We currently offer the public free spay and neutering for ferals as donations allow. Donations are welcomed but not expected. Each feral costs about $80-$120. If you choose to donate, it will help fund other community cats to get the medical attention they need.
TNR is the abbreviation for Trap-Neuter-Release or Trap-Neuter-Return.
What is TNR?
Trap-Neuter-Release is just what it sounds like; Feral cats are trapped in live animal traps, taken to a veterinarian for spay or neuter, and released back into the location they were trapped at. Feral cats also receive vaccinations, including rabies, and are often ear-tipped to allow easy recognition of their status.
Purpose of TNR?
The main goal of Trap-Neuter-Release is to stabilize feral cat colonies by stopping the breeding cycle with sterilization and to prevent the spread of diseases by vaccinating. Sterilization prevents over-population; with time, the colony will decrease in size. Trapping also allows adopting out any well-socialized cats or scan strays for microchips so that they can be returned to their home.
Benefits of TNR?
Aside from decreasing the population and preventing the spread of diseases, Trap-Neuter-Release also creates a better relationship between ferals and the people who live within the area. Sterilization helps minimize mating behaviors such as yowling, roaming, urine spraying, and fighting amongst themselves. Sterilization eliminates stress from continuous breeding and leads to healthier longer life spans. TNR creates many opportunities for community outreach and education programs and opens pathways for cooperation in other areas of rescue, such as fundraising.
Why TNR?
Why return the cats to the original location? A phenomenon known as the Vacuum Effect will occur by removing the cats or relocating them. The Vacuum Effect is the cause and effect that removing an animal population from an area, another will replace it. Therefore, by removing the cats and leaving a new territorial opening, more cats will arrive to take their place. This often happens because the location has the required needs, such as food, water, and shelter. Removal or relocation is usually a counter-intuitive approach with feral colonies.
Why not adoption? Many of these ferals are precisely that, wild animals. The stress from being removed from their home and placed in a confined space often leads to declining health. Ferals born outdoors with zero socialization will not succeed in a shelter and will most likely be euthanized. TNR offers a humane alternative to killing off colonies.
Why not a Sanctuary? Relocation will cause The Vacuum Effect to occur in the location they were removed from. Most Ferals will not adapt well to being transferred to a new location, often resulting in health decline and leaving them susceptible to illness that could spread within the sanctuary. New cats entering sanctuaries are often endangered, greatly outnumbered by the current residents, and unable to defend themselves. Sanctuaries are expensive to build and maintain. Usually, once the sanctuary has been established, it is unmonitored with no required regulations, and the cats are left to defend for themselves.