The Pros And Cons Of TNR

Before we can discuss the need for TNR, we must first understand what a feral cat is and is not. A feral cat is not a cat that was owned, abandoned, and has reverted to a wild nature. Feral cats are cats that are not socialized to people; this means that they are not adoptable as pets in normal circumstances as generally they can be aggressive when cornered. Generally speaking, a feral cat will not become friendly to humans even after being in the care of community cat caretakers. Feral cats have been born and raised in the “wild” and will most likely never be domesticated.
Since these cats are generally incapable of becoming domesticated, the only other solution besides capture and euthanasia (which doesn’t solve anything due to the vacuum
effect) is TNR or Trap-Neuter-Release. TNR is the only humane and effective approach to solving the issue of feral cats and their ever growing population.
So what exactly is TNR? Trap-Neuter-Release is exactly as it sounds; the cats are caught in humane traps and taken to a veterinarian to be neutered and vaccinated against diseases. After the cats recover from their surgery (usually in 1-2 days) the cats are then brought back to their home/colony. If the cat is deemed friendly, or is still a kitten, then the trapper may decide to try and socialize the cat and adopt it to a home.
So how does this improve their lives and decrease the population?
TNR stops the cycle of breeding cats which improves their lives via vaccination, decrease fighting due to lowered testosterone levels, and prevents reproduction. It is proven that simply capturing feral cats and bringing them to the pound does NOT solve the problem. Doing this causes what we call the vacuum effect; removing one colony only opens up a space for others to move in. So in short, if you trap and remove 10 cats from a location, then in a short amount of time another 10 or more will move in. These cats will then begin breeding and the number will blow up past the previous numbers.
Through the use of TNR, the population will naturally decrease without the creation of a vacuum effect. A study was done in Rome, Italy, that observed a decrease between 16-32% in the population of feral cats over a 10-year period of TNR. It is shown that one male and one female cat along with all their offspring will add around 2 million cats to the population in each 8-year period. Generally speaking, to TNR those 2 cats, it’d cost around $100 dollars, but if they go un-altered, then in 8 years it’ll cost $50 million to fix them and all their offspring. So what sounds better, $100 or
$50,000,000?
We at Feral Cat Awareness Team dedicate our time, energy, and money to advocating for the feral cats. Often these cats are sick, emaciated, or on deaths door due to no one willing to care for them. When cats are at these levels, we get them the needed medical care and once healthy, adopt them to a new barn lifestyle where they will be fed each day. We always prefer TNR, but sometimes it is impossible or better for the animals to be relocated. We at FCAT generally go through $1000+ in medical alone each month. If you would like to learn more about us, what we do, or donate to the cause; you can visit us at our website: www.feralcatawareness.com.