I am very excited to tell you about a project Jacques and I have been doing. There are a number of stray cats in our neighborhood so we decided to do a Trap, Neuter, Release (TNR) program that’s been very effective. You can learn more about it at Alley Cat Allies but it’s pretty simple to do.
I bought a humane trap for cats off of ebay and we put food in it at night to attract the cat. We’re not always successful at trapping cats, last week we trapped a raccoon! When we get a cat we take it to the Cleveland Animal Protective League where they will spay or neuter, give a rabies vaccine and ear tip the cat for ten dollars. The ear tipping is to show people that these feral cats have already been spayed or neutered.
So far we have trapped eight cats, two who were pregnant and one female who was in heat. After we do the TNR we feed them with the idea that the cat will live out it’s life without reproducing. Some we never see again but some hang out on our porch and some are friendly. I wish I could take them all in but my place is just too small.
TNR has become the best solution for the feral cat colonies throughout the world. Simply taking them and putting them to death does not work because new cats then will join the colony.
I feel good that I am doing something to help my neighborhood cats, and like I said, it is very easy to do. If you have a colony of feral cats hanging around or that your are feeding you may want to try it!