Where
Does Trap-Neuter-Return Work?
Arizona
Phoenix
Cat-Neutering Group Had a Successful '06
AZCats sterilized about 1,200 cats in October alone, followed by 8,477 over the
course of 2006.
This is one of the largest "trap, neuter and return" efforts in the nation, said Melissa
Newton, the organization's president and chief executive officer.
The Arizona Republic - 1/6/07
Scottsdale
Volunteers Care for Scottsdale Feral Cats to Help Control Pests
Downtown business owners for years have
supported efforts to take care of the area's felines. Donations subsidize veterinarian
neutering campaigns. In return, the cats do what undomesticated cats do: hunt.
"We're relatively pest-free. We don't have a pigeon problem like other communities,"
owner of the Orange Table restaurant. "And that's thanks to the cats."
Scottsdale Tribune - 6/13/07
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California
Eureka
Feeding Feral Felines... With Help From Some Friends
Every morning in Eureka, a group of people take turns bringing nourishment to the city's feral cats. All told, there are probably around 25 total in various locations around the city. Recently, it looked as though one of the cat locations was going to be fenced off -- thus locking the cats in and the feeders out.
But Security National was not numb to the entreaties by the cat feeders. They provided the group a lock and key that now allows them to gain access to the area, and to continue their humanitarian efforts.
The Times Standard - 1/4/07
Los Angeles
Feral Felines get More Than Nine Lives
Caregivers are working with LA county to ensure that the feral cats on an abandoned lot that is slated for reconstruction will be saved beforehand. Working with Fail-Safe
4 Felines (an organization aiming to reduce the number of cats euthanized at animal shelters by sterilizing feral cats) and other volunteers, the Easts say they have so
far sterilized about 90% of Rancho's 150 cats -- a number that they estimate would have multiplied to at least 1,100 without their efforts.
Los Angeles Times, 3/24/08
LAPD enlists feral cats for rat patrol
The Working Cats program of Voice for the
Animals, a Los Angeles-based animal advocacy and
rescue group, has placed feral cats in a handful
of police stations with rodent problems, just as
the group placed cats in the rat-plagued downtown
flower district several years ago -- to great
effect.
Los Angeles Times - 12/29/07
Marin
Tails of Marin
Trap, neuter and release programs work on several levels. Most important, they reduce the feral cat population because fixed cats are no longer able to reproduce. In addition, nuisance behaviors associated with breeding - howling, spraying and fighting - decrease dramatically. And, of course, spayed and neutered cats are better protected from disease and live healthier lives.
“Our new [spay/neuter] voucher program, in conjunction with the caretakers, is the most effective, humane way to manage the existing feral cat population.”
- Kerri Bright, Marin Humane Society Animal Services Officer
Marin Independent Journal - 8/05/06
Cat Lover: Tiburon Woman, Group Aid Pets in Need
Ann Allen, 62, a Tiburon resident, is the founder and shining light of a 10-year-old nonprofit called Marin Cat Connection, dedicated to rescuing homeless, orphaned or abandoned cats.
With the help of 40 volunteers, she also traps feral cats, has them neutered or spayed and returned to a safe neighborhood on the streets. "She goes out with her trap in the middle of the night," says volunteer Kent Jeffrey, a fan.
Marin Independent Journal - 9/02/06
Oakland
Residents Seek to Control Feral Cats
“We believe [the volunteer trappers who pay to TNR feral cats] are helping”
- Caitlin Boles, Shelter Officer
Inside Bay Area - 10/24/06
San Mateo
For Local Woman, Feral Cat Obsession Leads to Activism, Cat
Tales
In the two years that volunteers with Project Bay Cat have been trapping the homeless cats, spaying and
neutering them and keeping them fed along the shoreline, Cimeron Morrissey has not seen one kitten living there.
"Over time, the population will cease to exist," she says. "It's the right way to do it."
Inside Bay Area - 12/24/06
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Colorado
Buena Vista
Humane society plans to try to control feral cat population
A viable and humane solution to reducing the numbers of feral cats is a Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program.
Simply removing and killing these cats is not a solution to the problem and will not be supported by Ark-Valley Humane Society. With the participation of local veterinarians, Ark-Valley Humane Society will loan live traps to Chaffee County citizens, pay to sterilize and vaccinate trapped feral cats, and will return them to their original location.
