More compelling evidence and arguments for TNR

The entire article is worth reading. I have excerpted it below. See the link for the entire article.


http://www.feralcat.com/sarah2.html

Would a smaller, stable and controlled population be acceptable in the area? Quite often those who are opposed to a teeming mass of 30 unneutered scavenging cats displaying all the problems associated with unneutered cats are amenable to a resident colony of 12 neutered cats which are fed in specific areas and which do not spray, fight, caterwaul, midden or breed. Those people who are opposed to seeing scrawny strays (on either aesthetic or welfare grounds) are often pleasantly surprised to find that cats in a neutered colony are healthier and altogether nicer to have around. Such a compromise might be possible if it is explained that the cats are not going off to some rural idyll, but will most likely be put to sleep.

How can a colony be reduced in size? Most colonies will contain cats which are FeLV/FIV positive, ill, injured or suffering from the ravages of age. For these, euthanasia is the kindest option. Feral cats are not co-operative patients and resent being kept captive while they are treated. Some cat sanctuaries have large enclosures with sheds, chalets and enough space for such cats to live semi-free lives, but there are always more cats than there are spaces at such sanctuaries and sanctuaries offering adequately sized enclosures which aren't overcrowded are few and far between. Other cats in the colony may be tame strays which are homeable; there may be tameable kittens or even a local landowner who actually wants to acquire some neutered ferals. The healthiest cats are the ones which should be neutered and returned to site as these have the best long-term chance of a decent life.

In contrast to the problems in San Francisco, Virginia and Louisiana, ferals in Longwood Gardens, Pennsylvania were trapped, neutered and released and provided with litterboxes and shelters. At the same time, efforts were made to preserve or increase bird habitats in the gardens. Despite the presence of the cats, the bird population, including ground-nesting species, has increased. The cats themselves are an added attraction with visitors. Australian studies found that the neutering of several feral colonies led to an overall reduction in cat numbers as the resident, non-breeding populations deterred other cats which would have swarmed into a vacated area. The few cats which did join the managed colonies could be identified, trapped and neutered, or rehomed if tame.

Eradication methods, even if implemented humanely, cannot solve the feral cat problem. Trap-neuter-return methods sometimes seem like a drop in the ocean, but offer a longer-term solution, giving healthy ferals the chance of a decent life and freedom from the otherwise endless cycle of breeding while those which cannot be re-released can at least be given a humane and painless escape from their predicament.

Trap-Neuter-RETURN (to where they were trapped) (and PLEASE Maintain Humanely!!!!)

In many places, this is the single best way to deal with feral and stray cat populations. I have seen it with my own eyes. The best way to keep the cat population on my university campus stable (and slowly declining) is to have all the cats on campus fixed and then to maintain them. They drive away new cats. The only way we get new cats is when someone dumps one on campus (all too frequently unfortunately).

If the powers that be were to take away all the cats and have them exterminated, in one spring-summer season for mating we would have more cats than we had before. That is because the neighborhoods around the campus are bursting with un-fixed cats, looking for places to have their offspring. They tend to stay away from the campus now because of the way the fixed cats police the place.

See this article online about the program in Tokyo. 

http://www.japantoday.com/category/lifestyle/view/npo-provides-unusual-solution-to-japan%E2%80%99s-feral-cat-problem

NPO provides unusual solution to Japan’s feral cat problem

By Jessica Ocheltree

TOKYO —

It used to be that the only two options for dealing with stray cats was putting them to sleep or finding an adoptive home. Obviously, euthanasia is not an ideal solution—even if you don’t oppose it on the grounds of cruelty, the cost of trapping and killing animals is high. Adoption offers more hope, but local shelters often don’t have the funds to support adoption programs, and many feral cats are too wild or fearful to be good candidates.

Recently, however, a third option has emerged that’s more effective both in terms of cost and results. Known as trap-neuter-return (TNR), it is being championed locally by a nonprofit group called Japan Cat Network (JCN).

The Shiga-based JCN was started 15 years ago by two English teachers, Susan Roberts and David Wybenga, who looked around their community in Hikone City and noticed many wild cats that were sick or dying. After the pair started a TNR program, the local feline population became smaller, healthier and less of a problem for the residents.

TNR involves capturing strays, bringing them in to a vet to be spayed or neutered, and then releasing them after they’ve recovered; tame cats deemed suitable for domestication are placed up for adoption. If a cat is found to have a serious health problem, it may be euthanized.

At first glance, TNR might seem like a counterintuitive method of dealing with a population of stray or feral cats—after all, many end up right back where they started. In fact, Wybenga says one of the biggest challenges they face is convincing local people that TNR not only works, but is better than just removing the cats. “The cats need to go back for TNR to work. If we simply remove them, new cats will move into the area and the cycle will start all over again. People have two choices: sick and dying cats having kittens, making noise, and marking around the neighborhood; or healthy, quieter, non-reproducing cats, which will slowly decrease in number until there are few or none. ‘No cats’ is not on the menu.”

Many studies on the efficacy of TNR back this up. An oft-cited article in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association details a study done over a period of 10 years which saw a 66 percent reduction in a stray cat population. TNR proponents argue that, over time, the lack of kittens will keep the population at a stable minimum or see it fade away entirely.

JCN expanded to Tokyo this year, where it is hoping to open a rehoming center to support local efforts. “The sheltering that we do is completely in support of those actively doing TNR,” Wybenga says. “We think that by putting our support and resources behind those working to stop reproduction, we can have a much bigger impact on the situation as a whole.”

The biggest problem faced by JCN is a lack of resources. With no national animal welfare organization to turn to, the group must get all of its funds, supplies and manpower at a grassroots level. “We have to negotiate with veterinarians, and many are unwilling to adjust the cost of spaying/neutering for strays,” says Wybenga. “Right now, there are several projects where we could easily be out trapping in low-income areas—if we had funds and low-cost operations.”

Wybenga admits the feral cat problem in Japan is still large, but he’s convinced that there are a lot of compassionate people out there who just need some help and guidance. “We’d like people to know that even though they can’t do everything, they can always do something, and they don’t have to even do that alone.”

For more information about the Japan Cat Network, see www.japancatnet.com or contact Tracey Tanaka at tracey.tanaka@japancatnet.com.

This story originally appeared in Metropolis magazine (www.metropolis.co.jp).