STUDY SHOWS T-N-R WORKS! Over the past three plus years, during conversations, legislative hearings, ASBVME meetings, Facebook postings, etc., the subject of the need for a humane stabilization and reduction of the feral cat population in Alabama has come up repeatedly. Low-cost, non-profit spay/neuter clinics have been a huge, positive factor in making low-cost spay and neuter veterinary services available to those organizations and persons that have implemented T-N-R (trap, neuter and return) programs in an effort to prevent feral cat colonies from increasing in numbers. Some legislators (and, apparently, some veterinarians) seem to have never heard of this concept and appear unable to understand why anyone would care about feral cats. Some people think they should just be rounded up (not so easy to do) and euthanized. At the August meeting of the Alabama State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners, Board President Dr. Robert Pitman even asked a representative from the Mobile County Commission if big storms (like hurricanes) that occur on the coast were effective at reducing the feral cat population along the coast. Obviously, there appears to be substantial opportunities for educating people (even legislators and members of the ASBVME) about feral cats and trap, neuter and release programs that are so dependent on the continued availability of low-cost spay and neuter services for felines. Alabama Public Radio featured a discussion regarding the results of a two-year study whose results showed that the practice of Trap-Neuter-Return, or T-N-R, may offer a real solution to the problem of feral cats. Heres a link: apr.org/post/targeted-t-n-r-work
Posted on: Mon, 29 Sep 2014 20:07:37 +0000