed to claw his way out and was the only one to survive.  He spent many years on the streets and suffered many abuses brought by humans only to be euthanized and frozen.  He was never fortunate enough to have a pleasant experience with humans.

Small Progress:  Tom slowly began to come out of hiding periodically throughout the day to eat and drink.  Occasionally he even slept on top of his bed rather than under or behind it.

Media Frenzy:  Tom continued to do "interviews" with local and national media.  His story helped introduce thousands of people to the subject of feral cats and TNR.  He was even made into a cartoon.  Tom was also a popular subject on many cat-related email list and message boards.  He received fan emails on a daily basis via the World Animal Foundation.  Individuals reported praying for him and sending him positive, healing energy.  Several people offered large donations to adopt him, but Tom was not for sale.  Feral cats, after taming, will often revert to their wild ways from the stress of adoption.  For this reason it was decided Tom would be a permanent resident in his new household.

Breakthrough:  To everyone's amazement Tom began to allow his human companions to pet him with a cat-wand-toy.  He moved his body around to get scratches in all the best places.  Until that time Tom would hiss, growl and lunge whenever anyone got too close.  He now appeared to truly be on his way!

Play Time:  Tom played with a cat toy for the first time--gently swatting it and biting it. He was slowly adjusting to life indoors and was now discovering the joy of toys.  (Special thanks to everyone who donated toys to Tom.)

Cat & Mouse: Tom's cat-wand-toy consisted of a large wand with a fuzzy mouse on the end.  Tom became quite fond of his little mouse and would get excited when he saw it.  When the mouse accidentally fell off, Tom appeared very upset and depressed.  He tried to get the mouse to "wake up" and when it didn't he hid his face in the corner of his cage.  When the mouse was retrieved and put back on the wand, Tom was relieved and excited again.

Tom Purrs:  Tom began to purr when he was rubbed with his mouse.  He rolled around and even appeared sad when his mouse was taken out of his crate.

Tom's Big Move:  Although it's better

to tame a feral cat in a small cage--

because of Tom's progress he was

transferred to a deluxe kitty-condo.

(Thanks to everyone's generous

donations.)   Tom now had plenty of

room to move around, five different

levels, lots of toys and a view out

several windows.

Tom was frightened by the change

and spent his first night in his new

accommodations hiding in his litter

box.  He slowly began to adjust

though and continued to look forward

to his petting sessions with his

favorite little mouse.

A Little Less Shy: Tom was becoming

much more social and had stopped

hiding during the day.  He spent

his time lounging on his perches, playing, and receiving rub-downs with his little mouse.

Tom's New Friend: Tom befriended a new arrival to the family, a foster kitten. Tom watched the kitten throughout the day, vocalized to "Ellie", and played with her through his cage.  Tom even allowed Ellie to go into his cage when his humans were cleaning/feeding.  He gently played with the kitten and enjoyed watching her jump from floor to floor in his kitty-condo.

Human Touch: After hundreds of hours of human/cat interaction Tom began to allow himself to be pet.  His humans used a glove for safety and to reduce fear which can be sensed by cats.  At first Tom hissed and swiped, but he quickly learned that a human hand provided better rub-downs than a little mouse.  He appeared frightened each time but gained courage by hiding his face so he didn't see the human hand actually touching him.  After a few seconds of petting he would lose his fear and rolled around for a total kitty massage.  He continued to hide his head though unless pet by his mouse.

All Gloves Off:  A couple of weeks later Tom now allowed his humans to pet him without a glove.  He even stopped hiding his head.  He rolled around in total ecstasy and appeared disappointed when the petting session ended.  He meowed to his humans to return when they left the room.  He just couldn't seem to get enough rub-downs.  Just a few months before he would try to viciously attack the hands that fed him.  Now he loved nothing more than the sight of his caretakers' hands entering his cage.  He was truly on the verge of being a "former feral."

Tom Relocated:  Tom's kitty-condo was relocated to the "cat room" which housed other formerly feral cats.  After a couple days of adjustment, Tom seemed comfortable in his new room.  The other cats cautiously approached his cage.  Tom seemed curious of them and watched them throughout the day.  (Tom's kitten was adopted out.)  The other ferals were rescued from an outdoor colony after someone attempted to poison them.

Uncaged:  Tom came out of his cage for the first time.  He slowly explored the cat room.  The other cats kept their distance.  Tom hid in the corners of the room when any human entered.  When "alone" he cautiously explored and developed an appreciation for Berber carpeting.

Safe Haven:  Tom learned to retreat to his

cage when scared.  When humans entered the

cat room Tom went into his cage where he felt

safe.  His humans could then interact with him

and continue his petting and socialization.

Outside the Cage:  Tom was slowly spending

more time outside of his cage.  When his human

caretakers entered the room he hid behind an

artificial tree.  After several minutes of being pet

by his favorite little mouse, Tom would get up the courage to come out of hiding.  He was then able to be pet and rolled around on the floor purring.  Tom had been very gentle with the other cats although they continued to keep their distance.  Tom spent a lot of time peering out several windows and lying in the sun.

The Feral Cat That Wanted To Live:  Over time, Tom became a friendly, loveable, affectionate cat that learned to trust.  He would run to his humans when they entered the room and demand to be pet, pet and pet some more.  He purred constantly.  He still loved his little mouse and played with other cat toys.  Tom lounged around on furniture, watched out windows and begged for catnip.  He got along well with his roommates, a black cat named Rina and a tiger called Dianne.  He even tolerated two canine housemates, an Italian greyhound (Cody) and a Chihuahua (Chico.)  Tom was now a happy cat who loved to be loved.