The Chaffee County Times - December 27, 2006
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Connecticut
Ansonia
Ansonia Captures City's Feral Cats
In Reference to Animal Control’s TNR program:
“Once they're caught, the cats or kittens will be taken to the vet. If the cats are healthy they'll be spayed or neutered then returned to the area and released. Whatever kittens we catch we can place.”
- Jeannie Roslsonowski, Animal Control Officer
The Connecticut Post - 9/5/2006
Danbury
Danbury Woman Helps Feral Felines
According to the Animal Welfare Federation of Connecticut, the number of feral cats in the U.S. is estimated in the tens of
millions.
"We believe in trap, neuter/spay and return to their environment as the most humane way of dealing with the problem,"
Roberto said.
In the last few weeks, since the trapping began, the Samuelson colony has begun to stabilize: 16 cats have been treated and
returned to the wild. They aren't being put up for adoption because they are too wild.
The News Time Live - 8/23/07
New Britain
Animal Alliance Welfare League feeds over 500 feral cats in New Britain
In Reference to the Animal Control Partnership with Non-profit Organization Animal Alliance Welfare League (AAWL):
“This is a great partnership. [AAWL Founder] Linda [Karalus] knows where the colonies of cats are located and can set the traps, which makes my job a lot easier.”
- Jimmy Russo, Animal Control Officer
The Herald - 1/16/06
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Florida
Cedar Key
Cedar Key to Bring in Vets to Sterilize Feral Cat Colonies
Veterinarians are traveling from the Jacksonville area to coastal Levy County to help slow a growing feral cat population that is about half of the human population of the city.
"What we want to do is to reduce the number of feral cats in the city while allowing the ones that are there to live out their natural lives," said Mike Schenk, president of the Levy County Humane Society and an animal services officer for Levy County.
The Gainesville Sun - 12/7/06
Palm Beach
"It is a lot of trouble, but they're worth it,"
she says outside the Palm Beach County animal
shelter early this afternoon. "I don't want to see
them trapped and then brought here and be
euthanized. I don't want to see cats killed."
Shelter officials don't either, so they launched
Op Around the Clock in a 24-hour weekend marathon
of surgeries to spay and neuter cats and kittens
across the county.
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Georgia
St. George
Catching Feral Felines
The destruction of the Valley View Mobile Home Park on Middleton Drive has left humans
displaced along with at least two dozen unusual cats.
"These cats then breed, producing kittens that receive very little human contact and learn to fear humans," Neal
said, adding the cats cannot be reduced by simply taking one or two to a shelter to eventually be euthanized.
Neal said she trapped 24 cats overnight from the demolished remains of the Valley View Mobile Home Park.
The Spectrum - 10/17/06
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Hawaii
Honolulu
The Right Way to Feed Feral Cats
"Most of us who manage feral colonies are very responsible about feeding them. We do not leave leftover food out where it might be found by rats. The cats are spayed or neutered and microchipped, and allowed to live out their lives in the care of a colony manager. The cats are monitored by the colony managers for health problems," said Honolulu resident Skyla Hammond.
Honolulu Advertiser - 12/11/06
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Illinois
Chicago
Feral Cat Plan: Trap. Neuter.
Release. Repeat.
Wheeling Deputy Police Chief William Benson said he's grateful for the task the Feral Feline Project has
taken on, as it promises to free up his community service officers for more non-cat-related calls.
What makes sterilizing and releasing cats better than euthanizing them, according to the research he's
done, is territorial cats don't like to cross each other's path. Permanently removing a cat only allows
another to move into its territory - one that still can breed, he said.
The Daily Herald - 6/26/07
Joliet
Taming of the Mew
TNR programs have had an impact, especially in a colony in Joliet that COPE has
paid particular attention to.
Without any controls, a population of two cats can explode into a colony of more than 300 in three years,
Bertoglio said.
The first colony COPE started working with about four years ago had 30 cats. Now, that number is down to
around 15, he said.
"If you have a program where everybody is involved, you can get a whole area under control," Dyer said.
The Herald News - 1/15/07
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Iowa
Charles City
Wild Cat Solution: Cut Off the Supply of Wild Kittens
Wild cats in Charles City will be humanely trapped, neutered and returned to their original neighborhoods under a new program approved by the Charles City Council.
“We have hundreds and hundreds of cats without homes just wandering the streets,” said Pat Molnar, co-director of the PAWS animal shelter. “What we wanted from the city was permission to put the cats back (in the neighborhood).”
