By Lisa Gray
How can you help control pet overpopulation in your community? Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Release (TNVR) is one way that you can help the issue of cat overpopulation through sterilization and managed colonies.
What is TNVR?
TNVR involves the humane trapping of feral/community cats and bringing them to a feral friendly veterinarian for sterilization and vaccination. Once that is complete you return the cat to their colony. A colony is a group of cats that live together in the same area and have a single caretaker or group of people that share the caretaking responsibilities.
Why does it work?
TNVR works because you are sterilizing the cats and eliminating the possibility of reproduction. Fewer kittens born mean that there are fewer kittens that are at risk for euthanasia in shelters, becoming prey for other animals, or maturing and mating.
Claudia Green, a client at TLC PetSnip, has participated in TNVR for over a year and has seen a drastic change in her neighborhood. She has found that the cats in her neighborhood are happier and healthier since being sterilized and returned outside. Before Claudia and her neighbors began TNVR she saw litter after litter of kittens that became prey for coyotes and birds of prey. Claudia has sterilized 103 cats since August 2018 and helped find the friendlier cats loving homes. She has found that the cats that are sterilized are friendlier, calmer, and live a better life free of fighting. Catfights were once a major issue in her neighborhood because unaltered males fight for territory and mating rights. The females that are involved in this were often kittens themselves and would struggle to deliver and care for litters. When asked why she does this, Claudia said: “I do this because I believe in it, I think that these cats live better lives because they are spayed and neutered. I find homes for the friendly ones and watch them on my Facebook page, Claudia’s Kitties, and return the others outside. Our community helps care for the ones outside.”
How do you help?
You can make a difference by trapping and sterilizing cats in your neighborhood and then returning them to their outside homes. Once the cat is safely trapped then bring it to a feral friendly veterinarian for sterilization and vaccinations. The cat should be kept in the trap for 24 hours after surgery before being released outside and back into their colony. If you don’t have feral or community cats in your neighborhood you can still help by donating to organizations that work with feral cats. TLC PetSnip provides spay/neuters services for feral and community cats for only $25. You can donate a spay/neuter to colony caretakers through TLC PetSnip by visiting TLC PetSnip/donate and noting ‘feral’ in the comment section.
For more information about TNVR visit Best Friends Animal Society and Alley Cat Allies websites and social media pages.