Expert: Ali - 2/24/2009

Question
I currently feed, capture and neuter feral/stray cats that have a colony where I work. I've been doing this with some other cat lovers for a few years before we all decided to restrict the cats from reproducing. I tried contacting every organization I could and they said I could put my name on a list, but this could take months and years to get to my name. So we decided to pool our own money together and capture them ourselves, use our local vet and then recover them at my house. If we can get them adopted (especially the babies) that would be preferable, but the older ones are put back out to live our the rest of there life in the wild (which they prefer)..now the township animal shelter got involved (someone must have notified them) and they haven't approached me but have been taking pictures of the feeding site...so now my question is..am i doing the wrong thing by neutering them myself so they don't get captured by the township and euthanized because they can't be domesticated...I'm beside myself with grief that they will make me stop what I am doing and let them take over. I'm using my own money, so whats the problem.
please advise, as I'm desperate for some knowledge about this...
thanks

Answer
Elana,

I would like to start by thanking you and your friends for caring enough to make the sacrifices required to care for a feral cat colony, it takes a special group of people to come together for the benefit of stray and feral cats. Sadly, most people aren't willing to take the time, money and effort to do what you and your friends are doing. I think that it would be in the best interests of your cat colony to find out what is happening on the animal control side of things and consider compiling a press release for the local media in the event that euthanasia of the colony is planned. A well worded press release will help to bring attention to the all too common issue of folks who don't bother with spaying and neutering their cats as these cats are the most likely to be abandoned and become part of a feral cat colony. In the event that there are no reasonable ways to ensure the safety of the colony you may want to consider enlisting the services of an animal loving lawyer or paralegal to try and prevent the colony being wiped out by wholesale euthanasia. You could launch a fundraising effort to ensure that the remainder of the unsterilized cats in the colony are spayed/neutered as soon as possible. By drawing much needed attention to this issue you may be able to find volunteers willing to put out donation cans in vet clinics or stores in your local area. You'd be surprised at how many people care about what happens to animals and you may find that the size of your volunteer group grows substantially in a fairly short period of time once this issue is publicized. Of course I don't think that getting the press involved in a negative manner about the plight of these cats if you don't have confirmation that the authorities are planning to trap and euthanize the cats in this colony. On the other side of the argument the plight of this feral colony would make a good human interest story that could potentially give you more resources and volunteers to help ensure that each cat is sterilized, vaccinated against rabies, and microchipped so that s/he is easily identifiable and in the event that s/he is picked up by animal control s/he can be returned to the area that the colony lives in. It's possible that someone who isn't fond of cats has made a complaint after hearing about your efforts to care for this colony of cats. If there is concern on the part of the animal control officers about the care that these cats are receiving and whether or not they've been vaccinated against rabies I would recommend that you get your vet records in order and provide copies of them to animal control as proof that you are caring for these cats without any cost to the city, animal control or tax payers in the area that don't appreciate having the colony around. I'd recommend contacting some of the folks that have adopted kittens from this colony after they've been health checked and tamed to find out if any people would be interested in coming forward to speak with the authorities should the situation require animal control to speak with people who've adopted from the colony. If animal control agents speak with families who have adopted kittens from the feral colony it will be a way of providing proof that you and your friends are doing what you can to relocate as many cats as possible to prevent the colony from swelling to overwhelming proportions. Getting in touch with Alley Cat Allies would probably be helpful, the organization may able to provide you with vital information that could help ensure that your colony is safe from euthanasia. You could even try to establish a local chapter of Alley Cat Allies if your area doesn't already have one. I am willing to try and help you, your friends and these cats in any way that I can so feel free to send more information my way.

Responsible Feral Cat Colony Maintenance
Feral Cat Colony Control
An article by Dan C. Knapp
General Manager, Department of Animal Services
Los Angeles, California

In alleys, parks, and by freeways, near fast food restaurants, on college campuses, and vacant lots. Feral cat colonies are everywhere. Almost as a contradiction, cats are asocial creatures who group together to claim and defend a territory invisible to us, but well defined by them. Created by a combination of abandonment and uncontrolled breeding, these groupings, called colonies, take hold in areas where humans willingly or wantonly provide a ready supply of food. It is surprising that native food sources such as birds, reptiles or insects do not usually determine the location of feral colonies. Instead - and most probably due to their opportunistic nature - cats choose their territory by the availability of scavengable items, such as garbage or food left out by a compassionate human. Consequently, any public area that provides this dining ease is a great place to call home by domestic felines turned wild.

Trapping and Removal

Cats are prolific breeders. One sexually active pair can create a population of fifty or more cats within two or three breeding seasons. Attempting to remove a colony through a trapping program is ineffective. Simply put, trap and removal programs cannot keep up with the feral cat's proclivity toward procreation. Felines have existed forever due to their tenacious ability to survive almost all onslaughts. This is due in part to their wonderful ability to use humans and coexist with us in their own "space." Operating under a set of guidelines understood by their colony, a group of cats will exist in an area and act as gatekeepers to the community. Trapping to remove feral cats may actually result in increasing the number of cats in the colony. Some cats inevitably become trap-wise, and will not be caught. The remaining cats breed and the offspring assist in quickly repopulating the territory. Or, because of abandonment and uncontrolled breeding of nearby domestic cats the weakened or open territory is repopulated. Established colonies tend to have a higher population of females. Cats, while seemingly aloof, do build limited relationships based upon a matriarchal system. Females tend to bond with aunts, nieces, and grandmothers, etc. The females will stay closer to the food source than males. Males will wander beyond the territory and can travel up to five miles away from the food source. Should the colony have existed for some years in one territory and an attempt is made to trap and remove, research has shown that the cats repopulating the territory will be predominantly male. This is significant, in that the higher mix of males will result in a higher breeding rate among both feral and domestic cats. Consequently, trapping and removing an established territory can increase the cat population within a five to ten mile radius of the territory. Recognizing this research, the trapping and removal of a sterilized colony would be irresponsible. Wild cats can be socialized and adopted, but not very easily. Trapping and removal often means killing the cats. To effectively keep an area at a minimum number of feral cats, an aggressive daily trapping regimen would need to be followed. This is neither time nor cost effective.

