TNR (Trap Neuter Release)
Dispelling The Myths
Help our ferals don't kill them!
"Trap-Neuter-Return" (TNR) is the process of trapping feral cats in humane traps, having them altered and vaccinated, and returning them to their original location. In a TNR program, a feral cat colony caretaker, who is usually a volunteer rescue worker, feeds the cats on a regular basis and brings them to a veterinarian if they require medical assistance. The resultant group of cats, including any new cats entering the caretaker's sphere, is known as a managed feral cat colony.
Some locales have passed, or are trying to pass, ordinances that will cause the suffering and death of homeless cats by eradicating TNR.
The empirical evidence is indisputable that TNR is the most effective way to help reduce the number of homeless feral cats in both urban and suburban areas. For example, in Hamilton, New Jersey, TNR has resulted in Township health department statistics showing that the number of homeless cats killed last year is less than 20 percent of the 571 cats put to death in Hamilton five years ago. Numbers also indicate that fewer strays are brought to the shelter each year. Township spokesperson Rich McClellan attributed the decreasing number of cats killed in shelters to the work of TNR caregivers. Gwyn Sondike, who for the past year has served on a NJ state task force appointed by Gov. James E. McGreevey to examine animal welfare, stated: "It's actually more expensive to have animal control officers go out and find these cats and have them euthanized than it is to have members of these (cat welfare) groups trap, neuter and release them." According to Lucinda Tucker, who operates the TNR plan, trapping and killing a cat can cost a township between $75 and $125, while TNR costs about $50 and is paid for by volunteer organizations.1
Traditional, agency-run attempts to trap and kill cats have historically resulted in greater numbers -- and greater suffering for that reason alone -- of stray animals, than have well-planned systems to trap, neuter, and return cats. TNR, in conjunction with public education and low-cost spay/neuter clinics, stabilizes numbers and facilitates the eventual elimination of colonies of homeless cats.
Moreover, there is great public resistance to the killing of homeless animals. Compassionate people actively interfere with efforts to harm cats. Costly trap-and-kill attempts cannot work without public support.
How should the animal advocate dispel the myths associated with TNR?
Animal advocacy groups who have opposed TNR rely on misguided arguments.2 Here is the reality:
Myth: Feral cats are wild animals.
Fact: Calling these cats wild is a misnomer. They are homeless domestic animals who have no choice but to survive "in the wild."
Myth: Animal advocates should oppose TNR because they receive "countless reports of incidents in which cats-'managed' or not-suffer and die horrible deaths because they must fend for themselves outdoors."
Fact: Cats are subject to illness and death just as we are, even when cared for in loving homes. The solution is not to kill any living being that might suffer and die, but to treat any sentient individual with kindness and respect.
Please check out the links we've listed below.
Alley Cat Allies - http://www.alleycat.org
Feral Cat Coatlition - http://www.feralcat.com
Amby's Feral Cat Resource Page - http://www.amby.com/cat_site/feral.html
The Cat Fancier's Association Inc - http://www.cfainc.org/articles/trap-alter-release.html
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