Advocates say trap, neuter, return will prevent cat-astrophic feral cat explosion

May 9, 2016 at 12:05a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Kitten season is upon us. Warm weather means breeding for cats, which means local feral-cat populations will see a spike beginning in late spring.

Feral cats, which are once-domesticated cats that have reverted to a more-wild state after a period of living outdoors, typically live in groups called colonies.

Animal-rights activist Jason Cooke said it’s not unusual to see colonies of anywhere from 50 to 100 feral cats. The cats like to congregate under bridges or abandoned buildings, but they’ll become regulars anywhere where they’re accustomed to finding food.

“The problem is that people keep leaving food out for them,” Cooke said. “It’s an unfortunate cycle. And a lot of these communities aren’t really dealing with the issue.”

While indoor cats live an average of 12 to 15 years, outdoor cats survive for an average of only two to five years. Many animal-advocacy groups contend the most humane way to deal with feral cats is through a method called trap-neuter-return (TNR).

“Basically, we want to make sure they don’t have more kittens, and then the population will go down naturally through attrition,” Cooke said.

Since 2008, TNR of Warren has helped spay and neuter more than 7,000 cats, according to the organization’s website. The organization allows concerned citizens to carry out TNR, which first involves placing a food-laden trap in an area popular with feral cats. The participant should then bring the cat to TNR of Warren or another similar organization while the animal is still inside the trap. Under no circumstances should people attempt to touch or directly handle feral cats, the organization warns.

TNR of Warren allows individuals to borrow the traps at no cost, though it does require a $25 security deposit to be refunded when the trap is returned.

After it is trapped, the cat is neutered if it is male, or spayed if it is female. Typically, it also receives a rabies shot and then is released back into its original habitat.

Angels for Animals of Canfield performs spaying and neutering services for individual citizens as well as for organizations including TNR of Warren. Angels for Animals charges $35 to neuter a male cat and $50 to spay a female. Discounted package prices also are available for farm owners and those seeking to fix a mother cat and her kittens.

While a cat is sedated for spaying or neutering, Angels for Animals will remove the tip of one of its ear – a virtually painless procedure that marks the cat as fixed for when it is re-released into the wild.

Diane Less, co-founder of Angels for Animals, is a proponent of the TNR method, though she said she feels people need to address the broader issue of adopting cats and then abandoning them.

“This wouldn’t be a problem if maybe someday we humans could put our cart before our horse,” Less said.

For more information about feral cats, visit alleycats.org.