Controlling Impact

The problem of feral cat overpopulation cannot be controlled through ignoring the problem. In a perfect world, residents would own their cats, all felines would be sterilized, and no animal would ever be abandoned. Yet, not living in a perfect world, efficient and effective solutions must be drafted that minimizes the impact of feral cats.

Cats are opportunistic killers. Given the choice between scavenging or being predators, they will choose to be scavengers - but will continue to kill wildlife. So the question of impact is mute. Cats do have an impact on wildlife. The real question is whether this impact is sustainable. Research has shown that in non-island environments feral cat colony impact on bird life is believed to be sustainable. Where this impact is not sustainable is in areas where endangered wildlife may be present, or on closed environments such as islands. Studies have shown that bird predication by cats is less than their predication of rodents, insects, and reptiles. The premise that bird populations are being threatened to extinction by cats is not well supported. In fact, research shows that habitat loss and encroachment by humans is the primary threat. Raccoons and opossums still remain primary predators of nesting birds. California opossums are considered nonnative animals - an introduced predator - yet wildlife management agencies have not mandated a trap and removal program for these marsupials.

TTVAR-M: By Any Other Name

Allowing cats to guard their territory is preferable and an effective means of protecting an area from overpopulation, if all in the colony are sterilized. Trapping, sterilization, and return to the same location are the basics of feral cat colony control programs. The sterilized cats continue to guard their territory, keeping intact felines from entering and thereby removing the element of romance from the area. The average age of a feral cat is three years. As each passes away, the colony shrinks in size through attrition. So what are all those initials? Whether called TTVAR-M or TNR, feral cat colony control programs have all the same basic elements. A feral cat is trapped, tested for specific feline diseases (e.g., feline leukemia - a fatal condition), vaccinated (including inoculation against rabies) altered, released back at the same location and maintained (cared for daily). Some groups only use the acronym TNR, which stands for trap, neuter, and release. Whatever the initials, feral cat colony control using these methods is an effective and humane means to reduce the population. Yet, for feral cat colony control methods to be successful- and beneficial- caregivers are encouraged to establish and monitor compliance with guidelines that govern all elements of the program from training to colony care.

Benefits of Maintaining Sterilized Colonies
As already mentioned, a TTVAR-M program realizes several benefits:

• Cats are sterilized and guard their territory. For the most part they keep newcomers from entering the territory. Over time, the size of the colony decreases through attrition.

• A stable, consistent level of impact is maintained, allowing the Ecosystem (e.g., bird population) to adapt and adjust.

• Uncontrolled breeding of domestic cats in adjacent neighborhoods is not compounded.

• Volunteers monitor human intervention, keeping the feral colony wild, thus helping to assure limited interaction with humans. These volunteers feed the cats and remove the food-preventing scavenging from wildlife.

• The public health is protected by a supervised feral colony that is inoculated against rabies. Feral cats (inoculated against rabies) serve as a buffer (safety barrier) between wildlife (who may carry rabies) and the neighborhood domestic cat who has the most contact with humans.

Impact of Disallowing Sterilized Colonies

In the control of domestic pets, the solution does not rest in ignoring the problem. By disallowing a sterilization and colony maintenance program, colonies grow unchecked. In removing sterilized cat colonies, a territory is reopened allowing other cats to repopulate the area.

The gender mix would be predominantly male, compounding the domestic cat overpopulation within contiguous neighborhoods. Killing surplus animals does not diminish the breeding of those still alive. Nor, does an animal control program have a broad base of support when it is based on killing animals. Because of this, trap and kill programs often experience sabotage or are derailed due to lack of support. Volunteer support for the sterilization program of cats in public is significant. It would be very difficult to attempt to enlist the help of volunteers to trap and kill cats. Yet, a network of volunteers, following formalized guidelines (as mentioned previously), are working throughout the nation to reduce the impact of feral cats through a program that effectively reduces their numbers through attrition. These volunteers are not working to increase the numbers of cats, but instead are supporting a population control program through an immense contribution of work-hours and donated goods.

What Works Should Be What Is Working

There are those who oppose feral cat colony control through sterilization and maintenance. Many reasons are proffered; some based in intelligent thought. Yet, no other program has been as effective. Feral Cat Colony maintenance is intensive in labor and cost. If other programs were available, that would have the same if not better results, pet population control organizations would be delighted. In a time of limited resources, there should be great reluctance in declining to implement a working program, in the interest of doing nothing. Control of feral cat colony growth through maintained colonies may be an imperfect solution in an imperfect world, but it works.

This is not necessarily the policy of the Department of Animal Services copyright © 2006 The Feral Cat Alliance

Policy for Feral Cat Colonies

Best Friends Animal Society believes that the best and most humane program for managing colonies of free-roaming cats is the practice commonly known as Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), including the ongoing maintenance of colonies.

TNR is the procedure of humanely trapping free-roaming cats, be they friendly or feral, sterilizing and vaccinating them, ideally microchipping them, finding homes for the friendly cats, and returning those that cannot be adopted to the locations in which they were trapped. In some cases Best Friends approves of such cats being relocated to a new location.

TNR is an alternative to the ‘catch and kill’ methods which have traditionally been the normal way of handling cat over-population and situations where cats may have generated ‘nuisance’ complaints to animal control agencies. ‘Catch and kill’ has been shown to be ineffective. While it may rid an area of cats in the short term, over a longer period of time new cats inhabit the area resulting in an identical situation. By contrast, through TNR it is possible to maintain a colony at a relatively stable number of sterilized cats unable to breed and multiply. Best Friends believes that not only is TNR the most humane method of control when accompanied by an ongoing maintenance program, it is also the most effective.

