Animal advocates are hoping the second time is the charm in South Carolina, where a bill is being reconsidered that would support Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the only humane and effective approach to address community cat populations and save lives.
Senate Bill 105 states that community cats can be part of a TNR program, and defines the terms community cat, eartipping, and TNR, which will help ensure TNR is implemented properly. The South Carolina Senate reintroduced the measure in January after it failed to move forward in 2018. Alley Cat Allies is asking South Carolina residents to speak out in support of this bill.
TNR keeps community cats out of animal shelters. Most community cats are not socialized to people, so they cannot live indoors and are not adoptable. Nearly all community cats who enter animal shelters are killed nationwide. Through TNR, community cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered and vaccinated. After recovery, cats are returned to their outdoor homes, where they live and thrive.
TNR stabilizes community cat populations by stopping the breeding cycle. It also benefits public health because cats are vaccinated. Thanks to TNR, animal shelters experience decreases in cat intake and nuisance complaints, and they save more cats’ lives. Because healthy cats are not killed, and instead returned to their outdoor homes, animals shelters see an improvement in employee morale and volunteer engagement, and they have more resources available for adoptable animals. This helps local governments and animal shelters save money, since housing and killing cats is costly.
If you live in South Carolina, please voice your support for this bill.