Although ARFNets no longer has a Feral Cat Program, we are providing the following information as a service:
What Is a Feral Cat
A feral cat is one that lives in the wild and has had little or no contact with humans.
Feral cats are usually the offspring of unaltered cats abandoned by their owners or they are adult cats that were abandoned by their owners so long ago that they have reverted to a wild state.
Feral cats are often found in commercial areas.
They exist on scraps they find in dumpsters or on the ground.
They may also be near the homes or apartments where their previous owners abandoned them.
What is TNR
Trap, Neuter(or spay), and Release (TNR).
Feral cats are humanely trapped in a
Havahart feral cat trap.
The cats are then transported to a spay/neuter clinic (such as PPAW in Greenback, TN 865-856-7729) where they are spayed/neutered, given RABIES shots, and vaccinated.
They recover at the clinic overnight.
The following day they are transported back to their colonies and released.
One pair of unaltered feral cats can produce about 420,000 offspring over a seven year period.
TNR can potentially prevent hundreds of thousands of unwanted litters of kittens.
(see
TNR In Action
in San Diego)
The objective of this BCFF TNR effort is to reduce and control stray/feral cat overpopulation.
TNR is used because these cats are wild and will not interact with people.
They prefer to live with other feral cats in colonies rather than with humans as would normal, domestic cats.
A feeding station/shelter is usually found near a maintained feral cat colony.
Why is TNR Important
As mentioned above, two unaltered feral cats can produce about 420,000 kittens in seven years.
Unless caring people provide TNR for these cats, a staggering number of them will end up in local shelters.
There they will be euthanized because, as wild feral cats, they will be unsuitable for adoption.
TNR prevents these kittens from being born, incarcerated, and euthanized.
Why Release and not just Remove
Removing feral cats from their colony seems logical but, in the long run, does not work.
It may temporarily reduce the number of cats but other stray cats soon move into the colony.
Feral cats will settle down where there is food, water, shelter and safety.
Stray cats will migrate toward these areas.
The colony will maintain itself at a sustainable size.
Outsiders will not be allowed to join the colony once it reaches this sustainable size.
Removing cats from the colony allows new strays to move in to again reach the sustainable size.
TNR maintains the sustainable size without new litters being created along the way.
TNR works.
It's that simple.
Please visit our friends:
Alley Cat Allies
Feral Feline Friends of East TN
)
)
)
)
)
)
)