Best Friends supports TNR programs conducted by well-informed individuals, by private organizations, and by public agencies. Best Friends believes that the best solutions to community cat overpopulation include partnerships between private and public agencies.

Objections to TNR include the following:

TNR does nothing to handle nuisance factors. Best Friends has a variety of techniques for keeping cats away from areas where they may be deemed a nuisance.

Free roaming cats present a threat to human health from zoonotic disease transmission, parasites, etc. This is basically a myth.  There are exceptionally few incidents of such cases. Parasites can come from a variety of sources in close proximity to human habitation. There are simple ways that humans can guard against parasites.

Free-roaming cats, an exotic species, pose a predatory threat to native wildlife. Cats are certainly predators, but Best Friends believes that when they are fed in well-managed community colonies they are less of a threat to wildlife than cats that are not sterilized and watched over. In addition in most environments where wildlife species may be threatened, there are much greater factors than cats that present threats to wildlife.

TNR is ineffective at controlling population. See above.

TNR is practiced on such a small scale that it cannot be an effective solution. Best Friends believes that County and City governments have an obligation to conduct and support programs which embody the most humane and the most effective solutions to companion animal overpopulation. ‘Catch and kill’ does not fulfill this obligation, TNR does. Best Friends also believes that such public agencies have a duty to be responsive to public opinion. This includes relating to nuisance calls, and protecting the public from genuine health threats. And it also includes being responsive to the wishes of members of the public who enjoy the harmless presence of free-roaming cats in their communities.

Feral Colony Management and Control
Facts and Myths About Feral Cats and Wildlife Predation

This document is a Fact Sheet compiled and copyrighted by Alley Cat Allies. They are at P.O. Box 397, Mount Rainier, MD 20712. It is presented here by the Feral Cat Coalition for informational purposes. There may be individual items or procedures that differ slightly between the FCC and ACA. Our goals, however, are the same.

Overview

Alley Cat Allies is part of an international campaign to educate the public about feral cats and focus attention on the plight of unmanaged feral colonies. For years the feral cats issue has been neglected by most animal welfare groups in the U.S. Through a lack of understanding and misinformation, ferals are often treated as pests and exterminated. Simply ignoring the problem also causes suffering for unmanaged colonies. Humane control measures pioneered in the United Kingdom over two decades ago are becoming a popular choice for many groups and individuals concerned with the welfare of ferals in the U.S.

Brief History

The domestic cat evolved from the African wild cat, Felis libyca. Feral cats are the offspring of stray or abandoned domestic cats who revert to a wild state. Raised without human contact, they are fearful of humans. Feral cats are successful survivors, especially in urban areas, where they scavenge off garbage, left-over food from restaurant areas, and feedings by sympathetic people. The domestic cat was introduced throughout the world by explorers and scientists, taken to new regions to control other introduced species, such as rodents. Labeled an "exotic" species, they are often unpopular with biologists. However, in some urban areas, they represent one of the few remaining predators since humans have either killed all native predators, or caused their demise through urban expansion.

Why Are Feral Cats Living in Streets and Alleys?

Feral cats live in streets, alleys and parks because of human caretakers' neglect of their unsterilized domestic house cats, allowing them to roam and reproduce. A California study revealed that about 60% of unneutered household cats become feral within three years. Many people abandon or dump unwanted unsterilized cats, and these animals often end up in feral colonies.

Stray and lost cats congregate near food sources such as garbage dumpsters where rodents collect to feed. The cats start breeding and form colonies. An estimated 60 million feral cats live in the U.S., and worldwide are part of the urban ecology in virtually every city. They live in deserts near human settlements as well as on islands near Antarctica where scientists transported them to control imported rodents.

Where Are Feral Cats Found?

College campuses: Students feed unsterilized cats, then abandon them when they leave for vacations or finish their education. Campuses are often located in residential areas. Cafeterias insure that a constant supply of left-over food will be thrown out in dumpsters. Attracted by this food source, lost or abandoned cats enter from the residential areas and start feral colonies.

Military bases: Army and Navy bases have a transient human population, and abandonment of cats is commonplace when people are transferred to other bases. Many of these animals are not altered.

Fast food places and restaurants: There is usually a constant source of left-over food in dumpsters, attracting rodents and stray cats.

Densely populated urban areas: Negligent owners allow domestic, unaltered cats to wander, and garbage left in alleys encourages the formation of colonies.

Hospitals: In the United Kingdom, hospital grounds represent areas where successful colonies of managed, sterilized cats live. Left-over food outside kitchens attracts rodents and therefore stray cats. Hospital personnel have found that caring for feral cats is therapeutic for long-term patients, providing a great deal of enjoyment. Such programs have been particularly successful for patients in mental institutions.

Farms: Most farmers allow feral cats to live in barns to control rodent populations. Often these cats are underfed in the mistaken belief that this will make them better "mousers." This is a false notion, as hungry cats will move away to areas where better food sources exist. Poorly fed cats are also susceptible to diseases. All too often, farmers do not sterilize the animals causing further overpopulation problems. ACA suggests relocating cats to farms, if they need to be removed from unsafe urban areas. The program permits sterilized, vaccinated cats to be relocated under strict supervision and guidelines, and encourages an educational program on how to properly care for cats (see ACA fact sheet, Relocating Feral Cats).

