Help Reduce Homeless Cat Overpopulation
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
The Humane Approach
to Feral (Outdoor) Cat Control and Proven Method
to Reduce the Number of Homeless Cats
Do you know of an outside cat
that is afraid of humans and keeps having, or
fathering, babies? Do you want to prevent more
kittens from being born into a situation where
they are exposed to disease, predators and
starvation? We can help!
We can assist in safely trapping
and fixing feral cats, as well as providing for
their basic medical needs (including
vaccinations), as long as you agree to keep
feeding the cats upon their return.
Since feral cats are wild and
generally not able to be socialized, these
animals are not adoptable and will be euthanized
if taken to a shelter. These cats do not have to
be put to death. Stopping the cat’s breeding
cycle is the humane and effective
way to manage a feral population.
 FERAL
CATS suggested minimum donation is $10 (male or
female), and the animal will have its left ear
clipped (as seen in the photo on the left).
Eartipping is a painless procedure done under
anesthesia (during the spay/neuter surgery)
where the top of the left ear is cut straight
across. It is a universal sign to animal
control officers that a cat is wild, but is
fixed and vaccinated.
Facts
-
TNR is the most humane and most effective
way of controlling feral cat populations.
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When cats are removed from an area, other
feral or stray cats move in to take
advantage of the food source, so removing
feral cats only temporarily solves the
problem.
-
TNR has been used with success across the US
and all over the world.
-
TNR is the preferred method of control for
feral cat populations in England, Denmark,
and many other forward-thinking countries.
-
TNR is more cost-effective than trapping and
killing feral cats. The average cost of
sterilization is $35, while the average cost
of euthanasia is $105. Plus, as mentioned
above, killing the cats does not get rid of
them; more simply move in and take up
residence, replacing those who were removed.
A vaccinated, sterilized colony of feral
cats poses no rabies threat to humans
(Raccoons, skunks, and bats are the most
common carriers of rabies) and will deter
other feral cats from moving into the area.
Contact us for assistance by
requesting it
online.
Feral Cat
Statistics - Champaign County
Estimated 0.7 owned cats per household (C-U
100,000 households), and 0.5 FERALS per
household, thus 70,000 owned cats and 50,000
ferals in Champaign County.
Owned cats are spayed/neutered 82-91% of the
time. But the early fertility of cats can lead
to many "oops" litters prior to sterilization.
Feral cats are estimated to be spayed/neutered
2% of the time.
50-60% of owned cats are allowed to roam freely
outdoors, despite many risks to health and life.
Peak pregnancies in feral cats are in February
and March (immediately preceding our surge in
kitten intake).
Ferals have an average of 1.4 litters per year,
with an average 3.5 live births. Kitten
mortality at three months is already 48%. Six
months it is 67%. Two-thirds die prior to
reproduction.
Example: Based on 50,000 ferals in Champaign
County -- half female=25,000.
25,000 females having 1.4 litters a year is
35,000 litters.
These 35,000 litters with 3.5 live births
each=122,500 live births.
Two-thirds die by six months= 82,000 deaths.
Surviving kittens per year that will
contribute to reproduction = 40,500
Feral kittens are the single largest population
of dying or killed animals in Champaign County.
USEFUL INFORMATION ON FERAL CATS
Feral Cats
Literally “gone wild,” a domestic cat that was
lost or abandoned and has reverted to a wild
state, or a cat that was born outside to a stray
or feral mother and had little or no human
contact. Adult feral cats usually cannot be
tamed and are not suited to living indoors with
people. They live outside in family groups
called colonies that form near a source of food
and shelter. Feral cats can survive almost
anywhere and are found worldwide.
Stray Cat
A domestic cat that strayed from home and became
lost or was abandoned. Because a stray cat was
once a companion animal, he or she can usually
be re-socialized and placed in an adoptive home.
Feral Cat Colony
A group of freeroaming cats living in a specific
geographic area. Prior to the implementation of
Trap-Neuter-Return, feral cat colonies consist
of both stray (tame) and feral (wild) cats of
all ages, from kittens through adults. After
Trap-Neuter-Return is completed, a feral cat
colony consists exclusively of feral adults.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
A nonlethal sterilization method to reduce the
numbers of feral cats in the environment both
immediately and for the longterm. TNR is a
comprehensive, ongoing program in which stray
and feral cats already living outdoors in
cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely
trapped, then evaluated, vaccinated, and
sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and tame
(stray) cats are adopted into good homes.
Healthy adult cats too wild (feral) to be
adopted are returned to their familiar habitat
under the lifelong care of volunteers. Cats that
are ill or injured beyond recovery are not
returned to the environment.
TNR was brought to the U.S. from Europe and the
U.K. during the 1980s. The practice of TNR grew
rapidly in the 1990s when Alley Cat Allies began
providing information and assistance to people
caring for feral cats who recognized that their
numbers must be controlled and reduced through
sterilization. In communities where TNR is
widely embraced, feral cat numbers have dropped.
TNR programs operate largely or entirely through
the dedicated efforts of committed volunteers.
TNR works because it breaks the cycle of
reproduction. In general, the cost of
sterilizing and returning a feral cat is less
than half the cost of trapping, holding,
killing, and disposing of a feral cat. TNR
protects public health and advances the goal of
reducing the numbers of feral cats in the
environment. The public supports humane,
nonlethal TNR as the long-term solution to feral
cat overpopulation. |
