Trap-neuter-release programs for community cats help protect human health. That’s not just because altered cats are less likely to fight and roam, thus creating fewer opportunities for disease spread. It’s also because TNR programs routinely vaccinate their feline patients against rabies, a disease nearly always fatal to humans.
Are your local community cat programs based on data, or habit? Do you know what proportions of your outdoor cats need to be spayed or neutered to stabilize or reduce the population humanely?
San Jose, CA, went from saving only 28 percent of the cats who came into their shelter in 2009 to saving 83 percent in 2012. How did they do it?
What are the chances shelter staff can tell the difference between friendly and feral cats, even after three days of observation? Around 75 percent.
Shelters can be bad places for cats. At best, they may expose them to infectious disease and to the risk of stress-induced illness. At worst, they are a frightening — even terrifying — experience followed by death. Is it time for a fundamental change in how we shelter cats?
Alley Cat Allies, the nation’s largest advocacy group for community cats, is holding a free webinar on Trap- Neuter-Return (TNR) programs on Wednesday, January 9, at 8:30 PM Eastern.