Holiday resorts, hotels, parks and camp grounds: Many cats are found here for the same reasons mentioned above. During the summer months, vacationers often feed the cats. During winter they are left to fend for themselves. Left in freezing conditions, they suffer from malnutrition, starvation and illnesses which are often fatal. The fittest survive to breed. In parks it is difficult to remove all the cats because of constant food sources and close proximity to residential areas. Therefore, it is advisable to stabilize and reduce the colonies through sterilization programs. Feeding and caring for the cats will create less of a problem with wildlife predation.

Colony Management: Attempts to eradicate whole colonies of cats usually fail because the ecological vacuum created is soon filled by other strays. Unmanaged colonies are often regarded as a nuisance because of territorial behavior such as spraying, fighting, and caterwauling during mating periods. Stabilizing the colony by neutering results in healthier animals and much of their undesirable behavior is eliminated.

Health Hazards to Humans: A managed program includes a three-year rabies vaccination for cats. This helps alleviate the current rabies epidemic, as the vaccinated cats form a buffer zone between wildlife and humans. ACA has initiated a campaign to help promote licensing the oral wildlife rabies vaccine to help control rabies in raccoons. Cats are not natural vectors of the rabies virus and rabies control in wildlife populations is essential. Individuals involved with trapping or working in any capacity with feral cats or other wild animals should have pre-exposure rabies vaccinations. Although certain diseases can be transmitted between animals and humans, instances of diseases being contracted by persons working with feral cat colonies are rare. ACA has collected research from other countries and the U.S. spanning two decades, and there is little evidence of such occurrences. One problem often cited is toxoplasmosis, the most common source of which is raw or undercooked meat. Although cooking usually destroys this protozoan parasite called toxoplasma gondii, when raw meat is placed on cutting boards and kitchen counters the organism can survive and contaminate other foods. Public health officials often cite stray cats as "health hazards" and this can cause panic among the general public and result in eradication programs. The public and animal welfare organizations need a better perspective of what constitutes a "health hazard." Many myths exist regarding feral colonies and misinformation is often spread through ignorance or fear. In reality, many more people get sick each year from food-borne illnesses such as salmonella and camphylobacter, transmitted by contaminated beef and chicken products, than ever fall ill from contact with feral cats. Over 5 million people in the U.S. alone get sick from consuming contaminated meat products and more than 9,000 die from these illnesses annually (see "Danger Lurks in Your Supermarket Meat Cases" JAVMA, February 15, 1988).
More panic seems to be created by an occasional rabies case in animals or by otherwise well-meaning animal welfare advocates, stating that alley cats are a health threat to humans. Statistics confirm that such panic is unfounded. Three humans died from rabies in 1992; none of the infections were caused by cats. Two real health concerns for humans with regard to ferals are fleas and ringworm, both of which can be controlled. Fleas can be controlled by regularly cleaning and spraying the colony's sleeping quarters during the summer. Ringworm among feral cat caretakers is only transmissible by handling an infected cat. Ringworm can be detected in cats during hospital exams, and any person infected can be easily treated. Practicing common sense and good hygiene when dealing with managed cat colonies, such as cleaning up feeding areas and sleeping quarters and providing clean litter boxes, virtually eliminates disease transmission from colonies to humans.

Attacks by Feral Cats: Lost or abandoned domestic female cats teach their offspring to be "feral." These latent instincts, acquired from their African Wildcat ancestors, help cats survive in nature. Feral cats are elusive, often nocturnal, and usually fearful of humans. Like most wild animals, they will not attack if unprovoked, but will defend themselves if threatened or cornered. Their strongest instinct is to run. If they feel trapped and escape is blocked they will bite or scratch. Never try to catch a feral by hand. Always use a humane trap. Even little kittens can inflict painful bites and scratches. Caretakers who have been feeding alley cats for years can sometimes pet them, but still may not be able to catch them by hand.

Predation and Wildlife: The topic of wildlife predation by cats is usually a very emotional issue between cat lovers and bird lovers. The books listed in the bibliography will help you become more informed about the issue. As illustrated by this material, many studies have been done worldwide on continents and islands since the early 1940s'. However, much of this information is either ignored or unavailable to researchers in the U.S. More often quoted are two studies in which the numbers have been extrapolated across a state or a country. The results of such extrapolation are deceptive and add up to the impression of tremendous numbers of birds and small mammals killed by cats each year. Cats are carnivores, equipped with highly developed senses, sharp teeth and claws. Wild cats are the supreme predators among terrestrial mammals and although they have a reputation for wanton slaughter, only well fed domestic cats can possibly be accused of this, as they often do not eat their prey. They hunt, in essence, because they are compelled to do so by nature. Even in such cases, scientific evidence shows cats mostly catch small mammals, such as rodents, and insects. Feral cats who rely solely on hunting for food, as with all other wild cats, spend much of their time seeking food and stalking it. They often have to wait for hours for potential prey to come by and often are unsuccessful at making a kill. Many zoologists have observed that feral cats are mostly scavengers, hanging out next to dumpsters to wait for a hand out. Peter Neville, a pet behaviorist and author of many books on cats, worked in England for two decades with feral colonies. Neville states, "a deliberate strategy of scavenging has enabled many feral cats almost to give up hunting altogether. They may learn instead to lie around waste bins of hotels for fresh supplies or to cadge from well-meaning human providers in urban areas." This "begging" and opportunistic behavior started with the domestication of the cat approximately 4,000 years ago. Cats congregated around grain storage barrels, attracted by the rodents who fed off the spilled grain. Cats are opportunistic feeders and hunters, living off the easiest source of available food and will scavenge from human refuse and carrion.