Globe Gazette - 3/13/07
Missouri Valley
Volunteers Take Action in Attempt to Control
Modale's Feral Cat Problem
In Modale, a group of volunteers decided to
help the city do something humane about its feral
cat problem, i.e.
overpopulation. They created a Trap-Neuter (spay)-Release
(T-N-R) program at no cost to the taxpayers,
but
with the blessing of a city ordinance.
Missouri Valley Times - 10/8/07
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Kansas
Kansas City
Feline Problem Not Isolated
Riverside was the first community in the county to
establish a trap, neuter and return program for feral cats, said Mayor Kathy Rose. According to Rose, the
program has been successful.
“It’s a very popular program,” she said. “We’re very happy with the results.”
Kansas City Star - 1/3/07
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Maryland
Princess Anne
Princess Anne Fixes Cat Issue
On Feb. 9, volunteers with the Humane Society and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church brought in 54 cats and two
dogs from the Beckford Avenue area near the church. While most of the animals brought to the clinic were feral,
Greer said nearby residents were allowed to bring in pets for low-cost spaying and neutering.
The clinics are one way the Humane Society can serve Somerset County while it works toward building a
shelter, Greer said. The county government operates a dog shelter, but has no room for cats.
The Daily Times - 2/18/07
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Michigan
Mt. Pleasant
Group Looks to Spay, Neuter Feral Cats
Advanced students at the Michigan State University Veterinary School will be in Mt.
Pleasant to spay and neuter feral cats in a clinic at Finch
Fieldhouse at Central Michigan University.
People have signed up nearly 200 cats for the clinic, which is booked beyond capacity,
Humane Animal Treatment Society volunteer and board member Toni Smith-Holmes
said.
The Morning Sun - 8/06/07
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Massachusetts
Merrimack River
Waterfront Feline Rescue Group Leads By Example
When the society was founded in 1992, Newburyport's riverbanks were crowded with cats. Its mission was to get the situation under control. Buoyed by a large group of volunteers,
the society's feral cat program became a model for nonprofit organizations that are dealing with cat issues elsewhere.
The Boston Globe - 12/23/07
Needham
Cats Under Control: Volunteers, Hospital Work to Manage Feral Cats
"We’ve been working with Charles River Alleycats on the humane trapping of the cats for about a year and a half,” said Melanie Franco, a facilities manager at St. E’s. “We are collaborating with them, and are concerned about the humane treatment of these animals.”
Allston-Brighton TAB - 12/07/06
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Montana
Missoula
Program will trap, neuter feral cats
“If you look at it from a population control standpoint, it [TNR] makes sense. We're most interested in spaying and neutering, after humane treatment.”
- Ellen Leahy, Director of Missoula City-County Health Department
“From everything I've read, this [TNR] is the way it needs to happen. Going out and euthanizing 2,000 cats is probably not the answer. Both personally and professionally, we'll be involved in it.”
- Ed Franceshina, Missoula Animal Control Director
Missoulian.com - 7/24/06
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Nebraska
North Platte
Controlling a Cat Invasion
This small community on Highway 83 south of North Platte is known for horse
races down Main Street during the annual Fall Festival, an abundance of catfish in Wellfleet Lake
and the home-cooked meals at Barely-nuff Grub and Stuff.
And cats. Lots of cats.
Residents are working together to control an increasing population of the four-legged feral creatures invading the area.
“Euthanizing the cats won’t solve the problem in the long run,” said Terri Mead, clerk for the
village of Wellfleet. “A trap, neuter and release program is a proven way of controlling the
population.”
North Platte Telegraph - 2/17/07
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New Jersey
Burlington County
A program such as this is a good idea because, by taking away the cats' reproductive ability and giving them vaccinations, it allows them to live while preventing them from producing more feral cats. Officials in municipalities across South Jersey should consider similar roundups in their communities. This is a humane yet practical way to deal with the problems caused by feral cats and certainly could, in time, lead to a sizable reduction in the feral cat population.
“We feel that, within five years, we can significantly reduce the feral cat population in the county [with the TNR program].”
- Robert Gogats, Burlington County Public Health Coordinator
The Courier Post - 7/24/06
Hackensack
Spay/Neuter Plan Cuts Animal Population
About a year ago, the Passaic County Spay and Neuter Coalition began spaying and neutering cats and dogs
from all over North Jersey. Marlene Puntasecco, a cat lover who brought three feral cats in to be spayed, said she believes that the
program has helped reduce the number of unwanted cats, because a colony she has been feeding has
dwindled by more than half.
