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Trap-neuter-Vaccinate-Return
*Community cats, also known as feral working, stray, or alley cats, are generally not socialised or friendly and able to live indoors with people. They live full, healthy lives with their feline families (called colonies) in their outdoor homes. Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the only humane and effective approach to community cats, and it helps them and the communities where they live. TNR stops cats' breeding cycle and improves their lives while preventing reproduction.
For thousands of years, cats have lived outdoors alongside humans. Just because they don’t live in our homes doesn’t mean they are “homeless.”
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It is a fact that the removal and killing of outdoor cats is cruel, never-ending and futile. Since feral cats are not adoptable, they are killed in pounds and shelters.
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Trap-Neuter-Return provides a life-saving, effective solution for these beautiful, hard working and independent cats.
Have a Heart has been trapping, neutering and returning feral working/community cats for many years. Several well looked after cat groups work for their communities by catching mice and rats and keeping snakes away all over Namibia.
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Click on the heart to watch a video about TNR by www.alleycat.org:
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Research shows majority of community cats are healthy.
Some believe that community cats suffer from diseases, injuries, or human cruelty. However, these claims are not supported by scientific evidence.
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Research points the other way. A study found that of 103,643 stray and feral cats examined in spay/neuter clinics, less than 1 percent of those cats needed to be euthanised.
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Community cats live full, healthy lives outdoors. There is no reason for them to be killed in shelters.
Community cats live healthy lives outdoors. Trap-Neuter-Return helps.
The lean physique of some community cats sometimes leads to claims that the cats are starving or ill, but a 2002 study found that community cats have healthy body weights and fat distribution.
If they may be a little leaner than the cat on your couch, it results from a different lifestyle, not because they’re suffering or sick.
Neutering community cats is an act of compassion and helps improve their well-being.
Removing cats from an area creates a vacuum.
People have been catching and killing cats for decades in a misguided attempt to reduce the number of community cats in a given area.
Catch and kill is counterproductive, as it has no permanent impact on the population of outdoor cats. This endless, cruel cycle is not supported by the public, wastes money, and fails to meet the needs of the cats and the community.
The Vacuum Effect is just one reason catch and kill is so ineffective.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) does work.
Communities are desperate for humane solutions. TNR is the only effective and humane approach to address community cat populations.
It involves humanely trapping, spaying or neutering, vaccinating, and returning community cats to their outdoor homes. Afterwards, there are no more litter of kittens, and the population is stabilised.
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TNR stops the stress associated with pregnancy and mating behaviours, such as yowling or fighting. Not only is TNR an effective, humane approach for outdoor cats, but it improves their lives.
Benefits of an Organizational Trap-Neuter-Return Program
Through Trap-Neuter-Return, cats are humanely trapped, vaccinated, and spayed or neutered. Stray cats (cats socialised to humans) and kittens are adopted into homes, and healthy adult feral cats are returned to their outdoor homes, where their lives are greatly improved without the strains of mating behaviours and pregnancy.
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It is essential to understand that Trap-Neuter-Return involves straightforward steps that result in significant, measurable, and positive outcomes for the cats, the community, and animal welfare organisations:
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Improving the cats’ lives;
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Stabilising colonies/reproduction stops, and litters are not born;
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An immediate reduction of behaviours associated with mating, including spraying, caterwauling, fighting, roaming, and breeding.
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More info about Feral Cats and the PublicA Healthy Relationship can be found on www.alleycat.org or click here:
Community Cat Protocol: Eartipping
Eartipping is an effective and universally accepted method to identify a spayed or neutered and vaccinated community cat. Eartipping is a surgical procedure performed under anaesthesia by a veterinarian that removes the distal one-quarter of a cat’s left ear, which is approximately 3/8 inch, or 1 cm, in an adult and proportionally smaller in a kitten.
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Eartipping is the preferred method to identify spayed or neutered and vaccinated community cats because it is difficult to get close to them. Therefore, the identification must be visible from a distance. Community cats may interact with various caregivers, veterinarians, and animal control personnel during their lives. Immediate visual identification is necessary to prevent an unnecessary second trapping and surgery.
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Eartipping is the only identification method that has proven safe and effective.
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Have you seen an eartipped cat?
Have a Heart has several successful TNR Projects all over Namibia!
We have trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated and returned thousand of feral working/community cats. Volunteers are taking care of many colonies.
Do you know a colony you would like to look after a colony, provide water, food and health checks?
For more info please contact us at haveaheartnamibia@gmail.com