Island Cats: The much publicized studies of the effects of feral cats on island bird populations have added to the misinformation about their effects on continental wildlife and therefore made them very unpopular animals. Cats were transported to islands around the world to control rodents, and they also prey on ground nesting birds. There are usually no mammalian predators on islands for birds to adjust to, so they have little defense mechanism against the imported cats, mongooses or rats. Even on islands, cats often eat dead birds and other carrion as well as the introduced rodents.
Feral cats in both urban and island environments often are hungry, which contradicts their image as wanton killers. In her book Maverick Cats, Ellen Perry Berkeley reports that on San Nichols Island, 22.5 percent of ferals showed mottled livers, a sign of inadequate diet. Ferals sometimes fall prey to avian predators in island environments. The Galapagos Hawk, for example, preys on feral kittens.

Cats as Rodent Specialists: Ethologist Paul Leyhausen considers the domestic cat generally as a rodent specialist, because its preferred sit-and-wait strategy is much better suited to catching mice and young rabbits. Cats will wait for hours outside burrows for these animals to come out. Even though birds can fly in any direction and are more difficult to catch, some cats seem to become bird specialists and learn to raid nests and burrows for ground nesting birds. A wildlife biologist recently said that researchers were "obsessively preoccupied with predation by cats and often overlooked other causes of wildlife depletion." An investigative journalist found many U.S. researchers using the Stanley Temple study in Wisconsin and the Churcher study in Britain, were unaware of the international studies conducted during the past forty years, all clearly reflecting the predominance of feline predation on mammals over birds. The Temple study was done in a rural area and the figures were extrapolated across the state. The Churcher study of 70 cats in a rural area brought about an outcry that cats were killing 100 million birds and small mammals in Britain each year. Roger Tabor, British naturalist and biologist, says of the study: "It is not realistic to multiply the numbers of catches of these (70) rural cats by the entire cat population of Britain. Most cats are town cats with small ranges, and catch fewer items of prey than the village cats of this survey. The mesmeric effect of big numbers seems to have stultified reason." Tabor goes on to say the survey found the house cat is a "significant predator" and not that it was devastating Britain's bird population. Although a quarter of the town's house sparrows were consumed by cats each year, after each breeding season the sparrow population doubled. In winter many people feed garden birds, while nest boxes and domestic buildings provide additional nesting sites and in this way bird populations are kept well above "natural" levels. The stomach contents of cats confirm that they are specialized predators of small mammals. Berkeley details six studies from 1936 to 1957 in various states in the U.S. In these studies the stomach content of feral cats was analyzed. The results confirmed mammals make up the largest percentage of food in those cats relying solely on hunting. Results from two studies follow: 1940, Oregon: Mammals 61.8%, Birds 18.9%, Carrion 10.7% Garbage 8.3%. 1941, Oklahoma: Mammals 55%, Garbage 26.5%, Insects 12.5%, Birds 4% and Reptiles 2%.

A New Zealand study showed mammals account for 93% of consumed food and birds 4.5%. In Australia, biologists Brian Coman and Hans Brunner concluded after studying feral cats that mammals made up 88% of the diet and birds 5.2%. They reported: "The common belief that feral cats are serious predators of birds is apparently without basis. Although birds were common in all sampling areas, they were a relatively minor item in the diet. Presumably, other factors such as difficulty of capture are responsible for the low intake of birds."
A study in Pennsylvania in 1954 found the food of urban feral cats consisted of 85% garbage and 15% rodents and birds. The following is a good summary of the conclusions reached by many biologists after studying cats, predation and wildlife on four continents:
Europe (13 studies), North America (12 studies), Australia (9 studies) and Africa (1 study). The diet of cats has also been studied on 22 islands from the equator to latitude 57 (see Bibliography). C. J. Mead, 1982: "[T]he birds in suburban and rural parts of Britain have coexisted with cats for hundreds of generations, and they may now be under less pressure from cats than they were in the past from the assorted natural predators. Any bird populations on the continents that could not withstand these levels of predation from cats and other predators would have disappeared long ago. But populations of birds on oceanic islands have evolved in circumstances in which predation from mammalian predators was negligible and they, and any other island vertebrates, are therefore particularly vulnerable to predation when cats have been introduced."
B. M. Fitzgerald summarizes his findings of the feral cat diets by stating: "On all continents birds are usually much less important than mammals; birds were present on average at 21% frequency of occurrence, and mammals at 68%." These biologists agree with Tabor, "In terms of the cats as threats to wildlife, generally for countries like Britain and America where other species have co-existed with the cat family predators for a long time, cats are no more harmful than other predators. Only in cases of small islands and the unique circumstances of Australia has the effect of cats, both feral and domestic, been very harmful. In biological systems it is insufficient merely to have found one animal will eat another, that, after all, is what predators do-but is that predation pressure within normal limits? Is the prime predator the cat?" Tabor concludes by suggesting, "disturbances by man" should be considered.

Double Standards: At this time in history when the human population causes so much destruction to the earth, we need to remind ourselves of our species' responsibility and consider our "double standards." We often excuse or ignore the devastation done to the environment by humans and the results of this destruction on our wildlife. Urban sprawl, shopping malls, road building, golf courses, etc. all play a part in reducing habitat and food sources and all have negative effects on wildlife. We poison our air with exhaust fumes from over 120 million automobiles and spray 4 billion pounds of pesticides into the atmosphere annually. The WorldWatch Institute cites deforestation due to razing of forests for croplands, pastures and real estate as one of the major factors contributing to the loss of all birds, including songbirds.
There are 14,136 golf courses nationwide, each of which uses 150 acres of land. Each acre is treated with 18 pounds of pesticides annually. Pesticide use causes enormous losses in bird populations. In the U.S., 220 million acres have been deforested for livestock production, yet environmentalists are eager to eradicate all alien and introduced species except cattle. Rather than blaming cats for so many of our problems, perhaps we should look toward modifying our lifestyles and animal-based agriculture, so destructive to natural ecosystems, and move toward methods which are less damaging to our environment.

