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Counseling the Council

August 01, 2008, 8:16PM MT

By michael rinker

Pro-TNR groups ask local officials to consider a three-year pilot program to deal with feral cats in St George, a fast-growing city in southwestern Utah.

Pro-TNR groups ask local officials to consider a three-year pilot program to deal with feral cats in St George, a fast-growing city in southwestern Utah.

Written by Michael Rinker, Best Friends staff

The only thing missing was popcorn.

Representatives from a coalition of animal welfare groups in favor of trap-neuter-release programs brought their production of “The TNR Chronicles” to the St. George, Utah city council meeting July 31.

It featured a cast of thousands – the feral cats of southwestern Utah – and was written, directed and produced by Holly Sizemore of No More Homeless Pets in Utah, Shelly Kotter of Best Friends Animal Society, and Kris Neal of The Feral Fix.

There was even a “coming attractions” preview. St. George Mayor Daniel McArthur kicked off the meeting by screening a trailer for “The Flyboys,” a soon-to-be-released movie filmed in the St. George area.

The women, of course, weren’t there for a movie premier (although a video of their presentation would be a good educational tool), but to propose a partnership with the city to implement a TNR (trap, neuter, and return) program that would reduce the number of feral cats in the community and the local shelter.

The presentation is the first step toward designing and implementing a pilot program for St. George. Holly, who collaborates with local governments for NMHPU, suggested a three-year pilot at $10,000 per year.

Once the council got down to business, Kris, whose organization has been in St. George for eight years, spoke first. She admitted to being one of those “cat ladies,” which drew chuckles from the city leaders, who were well aware of her work.

In a very recent success story, a local trailer park was being cleared out. And, of course, it was home to a bevy of feral cats. Her group was able to trap and relocate 50 cats in about a week.

Kris reviewed the basics for the council: What are feral cats? How fast do they populate? What are the solutions?

Regarding the latter, she said there are three ways to handle feral cats. The first two – do nothing and trap/euthanize – do not work. The third is TNR, which she called “the only proven method to reduce the population.”

Kris also told council members about caregivers, saying they monitor colonies, provide food/water and trap/fix any newcomers to the colony. She said that in St. George most caregivers are men.

“It’s amazing the love these men – and women – have for feral cats,” she said. “The cats won’t come within 10 feet of people but they all have names and personalities.”

While listing the advantages of TNR, she emphasized that it saves taxpayer money because the city shelter doesn’t have to pay to house and euthanize the cats, or to dispose of the bodies and sanitize the holding areas.

Following Kris, Shelly talked about leading the successful Best Friends’ TNR project with town officials and residents in Randolph, Iowa. (You can read about it here.)

She also told the council that TNR has been successful in southern Utah, where Best Friends has actively supported the concept. The save rate is going up – to near 60 percent – while intake is down. “Many more cats don’t even have to see the inside of a shelter,” Shelly said.

Finally, Holly spoke of the success NMHPU has had partnering with other municipalities in Utah, including West Valley City, which pays $20,000 a year but sees annual savings of $55,000.

It’s a model that’s been used across the country. Shelter workers emphasize to residents the TNR option, while NMHPU does the trapping and spay/neuter.

Holly told council members that she, Kris and Shelly would work with the city to find a design that works for St. George.

Shelly said afterward that she felt the presentation went well.

“They seemed to really be interested in the program. The next step at this point is to keep doing what we are already doing keeping the city council in the loop.

“The next budget meeting we will be there with cat bells on.”

How to Help from Your Home

Join the Feral Cat Campaign on the Best Friends Network. Get breaking news and find out ways you can get involved.

For more information on how you can get involved in TNR check out the Feral Cat Resources.

Photo of Holly Sizemore by Shannon Riddle, Best Friends staff

Comments

Posted August 08, 2008, 11:4AM by Joy

Please see my comment here.

Posted September 01, 2008, 12:44PM by Joy

I have removed more comments. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, even if it does not coincide with Best Friends'. Everyone's opinion will be respected and not referred to as "garbage."

If I have to remove further comments, the poster's membership will be terminated.

Posted August 02, 2008, 6:4PM by TNRdoesNotWork

Impact on native wildlife, public health risks, cats living and dying outside - TNR - never proven to effectively reduce the number of cats or to elminate colonies.

http://www.tnrrealitycheck.com/

Posted August 03, 2008, 10:39AM by shannonr

Saying that TNR does not work is like saying "The sky isn't blue, it's green."

Posted August 03, 2008, 7:46PM by TNRdoesNotWork

It IS green :) And orange and lavendar and pink. You have never seen a sunset? :)

Posted August 04, 2008, 6:13PM by QMD333

I want to thank Best Friends, No More Homeless Pets Utah, and The Feral Fix for all coming together to detail the facts about TNR to the council.

TNR clearly is the only option, for those of us who want to effectively control the feral population AND remain no-kill at the same time.

TNR works. The statistics dont lie.

Take this excerpt from TNR experts such as Neighborhood Cats:

"Trap/neuter/return, commonly referred to as "TNR," is the only method proven to be humane and effective at controlling feral cat population growth. Using this technique, all the feral cats in a colony are trapped, neutered and then returned to their territory where caretakers provide them with regular food and shelter. Young kittens who can still be socialized, as well as friendly adults, are placed in foster care and eventually adopted out to good homes.

TNR has many advantages. It immediately stabilizes the size of the colony by eliminating new litters. The nuisance behavior often associated with feral cats is dramatically reduced, including the yowling and fighting that come with mating activity and the odor of unneutered males spraying to mark their territory. The returned colony also guards its territory, preventing unneutered cats from moving in and beginning the cycle of overpopulation and problem behavior anew. Particularly in urban areas, the cats continue to provide natural rodent control.

Another significant advantage to TNR is that, when practiced on a large scale, it lessens the number of kittens and cats flowing into local shelters. This results in lower euthanasia rates and the increased adoption of cats already in the shelters. For example, in San Francisco, after TNR had been widely implemented for six years, euthanasia rates for all cats, feral and domestic, declined by 71 percent. San Diego, after several years of TNR, also experienced substantially lower euthanasia rates.
TNR is not just the best alternative to controlling feral cat populations - it is the only one that works. Doing nothing has resulted in the current crisis where, in New York City alone, feral cats number at least in the tens, and possibly the hundreds, of thousands. Trying to "rescue" the cats and find them all homes is utopian and unattainable given their numbers and the futility of trying to socialize most of them. Trap and kill, the traditional technique exercised by animal control, is simply ineffective. If all the cats are not caught, then the ones left behind over breed until the former population level is reached. Even if all the cats are removed, new unneutered cats tend to move in to take advantage of whatever food source there was, and the cycle starts again. This explains why more and more animal control agencies are willing to try TNR.

Finally, TNR is an idea whose time has come. It recognizes there is a new balance in our urban and rural landscape, one that includes feral cats. It seeks to manage this new population with enlightened techniques that allow the cats to live out their lives and fulfill their natures, while minimizing any possible negative impact. TNR is a movement that will continue to grow as more and more caring people see its potential and, in time, it will become the predominant method of feral cat population control. "

The preceding information came from the experts themselves.

To learn more about the true facts regarding TNR please go to:
www.alleycat.org, www.neighborhoodcats.org,
or search "TNR" on the Best Friends website.

TNR is the only solution to this HUMAN CREATED problem. We created the "problem" of the massive number of feral cats, the least we can do is "fix" the problem, figuratively and literally, without killing the precious souls who live in feral colonies.

TNR is the effective way. TNR is the humane way. No other method meets the E