50 signatures reached
To: Lebanon MO City Council
TNR in Lebanon MO
It is imperative that Lebanon City Council encourages TNR, Trap/Neuter/Return of cats in the city limits of Lebanon, MO. TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return and refers to a humane method of trapping, altering, vaccinating and returning feral cats to their natural habitats. It’s the most effective method for reducing the number of feral and stray cats
Why is this important?
Obviously, the biggest benefit of TNR is reducing the feral cat population. Since they can’t reproduce, the size of the colony shrinks over time. TNR also reduces nuisance behavior, such as fighting and spraying. The cats generally are healthier and less likely to spread diseases since they get vaccinated as part of the TNR process. The cats continued presence helps keep rodents under control.
Trap-Neuter-Return is successfully practiced in hundreds of communities and in every landscape and setting. It is exactly what it sounds like: Cats are humanely trapped and taken to a veterinarian to be neutered and vaccinated. After recovery, the cats are returned to their home—their colony—outdoors. Kittens and cats who are friendly and socialized to people may be adopted into homes.
Grounded in science, TNR stops the breeding cycle of cats and therefore improves their lives while preventing reproduction. It is a fact that the removal and killing of outdoor cats that animal control has been pursuing for decades are never-ending and futile. Since feral cats are not adoptable, they are killed in pounds and shelters. With a successful program like Trap-Neuter-Return to turn to, it’s hard to believe that animal control agencies continue to kill cats, even though that approach has shown zero results.
It is time to put an end to catch and kill. Trap-Neuter-Return provides a life-saving, effective solution for these beautiful, independent cats.
Colonies that are involved in TNR diminish in size over time.
During an 11-year study of TNR at the University of Florida, the number of cats on campus declined by 66%, with no new kittens being born after the first four years of operation.
A study of the impact of TNR on feral cat colonies in Rome, Italy, also observed colony size decrease between 16% and 32% over a 10-year period.
Trap-Neuter-Return quickly stabilizes feral cat populations by instantly ending reproduction and by removing socialized cats from the colony.
A TNR program at Texas A&M University neutered 123 cats in its first year and found no new litters of kittens the following year.
Over the course of the same study, 20% of the cats trapped were found to be socialized stray cats and adopted.
I personally worked with Allied Cats of Columbus in Columbus, GA, where I saw the benefits of the reduction of cats being euthanized by animal control and a decrease in the adoptions.