Why American Songbirds Have Vanished: Although songbird populations are declining, other birds such as blackbirds and greenfinches, blue jays and brown-headed cowbirds (both nestling-eating predators) are exploding. Year-round U.S. bird residents are stable or increasing in numbers, indicating the need for serious consideration and urgent attention to reasons why songbirds are in decline. Blaming cats for songbird decline is a facile and simplistic solution to a complex problem.
Professor John Terborgh of Duke University reports in the May 1992 issue of Scientific American that little can be done about restoring songbirds in rural and suburban areas and conservation efforts should be directed towards consolidating and expanding large tracts of forest, such as the Smokies and Adirondacks, to maximize habitat for nesting birds. Another suggestion is for farmers to practice fallowing their fields every two to three years. He also mentions the damage done by clear-cutting national forests and overgrazing federal lands. More than 250 species of song birds migrate south of U.S. borders. Tropical deforestation is occurring at the rate of 142,000 to 200,000 square kilometers each year, an area roughly the size of Florida. At this rate the world's remaining tropical forests will be depleted by 2030 and many species of songbirds will disappear along with them.

Preventing Colonies from Forming: ACA promotes low-cost sterilization programs to control breeding until the crisis of pet overpopulation is ended. We also promote and support breeding ordinances limiting animal breeding, provided these ordinances do not penalize colony caretakers trying to alleviate feral cat suffering. Many blame caregivers for perpetuating the problem by feeding stray and feral cats. While it is true supplemental feeding creates healthier animals and increases the chance of more kittens surviving, feral colonies survive even if only meager food sources such as garbage and rodents are available. This has been proven in deserts and on deserted islands throughout the world where ferals survive without any nearby human habitation.
Instead of blaming the feeders and criminalizing their actions (which is often suggested), we should encourage their acts of compassion by assisting them with the resources and information available to sterilize the animals. In a recent poll, it was estimated that 17.5 million people feed 35.2 million stray and feral cats in the U.S. It seems a natural act for humans to feed an animal to keep it from starving. Those cats turned away from a possible food source will cross busy highways in search of other sustenance. They will suffer from malnutrition and starvation, and most will still survive and manage to add to the overpopulation of feral kittens. Isn't a good life in a managed sterilized colony with a caretaker providing nutritious food much more preferable?
Alley Cat Allies is a national non-profit organization promoting a scientifically proven approach to controlling the estimated 60 million feral cats in the U.S. Endorsements come from many sources worldwide and include: Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, In Defense of Animals, The Doris Day Animal League, The Fund for Animals, World Society for the Protection of Animals, and in the United Kingdom from the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, the Cat Protection League, Cat Action Trust and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Alley Cat Allies believes introduced, alien and exotic species should be treated with respect and compassion and humane and non-lethal controls should be used as population control measures.

Bibliography
Berkeley, Ellen Perry, Maverick Cats, New England Press, 1992
Bradshaw, John, The Behavior of the Domestic Cat, Cambridge University Press, 1988
Brett, Caroline, Wild Cats, Dorset Press, 1992
Seidensticker, Dr. John and Lumpkin, Dr. Susan (eds.), Great Cats, Rodale Press, 1991
Sproule, Anna & Michael, The Complete Book of the Cat, Gallery Books, 1989
Tabor, Roger, Cats. The Rise of the Cat, BBC Books, 1991
Tabor, Roger, The Wild Life of the Domestic Cat, Arrow Books, 1983
Turner, Dennis & Bateson, Patrick (eds.), The Domestic Cat, Cambridge University Press, 1988
Last updated Friday, January 31, 1997 10:29:05 PM
Content Copyright 1994 Alley Cat Allies
HTML Copyright 1995 Feral Cat Coalition

Animalkind, Inc.
P. O. Box 902, Hudson, New York 12534

Feral Cat Information

The ABCs of TNR From Alley Cat Allies

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is a full management plan in which stray and feral cats already living outdoors in cities, towns, and rural areas are humanely trapped, then evaluated, vaccinated, and sterilized by veterinarians. Kittens and tame cats are adopted into good homes. Healthy adult cats too wild to be adopted are returned to their familiar habitat under the lifelong care of volunteers.
Few Most often they come across feral cats by accident and follow their instinct to help. The first impulse is to feed the cats. Alley Cat Allies (ACA) advocates feeding because food and water are necessary for survival. Not feeding the cats and hoping they will “go away” is not realistic. They can’t go away, and they may starve, but they will continue to reproduce.
However you became involved with feral cats, your best course of action is to start feeding and, as soon as possible, begin a Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program to trap, vet, and sterilize all members of the colony. Getting feral cats to a veterinarian for spaying or neutering and a general health evaluation is the single most important thing a caretaker can do for them. This is how a caretaker turns a feral cat colony into a managed colony, whose members can live safe, healthy, sterile lives without the dangers and hardship of constant breeding.

BACKGROUND

TNR evolved from nonlethal control programs practiced for decades in the United Kingdom, Europe, and Africa. In the U.S., TNR is practiced by thousands of individuals and hundreds of groups, with the help of sympathetic veterinarians. TNR is endorsed by numerous institutions and organizations, including the American Veterinary Medical Association, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Cat Fancier’s Association, Cornell and Tufts Universities Schools of Veterinary Medicine, Doris Day Animal League, San Francisco SPCA, and SPAY/USA.
In a growing number of communities, TNR programs are receiving official sanction and funding. The ACA factsheet “Where Does TNR Work?” lists programs in the U.S. and Canada, but it cannot include them all because individuals like you start new TNR programs every day.
The information needed to implement TNR may not be available to you locally, but it is easily found on the internet at www.alleycat.org and www.pets911.com , or obtained by mail from Alley Cat Allies. You can rapidly learn how to manage one or more colonies of feral cats using ACA’s newsletters, factsheets, videos, and website. ACA may be able to refer you to a Feral Friend, a volunteer in your area who can help you get started. With guidance, you can overcome almost any obstacle to implementing a humane management plan.