"It really does make a difference," she said, as she loaded the cats into her car. "At least they're not having
babies."
North Jersey Media Group - 1/10/07
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New York
Hudson
Group Helps Feral Cats and Dogs in Peril
The success of the [TNR] project led to calls from surrounding towns and counties with similar problems.
"We declined the feral cat population by approximately 80% [with TNR].”
- Katrin Hecker, founder of Animalkind
Indenews.com - 9/1/06
Long Island
Oyster Bay Approves Pilot Trap, Neuter & Return
Program
The town of Oyster Bay, in Long Island, New York, is beginning a Trap-Neuter-Return program, saying it is, “the least costly, as well as the most efficient and humane, way of stabilizing feral cat populations.”
The Northender - 4/2/08
Pamona
'No Kill' Policy a Goal for Shelter
“The empirical evidence suggests that spay/neuter, release is a more effective, less costly means of controlling feral cats than euthanasia.”
- Raymond T. Mundy, President, Hudson Valley Humane Society
The Journal News - 10/22/06
Rochester
Group helps feral cats
Habitat for Cats Inc. began in 1999 to help control the skyrocketing population of feral and homeless cats in
Monroe County.
The volunteer group of 42 members traps, then spays or neuters the cats, returning them to the area they were
trapped.
Democrat and Chronicle - 8/9/06
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Ohio
Athens
Residents take action to save wild cats
in their neighborhoods
“Having [feral] cats fixed keeps them from reproducing in the neighborhoods, but it also curbs some of the fighting between cats. In addition, the feral cats stay in the neighborhoods and form small colonies that end up keeping other stray cats from moving in.”
- Kate McGuckin, member of Athens Coalition of Companion Animals
The Athens News - 8/3/06
Cleveland
The three agencies aim to alter 70 percent of
Cleveland's cats, both owned and feral, in six
years.
Newark
To the Rescue: Residents step up to care for, control cat population
“No state laws regulate cats, so sterilizing the animals is the best solution to controlling their numbers.”
- Jon Luzio, Licking County Animal Control Director
Newark Advocate - 8/9/06
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Oregon
Echo
Oregon Town Overrun With Feral Cats
City Manager Diane Berry is one of a handful of folks who already have signed up for a TNR program. The hope is that the program will eventually shrink the city's burgeoning feral cat population.
Koin News - 4/3/06
Salem
Group sterilizes wild cats, then lets them live free
”Killing them doesn't solve the problem, because more cats just replace the ones killed unless you do something about the breeding.”
- Karen Scot, Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon volunteer
Statesman Journal - 7/21/06
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Pennsylvania
Reading
Called to the wild ones
It was a woman who was visiting her parents next door who stopped halfway up the walk to say, with
undeniable fervor: “Thank you. Thank you very much,”
expressing her gratitude to Ed Parmon and Rachel Wittman, the husband-and-
wife team that had captured the cats and taken them to the Humane Society of Berks County, where
two local veterinarian volunteers sterilized the creatures and gave them a checkup and a rabies vaccine.
Reading Eagle Newspaper - 11/17/06
Stroudsburg
Eagle Scout Goes Wildcatting With Special Project
Linda Driver says the TNR program works because the cats are no longer able to breed, thus reducing the number of cats in the colony over time.
"Trap-neuter-kill doesn't work because other unneutered cats will join the colony, so you're constantly trapping and neutering," she said.
Pocono Record - 1/2/07
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Rhode Island
East Bay
Feral cat population on the rise, Bristol PawsWatch takes action
“There's a dramatic decline in the number of feral cats in town.”
East Bay Newspapers - 11/17/05
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Tennessee
Chattanooga
McKamey Center Receives Grant To Promote Spay
Day And City Council Passes Spay Day Resolution
“This program represents a collaborative effort to take responsibility
for the feral cats residing in the Chattanooga area and to perform
outreach in the community – even before the McKamey Center opens
later this year,” continued Dr. Wojtalik.
The Chattanoogan - 2/27/07
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Texas
Austin
Austin Group to Battle Feral Cats
The Austin Humane Society launched a new effort Monday to fight the growing number of feral cats in
the city. The organization is about to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to stop the animals from
breeding.
The program is based on a two-year pilot program done by Town Lake Animal Center. Officials say
they've dropped the number of cats coming into the shelter by 10 percent, by trapping and sterilizing
feral cats. It cost less than $50,000.
