Street Cat TNR - A Year Later

Below is a repost of what I put on the Nextdoor community last week (08/12/18).  My post brought out folks who have been doing TNR in the community to talk about their experiences.  So touched to learn that there are many folks who care about animals and the environment.  My post also generated discussions around TNR, and my successful attempt encouraged some to look into doing the same in their neighborhoods.  I am happy to know that I have made a difference.

BE PART OF SOLUTION NOT PROBLEM!

Dear Neighbors, I started trapping feral cats on my street last September (first trapping 9/10/17) and to date, with help from a cat rescuer, we have trapped 27 cats on my half of the street alone. We trapped the last kitties, #26 & #27, this morning. For the time being, all the cats around here are sterilized and vaccinated. My neighbors and I noticed a significant difference. We have FEWER cats (the number went down from 24 to 12 or so). The ones around keep to themselves. Less meowing, fighting, spraying and roaming. Both humans and cats are happier now. I encourage you, who want to do something about the feral cats in your neighborhood, to look into TNR. There are many wonderful organizations that will help you. I have learned so much about cats and rescues from them, and gained much respect for all animal rescuers out there. You must have a big heart and passion to do what you do day in and day out. ❤️ ONE unsterilized female cat and her offsprings can produce 225 cats in two years*. I’m happy that this cycle is broken on my street. I will continue to monitor and trap new cats that try to move in, but they will most likely be chased alway by the resident cats. A big THANK YOU to my neighbors who have been supportive of my effort in this past 11 months. It is truly a community effort. * Some more statistics on feral cat reproduction rate: http://www.solanoferals.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=60&Itemid=65

An Accidental Cat Whisperer

I don't consider myself as a cat person.  I have never owned a cat and don't know much about cats.  Yet, I have become a guardian for the community cats in my neighborhood.

I took action because the growing street cat colony in my neighborhood is concerning. Although the cats help control the rodent population, they should not become a nuisance to the neighborhood. Overpopulation of cats creates an unsanitary and unhealthy environment as well.

Neighbors complained but no one took action. So, I started looking into how I can be part of the solution. Through research, I found that the most effective way to combat feral cat overpopulation is by performing TNR (trap-neuter-return). But how do I go about it? How do I trap a cat? Where do I bring them for neutering? What do I do with the cats afterward?

Working with Homeless Cats Network, a non-profit cat rescuing organization, I learned to trap and care for the cats. A wonderful cat rescuer showed up on Day 1 with 5 traps. We trapped 8 the first weekend. The next week 7, then 5 then 3, etc... in all in the past 6 months, we have trapped and neutered 23 cats.

In addition to being neutered, these lucky cats also received shots, checkup and were micro-chipped. The cat lady brought them back to the neighborhood and. They officially became managed cats.

It is such an rewarding experience. I am still feeding and trapping the cats because I have to make sure the cycle is broken. It will be a ongoing thing.

For now, these feral cats and the neighbors are coexisting peacefully. I don't think I can ask for anything more.

TNR 101

There are about 24 feral cats living on my street.  They might have arrived about a year ago.  I wasn't paying attention.  First there was one, then two, then four, then eight...  A neighbor was feeding them at first.  Little by little, the colony grew, and few other neighbors (including me) started feeding them as well.

My cat story started with providing water to a little black and white kitty on one hot day last year.  Later on, I bought a little bag of cat food for her.  She liked it and started showing up everyday. Words must have gone out in the colony because more and more cats started showing up for food.  I have about 10 regulars.  I went from buying little ounce-size bags of cat food to 25-pound bags now.  Yes, I have become a CAT LADY.

I started paying more attention to the cats when the little black and white kitty got pregnant earlier this year.  She was a kitty herself.  In no time, new kitties were running around on our street.  Over the summer, there was a cat population explosion.  So many cats!  So many kitties!!

Some neighbors start complaining yet no one did anything about it.  Well, guess what, someone has to take action, and that person is me.

I looked into TNR.  Trap-Neuter-Return.  A humane way to control feral animal population without hurting them.  But where do I start?   How do I start?

After some research, I connected with Homeless Cat Network based in Belmont, CA.  What a wonderful non-profit organization that dedicates to feral cats.  They hooked me up with a volunteer who does cat trapping during her spare time and they paid for the expense of neutering these cats.  WOW!  To reciprocate their kindness, I made a cash donation to cover some of the surgery cost.  However, I can never donate enough to support their good deeds!!

Talking about learning on the job.  In no time, I learned to set up traps and tend to the cats after trapping.  Yap!  I'm a part-time cat trapper now.  From the first weekend in September through last weekend (4 weekends), we trapped total of 18 cats!!  We do trapping on Sundays.  The volunteer takes the cats to the vet on Monday morning to be examined, neutered/spayed, vaccinated and microchipped.  She then return them to my street on Monday nights.  She did all the hard work!!  My job was mainly PR with the neighbors informing them what we are doing and educating them on the concept of TNR.

All the TNRed cats are marked with a tipped left ear.  This is so if they were picked up Animal Control, they will be released because they belong to a managed cat colony.  The microchip will ensure that they are returned to the neighborhood if they ended up in shelters.  In other words, these cats are safe from being captured and destroyed.

It has been a satisfying experience.  Most all the cats now that show up have little tipped left ears and that just makes me smile.

There are still few more cats to trap but I hope we are already making a difference. I'm so proud of myself for being part of the solution and not problem.

Good job, Suts (pat myself on the back)!!