BEFORE YOU BEGIN

A strong determination to trap and sterilize is often a caretaker’s greatest asset because, although the TNR process is straightforward, it can be intimidating the first time. The idea of “trapping” conjures images of cats being hurt or traumatized, and no longer trusting the caretakers. This does not happen.
Since ACA began in 1990, hundreds of thousands of feral cats have been humanely trapped, vetted, and returned to their familiar surroundings where, after a brief adjustment, they resumed their daily routine and good relationship with their caretakers. But their lives were vastly improved.
Before you prepare to trap and sterilize the colony or colonies you care for, take time to learn exactly what TNR entails.
The most basic steps are in the name:

■ “Trap” means to humanely trap every feral cat in the colony or colonies you care for.
■ “Neuter” means to take the cats in their traps to a veterinarian or veterinary clinic that works with feral cats to be spayed or neutered, evaluated, vaccinated, and treated as needed.
■ “Return” means to care for the cats through recovery from surgery, then take them back to their established homes.

The unnamed fourth step in TNR is to provide the cats with long-term care and feeding; in other words, to continue what you are already doing. There are other factors that you will hear about or encounter while practicing TNR. Familiarizing yourself with these issues now will put you way ahead of most beginning caretakers.

Safety

Feral cats, like all wild animals, will strike out when frightened and unable to run away (as they are in a trap). You must learn correct safety procedures: e.g., always labeling traps, never sticking your hand into a trap. Make sure that everyone else involved learns them as well. People who regularly work with wild animals may get pre-exposure rabies vaccinations. If you follow established safety precautions, you will never get close enough for a feral cat to bite you; therefore you would not need a pre-exposure rabies vaccination. You should, however, be aware that the vaccination is available and decide for yourself if you want it.
Two excellent sources of trapping and safety information are the Alley Cat Allies factsheet “Humane Trapping Instructions for Feral Cats” and the book, Safe and Successful Cat Trapping. See resources, below.

Stress reduction

Learn how tension, loud noises, extremes of heat and cold, and exposure can affect the entire TNR process. Maintaining a calm, comfortable environment for the cats will reduce their stress and speed their recovery from trapping and surgery.
Careful planning and a realistic timetable will enhance the process for trappers, as well. The ACA factsheet “Dos and Don’ts of Stress Reduction (for cats and for trappers)” offers practical pointers to increase your trapping success.

Taming feral cats

You may hear from people who want to tame feral cats and place them in homes. This is not realistic.
There are tens of millions of feral cats in North America. Shelters and animal control facilities kill more cats than any other species each year. Although many kittens and stray adult cats can be socialized and adopted into homes, it is impossible to home the feral cat population as a whole. Attempts to tame adult feral cats divert time and energy from the most important objective: sterilizing the feral cat population to end overpopulation.

Relocation

The great majority of feral cat colonies should be returned after sterilization to their established locations, where you found them. The alternative, relocation, is a difficult, time-consuming, and problematic procedure. It is not necessary or recommended except under extreme circumstances. The Alley Cat Allies factsheet “Relocation: Guidelines for Safe Relocation of Feral Cats” explains why relocation is rarely the direction to take and also explains what is involved in safely relocating feral cats. Do not attempt a relocation without reading this information.

GETTING STARTED

To begin implementing TNR, determine what cats you want to sterilize and line up the resources to do it. The steps are:

1. Count how many cats are in the colony or colonies you plan to TNR. Start now to keep records on the cats. (See resources, below: “Feral Cat Colony Tracking System.”)
2. Locate and learn how to use the equipment needed to humanely trap.
3. Establish a relationship with a veterinarian or a veterinary clinic that will work with feral cats.
4. Ask friends, neighbors, or other cat advocates to help. Determine how you (and others) will care for the cats before and after surgery, and on an ongoing basis.
5. Trap, neuter, and return the cats.

TRAPPING EQUIPMENT

The list of equipment either needed or recommended for trapping is lengthy, but be assured, you already have most it at home: e.g., a pair of thick gloves, antibacterial hand wipes, and several large cans of tuna. The most important equipment, however, you probably don’t have at home: one or more humane box traps. Ideally, you would have one trap for each cat, although this is not always practical.
Traps are available from several sources. There may be a Feral Friend in your area who lends traps and even assists in trapping. Some large TNR programs have established “trap depots,” where you can borrow traps. You may be able to borrow traps from a humane society or animal facility, but if you do this, you could be required to return the trap AND the cat, who will most likely be killed. Always determine a humane society or animal facility’s policy toward feral cats before borrowing their traps. If you cannot borrow traps, you will have to purchase one or more. One benefit of owning your own trap(s) is greater flexibility in planning your trapping schedule. Humane box traps can be used for many years, so you can trap well into the future or lend your equipment to other caretakers who are just starting out. (See resources, below: “How to Choose a Trap.”)

WORKING WITH A VETERINARIAN

It is essential to find a veterinarian or a veterinary clinic that is familiar with or willing to learn how to treat feral cats. This must be done before trapping begins. Start with your own veterinarian by explaining what you want to accomplish for the cats and for the benefit of your community. If your vet does not want to treat feral cats, contact every veterinarian and veterinary clinic in your area. Ask other people who want to help the cats if they know of a cooperative clinic. You can find a list of feral cat organizations in your area at www.pets911.com . On the homepage, click on “Feral or Stray Cats” and enter your ZIP code. A list of feral cat groups in your area will come up. These groups can tell you which veterinarians will work with feral cats. Explain TNR to each veterinarian you contact, emphasizing that sterilization is essential to the process. If a veterinarian is interested but has no experience with feral cats, provide him or her with one or both of ACA’s training videos (see resources, below) and suggest the information about treating feral cats available at www.alleycat.org.
When you find a veterinarian or veterinary clinic willing to treat feral cats, establish a protocol to ensure that everyone involved understands what to expect and that you get all the services the cats need.