KVUE.com - 10/30/06
Dallas
Feral Cats Need Student Caretakers
UNT, Trinity University and many other campuses and communities nationwide have
well-established feral cat programs. UNT's Feral Cat Rescue Group uses the "trap-neuter-return"
approach FM hopes to employ at UTD. Trinity's Cat Alliance has offered to send
volunteers to help establish a feral cat group at UTD. Student groups on these campuses
raise funds and maintain feeding stations with food and water. Feeding feral cats keeps
them in their defined territories away from trash cans and dumpsters and prevents them
from fighting over resources.
The UTD Mercury - 8/20/07
Jasper
TNR: Humane Answer to Maintaining Stray-Feral Cats
TNR is used to describe how to best control and care for stray-feral
cats. It stands for trap, neuter and return. The cats are
humanely trapped, taken to a qualified, participating veterinarian,
spayed or neutered, then returned to their survival area with their
colony or placed into a home if they can be tamed. This stops the
reproduction of the cats and eliminates increasing problems.
The Jasper News Boy -10/18/06
Plano
Plano Animal Lovers Care for Feral Cats
Feral Friends received a $19,000 grant from PetSmart Charities to cover the expenses of
spaying and neutering the cats caught in Plano.
"We started in February and estimate there to be about 150 cats," Ms. Asturias said. "So
far we've caught 61 cats. We would've had more, but the rain has been a problem."
"We were fighting a losing battle, with nature producing massive numbers of offspring,"
Mr. Cantrell said. "Now we're managing the population and covering other areas."
Round Rock City
Round Rock Legalizes Trap-Neuter-Return for Feral
Cats
"Everybody just kind of did it, you know, quietly,
because the people that were requesting for help
realized that they could either get this done, or
they can let them multiply, because Animal Control
doesn't have the resources to come out and trap,"
said
Street Cat Rescue president Donna Powell.
The Round Rock City Council realized that and has
since made it legal for nonprofits, such as Street
Cat Rescue, to trap and release.
San Antonio
Alamo Cat
Clara Carmack, aka C.C., is the latest in a line of furry Alamo defenders, and when protecting Texas' most famous landmark, she takes no prisoners.
"She's our guard kitty and the grounds are her territory," says Pattie Sandoval, benefits coordinator for Alamo employees and one of C.C.'s best friends. "We may be her caretakers, but she's in charge here. Bosses me and everybody else around."
Garden's Cats May Get TLC and TNR
Communitywide TNR is endorsed in the Animal Care Services five-year strategic plan to reduce the
number of cats entering the municipal shelter, but the City Code must be rewritten to make it legal. If the
council approves the agreement, the Tea Garden colony will be exempt from the code while the ACS
advisory board revamps it with an eye toward citywide TNR.
Express News- 1/2/07
City to Start Returning Stray Cats to Your Neighborhood
According to Jenny Burgess with the San Antonio Feral
Cat Coalition, cats aren't a nuisance if they are sterilized.
WOAI.COM - 3/25/08
Waco
Central Texas City Adopts Aggressive Neutering Program
Carrie Kuehl has teamed with Lions Park director Bob McClory and park manager Sandy McClory to control the
park's feral cat population through a pilot trap-neuter-release program she says could help solve the city's
feral cat issues.
"The park's trying to do something as a responsible citizen," Bob McClory says, adding that he has
noticed cats in the area throughout more than 20 years working there. "We know there's a problem and we're
trying to do something."
Associated Press - 7/4/07
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Utah
Utah State Prison
"With the prison, we were able to
remove some of the kittens and the tame cats and
find them homes. That reduced the population
there," said Holly Sizemore, the executive
director of No More Homeless Pets in Utah. "By
sterilizing the others and keeping a watchful eye
out for others who show up to the food bowl — and
when they show up, get them fixed — it stops the
cycle because it stops the breeding."
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Washington
Weston
Weston plans blitz to deal with
feral cats: The program will trap, spay, neuter
and release the animals.
PETS of Milton-Freewater, with the help of area veterinarians and volunteers, is
planning two weekends of trapping, spaying or neutering the critters and
returning them to where they live. The Weston City Council recently approved
$2,000 for the cause, which will cover surgical supplies for 100 cats.
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International
Qatar, Doha
Major headway seen in control of stray cats
"Dorothy Smit, who helps run the
Qatar Cat Coalition (QCC), which co-ordinates TNR,
explained that the programme needs the continued
and full co-operation of landlords and residents.
The aim of the programme is not the eradication of
the feral cat population in Qatar, but rather its
stabilisation."
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