What
Are The Advantages of TNR?
•
Decrease population and eventual elimination of homeless cats by
preventing new litters.
• Decrease complaints about homeless cats by eliminating
behavior that some people find bothersome, such as territorial
spraying, fighting, & mating.
• Improve health of the existing homeless cat population.
• Decrease shelter intake (and killing) of ferals, thereby
freeing shelter/rescue space & funds.
Are
Feral Cats Sickly?
A
report published from the University of Florida on more than 1,800
feral cats demonstrated only 4% to be infected with feline leukemia
virus or feline immunodeficiency virus, which is similar to that found
in pet cats. [See "Statement from Dr. Julie Levy, read at the hearing
of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) on the proposed
policy to eradicate feral cats in Florida." May 30, 2003. Available at
http://www.bestfriends.org/nmhp/ferals26-02.htm. Accessed November 23,
2003.]
Rabies
is not commonly found within feral cat colonies. Where humans are
concerned, the danger of rabies is relatively slight. During 2001, 49
states and Puerto Rico reported only 1 case of rabies in a human,
according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Canada did
not report any cases of rabies in human beings during 2001. [See
"Rabies Control And Feral Cats In The US," Alley Cat Allies. Available
at http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/rabies.pdf. Accessed September 29, 2003.
"Public Veterinary Medicine: Public Health - Rabies surveillance in the
United States during 2001," John W. Krebs, MS; Heather R. Noll, MPH;
Charles E. Rupprecht, VMD, PhD; James E. Childs, ScD.]
Why
Doesn't Trap & Kill Work?
Traditional,
municipality-run attempts to trap and kill cats have historically
resulted in greater numbers of stray animals than have well planned
programs to trap, neuter and return cats, the TNR program. TNR, in
conjunction with public education, stabilizes numbers and facilitates
the eventual elimination of colonies of homeless cats. The
trap-and-kill method is usually implemented in spurts. Cats will be
trapped for a few weeks and then the area is abandoned. Cats who
escaped the traps remain. Moreover, people continue to abandon cats and
allow unneutered cats to roam. Without public education, and without a
permanent caregiver to monitor the area, the breeding cycle quickly
starts up again. Trap-and-kill has been used for decades and there is
still a feral cat overpopulation problem. It is unethical and does not
work.
Why
are feral cats eartipped?
Eartipping
identifies feral cats that have been sterilized and vaccinated.
Eartipping is completely safe and it is painless because the cat is
under general anesthetic when the procedure is performed. Eartipping
provides immediate visual identification which alerts animal control
that a cat is part of a managed colony. It also helps colony caretakers
track which cats have been trapped and vetted, and identify newcomers
who have not.
A
female cat had kittens outside. What should I do?
You
should trap and sterilize the whole family. How you proceed depends on
the age of the kittens.
Don't
trap a mother who is nursing her kittens unless you catch the kittens
too. Tiny kittens cannot survive away from their mothers for long.
If
the kittens are newly weaned (usually four to six weeks), ask if your
veterinarian can perform surgery and return the mother within 48 hours.
Even though eating solid food, very young kittens are unlikely to
survive without their mother for body heat and protection. (If your vet
cannot meet this time frame, wait until the kittens are older to trap
the queen.)
Try
to trap the kittens no later than eight to ten weeks of age. The sooner
they have human contact, the easier it will be to socialize them.
At
twelve weeks and older, kittens can be sterilized, vaccinated, and
returned to the location where they were living outside. Socializing
feral kittens after 12 weeks of age becomes much more difficult and
less likely to succeed.