■ Most clinics see patients by appointment. With feral cats, appointments cannot always be kept. The clinic must be flexible.
■ Find out how many cats the clinic can accommodate on a single day. This information will guide your trapping activity.
■ Establish a protocol ahead of time for euthanasia of very ill cats, aborting pregnant females, and testing for FIV/FeLV. If a veterinarian insists on procedures you do not want, refer him or her to information on feral cats at www.alleycat.org .
■ Each cat will require a spay or neuter procedure (using anesthesia that can be administered while the cat is in the trap) and eartipping, and such other general or specific treatment as each cat requires: e.g., ear cleaning, vaccinations.
■ Figure out the cost of veterinary care for a male and a female cat, so that you can estimate a budget for the whole colony. Spay surgery is more expensive than neutering. The gender ratio of a typical colony is 60 females to 40 males.
■ Some veterinarians will offer discounts because you are providing a community service. If they do not offer, always ask.
■ If the cost of sterilizing the colony is too great, ask for financial help from neighbors and businesses where the colony resides. They may be happy to contribute because you are taking action from which they will benefit.
■ Arrange a warm, quiet environment in which the cats, in their traps, can recover from surgery. Your only involvement at that point will be to monitor their recovery and prepare to return them. (See resources, below: “Surgery Recovery Instructions.”)

GET HELP FROM OTHERS

Working with other caretakers and sharing equipment, resources, and moral support makes the work go easier and faster. Recruit anyone you know who wants to help the cats—friends, neighbors, or a Feral Friend. Plan to trap as many cats as possible at one time. Feral cats are smart—if you trap repeatedly in the same location, they soon become trap wary. But always keep in mind, the number of cats you can trap at one time is determined by how many cats your veterinary clinic can sterilize in one day. Alley Cat Allies offers several online forums (“listserves”) tailored to caretakers implementing TNR in specific environments, such as parks, military installations, or college campuses. If you join a listserve, you can exchange e-mail with other feral cat caretakers facing similar challenges who often can answer your most complex or unusual questions. (See resources, below, for how to join a listserve.)

IN CONCLUSION

With a well-organized plan, a TNR program can be implemented with ease. If trapping initially feels awkward, be assured that it will soon become a skill you perform readily, perfecting your technique with each experience. By then you will be ready to demonstrate trapping to others. Every time you assist in sterilizing a colony, you will have the satisfaction of knowing you have helped more feral cats live safe, healthy lives without reproducing.

RESOURCES

TNR video clips available to view online
ACA’s training videos can be viewed, free of charge, at www.pets911.com/programs/national/feralcats/index.php .
The available segments include:
“What is a Feral”
“Planning TNR”
“5 Steps to Trapping”
“Spay/Neuter Process”
“Returning the Cats”
“Rewards of TNR”
Videos/DVDs
Trap-Neuter-Return: A Humane Approach to Feral Cat Control. This comprehensive TNR training video is educational and engaging, and contains valuable guidelines for novices and pros alike. $13.00 VHS only.
The Humane Solution: Reducing Feral Cat Populations with Trap-Neuter-Return. A powerful public policy tool that outlines the benefits of TNR and demonstrates why it is by far the best method for controlling feral cat populations. $13.00 VHS only.
Trap-Neuter-Return/The Humane Solution: The Set. Buy both videos as a set and save $6. Indicate VHS or DVD. ACA videos/DVDs are available at www.alleycat.org or by mail from Alley Cat Allies.
On the Road to Ending Feral Cat Overpopulation in Oregon. This Feral Cat Coalition of Oregon video follows a feral cat being trapped, going through each station at the clinic, and being released afterward. Includes clinic process and procedures. $15.00 VHS only. Send a check to: FCCO, PO Box 82734, Portland OR 97282.
Guides and factsheets

“Where Does TNR Work?”
“Humane Trapping Instructions for Feral Cats”
“Feral Cat Colony Tracking System”
“Surgery Recovery Instructions”
“How to Choose a Trap”
“Dos and Don’ts of Stress Reduction (for cats and trappers)”
ACA factsheets are available at www.alleycat.org and www.pets911.com , or by mail from Alley Cat Allies.

Books

Safe and Successful Cat Trapping. This highly recommended book includes basic and advanced trapping techniques and a wide range of practical trapping and safety knowledge, with contributions from experienced feral cat trappers and Alley Cat Allies staff. It also contains items such as the components of a trapping kit, how to choose a trap, and trapping tips for hard to trap cats. Available from Alley Cat Allies, $5.
The Stray Cat Handbook, by Tamara Kreuz. How to care for stray and feral cats. Essential information on fostering, socializing, and finding homes for cats. Available from Alley Cat Allies, $10.

Listserves

Alley Cat Allies maintains listserves to assist feral cat caretakers working in special environments: school campuses, parks, prisons, and military installations. To join a listserve, send an e-mail request to alleycat@alleycat.org .
Contact us at: animalkind@earthlink.net
Animalkind Inc.is a not-for-profit welfare, protection, rescue, rights organization dedicated to the  compassionate care and humane population control of abandoned, feral and stray cats in Hudson, New York (Columbia County) and the surrounding area.  We promote non-lethal  prevention of an unwanted litter or litters of kittens through trap, spay, neuter, release (return), (tnr, TNR).  An altered cat or kitten is released into a managed colony. Felines living in such colonies are assured kind daily care.  Adoption to  homes providing love and care for cats and kittens is encouraged.   We also provide low or no cost spaying and neutering assistance to low income pet owners and help increase public awareness and education through the media, special events, and publications to promote compassion, respect, and kindness towards all animals.