Tom's housemates (Dianne, Rina, Chico & Cody.)

Tom Today

Tom has become the most affectionate,

loving, trusting lap cat.  He follows his

humans around the house, sleeps in

their beds, plays with them and frequent-

ly "talks" to them.  Tom loves to watch

TV, pounce on human feet, rub against

human legs and be where ever his

human companions are.  Tom and his

feline friend, Dianne, have become quite

close.  They nap together, explore and

play.  He is very protective of Dianne.

Both are afraid of vacuum cleaners and

hide in a kitty tunnel together when the

rugs are vacuumed.  Tom loves to be

pet, especially belly-rubs.  His unique and magical personality captivates anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him.  He is incredibly intelligent, unbelievably affectionate and his large, yellow eyes are full of depth and wisdom that enchants all who encounter him.

Tom now lives in the country with the president of the World Animal Foundation, three other cats and three small dogs. 

The Brooklyn Animal Shelter was founded in the aftermath of Tom's story. He was the inspiration for the founding of the shelter.  Four years later, he continues to receive fan mail and media attention.  He has been instrumental in promoting Trap-Neuter-Return around the globe.

He is a special feline who touched the hearts of many and continues to amaze the world by his intense desire to live.

We are very grateful that he did.

Cast away by society, he survived...

Euthanized by animal control, he survived...

Left in a freezer to die, he survived...

He wants to live. Shouldn't he have that right?

TOM BROOKLYN - The Famous Freezer Cat

Killing feral cats is not the answer. Fifteen years ago, 17 million dogs

and cats were killed in shelters every year. When communities began to

replace euthanasia with intensive spay/neuter and adoption programs,

that number began to drop, and is now less than 5 million. Killing feral

cats does not reduce the wild cat population. TNR is the humane solution,

and the only method of feral cat population control that works.

The Story Of Tom...

He captured the heart of the nation, and the world.  A feral cat from the small city of Brooklyn, Ohio who survived on the streets for years, fought the poison administered to euthanize him, and even survived being frozen (alive) in a bag in a freezer.

The story that made "Tom Brooklyn" one of the most beloved cats to have ever lived...

Euthanized Cat Frozen Alive

In a desperate struggle to survive, the cat now known as Tom Brooklyn fought off the chemicals administered to euthanize him and survived being frozen alive.

Mayor Ken Patton of Brooklyn, Ohio said his safety director, Mike Gallagher, received a call from the city service department. An employee reported discovering something very strange inside the service garage freezer - a frozen live cat. The cat was taken to a pet clinic and somehow managed to survive.

“We had allegations regarding some potential wrongdoings,” Mayor Patton stated to a local reporter. “Being an animal lover myself, I don’t like to see this happen.”

The employee who discovered the cat reported to police that he witnessed the animal warden putting the still live cat in the freezer.

Brooklyn councilwoman Rita Brown was outraged by the allegations of animal abuse.

“I was absolutely appalled that in our city of Brooklyn, we would have an animal warden that would put a cat in a freezer to euthanize it,” Brown said.

She organized a special council meeting to discuss the animal warden controversy.  The meeting had a large turn out and was featured in newspapers and broadcast throughout the country.  The "frozen cat" that lived quickly became the most talked about animal abuse case in the nation.  Dubbed "Tom Brooklyn" (tomcat from Brooklyn,) the feral cat that fought to live also became the poster child of Trap-Neuter-Return.  Animal activists from around the world argued that if the feral would have been trapped, neutered, returned to his outdoor colony and managed by volunteers, the incident would never have occurred.

Investigating the case, a police detective and Brooklyn’s mayor and safety director took a tour of the city kennel. They produced a lab report that showed the animal warden had apparently attempted to euthanize the feral cat before placing him in the freezer.  The cat was tested for traces of euthanizing chemicals.

“Barbiturates and characteristics of pentobarbital were in the cats body, which means it was euthanized before it was in that freezer,” stated Brooklyn mayor Kenneth Patton.

Yet while the warden was certified to euthanize animals, the city was not.  Records uncovered by investigative reporters also showed a long criminal record for the animal warden.

“We’re investigating the procedures that he administered to see if he used proper procedures in euthanization and control of the drugs and the things of that nature to determine if there was any wrongdoing on his part,” Det. Kenneth Fittro of Brooklyn Police told the media.

Employees at the service department were called in for questioning. One employee who refused to co-operate with investigators was suspended indefinitely.

A DNA test was administered to determine that the living cat was the same feline euthanized and frozen.  Test results were positive.

The international animal rights organization, World Animal Foundation, received hundreds of emails from concerned members asking for help to save the cat from another attempt of euthansia.  Voices across the nation, and as far away as Canada, Europe and the Middle East, urged the organization to help.

After deliberations with the city of Brooklyn, the feline was turned over to the World Animal Foundation to house and tame the cat.  The local organization, C.A.T.S.S. (Community Action To Save Strays) provided assistance.

Just as he captured the hearts of people throughout the world, the little cat who wanted to live captured the heart of the president of the World Animal Foundation.  Tom Brooklyn now resides in the home of WAF's president, Gary M. Barnby, in the charming little town of Vermilion, Ohio.  WAF slowly tamed this feral feline. Today he is the spoiled lap-kitty he was destined to be.

Taming and relocating a feral is a difficult endeavor and should usually only be done as a last resort.