Have you heard the term “Community Cat”? Maybe you have heard of “feral cat colonies” or “free-roaming cats”? These are cats that are not owned by any humans but live in groups, often being cared for by someone who lives nearby. Pretty much every community has them and we are no exception here in Teller County. Without human help and intervention, a group like this can quickly get out of control and become unhealthy and a nuisance to neighbors. (A female cat can breed 3 times a year, with an average litter of 4 kittens. In 7 years, without intervention, 1 cat and its offspring can produce 420,000 cats!)
A Community Cat is not considered “wildlife”, so they are not subject to laws governing wild animals. They are not anyone’s “property” either. (Legally, a pet is considered property.) In Woodland Park and Teller County, there are no laws or ordinances about cats being “at large” – unlike dogs, cats are allowed to roam outside and off the owner’s property, they are not required to be on a leash or in a fenced yard. Often a group of community cats will have pet cats nearby and/or interacting with them – it can be hard to tell at a glance if an individual cat is part of the group or someone’s pet. It is not appropriate to take these cats to the local shelter and it is not ok to “get rid” of them by other, inhumane means. So what can we do to deal with the issue of Community Cats? It is important to remember that these cats are in this situation through no fault of their own. They are just trying to survive and they need our help. That’s why we have the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) program. What is the TNR process? We humanely trap the cats that are a part of the colony and take them to a local veterinarian who will spay or neuter them and give them vaccinations to help prevent the spread of disease. Their left ear tip is removed to show that they have been neutered and they are returned to their colony to live out their lives. Over time, this will decrease the size of the colony and in the meantime, help keep the cats from spreading disease and creating more unwanted litters of kittens. |
What can you do to help? Become a Community Cat Champion!
1. DONATE to our TNR program. It costs about $75 per cat for the spay surgery and vaccinations. Anything and everything helps!
2. TRAP the cats. If you are the CAREGIVER for one of these colonies (they live near you and you help provide food, water and care when needed), please reach out to us so we can help you with resources to begin the TNR process.
3. VOLUNTEER to help. Not a Caregiver yourself but able to help with the physical process of trapping the cats and transporting them to and from the veterinarian? Let us know you are interested in helping, we are in the process of putting together a special group of volunteers to help with this issue. Email us at Volunteer@tcras.org
Thank you so much for helping us with a HUMANE solution to a community problem! Together, we can make a big difference!! To become a part of the SOLUTION, call us at 719-686-7707 or send us an email at Office@tcras.org.
1. DONATE to our TNR program. It costs about $75 per cat for the spay surgery and vaccinations. Anything and everything helps!
2. TRAP the cats. If you are the CAREGIVER for one of these colonies (they live near you and you help provide food, water and care when needed), please reach out to us so we can help you with resources to begin the TNR process.
3. VOLUNTEER to help. Not a Caregiver yourself but able to help with the physical process of trapping the cats and transporting them to and from the veterinarian? Let us know you are interested in helping, we are in the process of putting together a special group of volunteers to help with this issue. Email us at Volunteer@tcras.org
Thank you so much for helping us with a HUMANE solution to a community problem! Together, we can make a big difference!! To become a part of the SOLUTION, call us at 719-686-7707 or send us an email at Office@tcras.org.
Benefits of being part of the TNR program:
By spaying and neutering cats this will stop cats from yowling, fighting, spraying and having unwanted litters. TNR avoids the vacuum effect of the typical catch and remove approach. Once the cats are removed from a territory, new cats may move in and take over the space. For further information about TNR programs and care of community cats, please visit. www.alleycat.org |