speaks loudly about the failure of that approach. The current overpopulation of free-roaming cats in the U.S.

For decades, the normal practice of animal control was to trap and remove cats with the outcome usually being euthanasia. On a community level, TNR best reduces cat populations and nuisance complaints when resources, including trappers, spay/neuter surgeries and outreach, are targeted at sections of the community with high cat populations.Īnother significant advantage to TNR is that nothing else works. On a colony level, this means achieving and maintaining a sterilization rate as close to 100% as possible and being diligent about the cats' long-term care. Like all methods, TNR is most effective when performed well. Meanwhile, rodent control is maintained by the cats' continued presence. The cats themselves are healthier and less likely to spread feline diseases.

The foul odor caused by unaltered males spraying to mark territory disappears and the cats, no longer driven to mate, roam much less and become less visible. Once the cats are fixed, fighting, yowling and other noise associated with mating stops almost entirely. Spaying and neutering also greatly reduce nuisance behavior. Because the cats can no longer reproduce, the colony has the potential to decline in size over time.

Trapping feral cats download