WRITTEN BY: Dr. Scott Loss and Pamela Gotcher
A recent story in TulsaPets promoted a practice known as “TNR” (trap-neuter-return) where “caretakers” leave food outdoors for unowned cats, then trap, neuter and return them.
Although these caretakers are well-intentioned, there is another important side to this story that needs to be told. Evidence-based scientific studies have shown this approach is not effective at reducing populations of unowned cats, and it results in serious negative consequences for animal welfare as well as risks to human health.
Claims that TNR is a humane way to address the overpopulation of unowned cats are disputed by many credible veterinarians and animal and wildlife welfare experts. The Tulsa World recently published an article, “Animal Doctor: Stop cruel trap-neuter-release,” by Dr. Michael Fox, a longtime vet whose primary emphasis is on compassionate animal welfare, and he explained this inhumane approach.
Unowned cats left to fend for themselves can be fed and vaccinated one time for rabies, but that doesn’t protect them from disease (including rabies), trauma, internal parasites, fleas, ticks and predators. All of these factors lead to suffering and death for cats. Cats shed parasites, such as Toxoplasma gondii, and roundworms that can both infect humans, sometimes with severe outcomes.
Outdoor feeding promotes the artificial concentration of wildlife, such as skunks, raccoons, rats and opossums, to share food with the unowned cats and in doing so share their feces, saliva and possibly blood—a situation that can lead to the transmission of diseases among animals and eventually humans.
Cat colonies are nearly impossible to close out and end up existing perpetually as feeding draws in more cats, and knowledge of the colony leads to thoughtless abandonment of cats unwanted by their owners. Population demographic modeling studies suggest that 71 to 94% (at a minimum) of cats need to be sterilized to reduce populations, a percentage that cannot be achieved in large areas, such as cities the size of Tulsa and surrounding communities.
Due to prolific reproduction, just one unsterilized cat can result in hundreds upon hundreds of kittens. The well-meaning efforts of TNR proponents end up perpetuating a failed approach that compounds the overpopulation of unowned cats. We need to be realistic about the fact that TNR is only a finger in the dike. It unfortunately gives the false impression that it helps resolve the problem of overpopulation and that these animals have good, quality lives while not addressing TNR-caused problems.
Some argue cats control snakes and rodents. Scientific study shows that cats do not control rats but do exact a devastating toll on our other local native wildlife. Studies show that outdoor cats primarily kill small birds, amphibians and young rabbits. Research studies show that outdoor cats kill well over 1 billion native birds a year in the United States alone and are a major factor in the cause of bird extinctions worldwide.
Touting a non-native predator as a control factor for wildlife is irresponsible. How do TNR advocates reconcile their argument that these non-native predators take precedence over wildlife to the neighbor across the street who has planted their property to benefit and attract native birds and other wildlife?
It’s time to reconsider an approach that isn’t working and causes harm.
An approach that results in cats left without treatment when they are seriously ill, have painful diseases or other health issues common to cats, is not in the best welfare interest of the cats.
An approach that leaves cats to roam and risk death by vehicle trauma, predation and poisoning where they suffer terribly and die violently, is not in their best interest.
An approach that is proven to result in greater animal abandonment is not a solution to the problem of unowned cats.
An approach that disregards the lives of native birds and small wildlife is not a solution to the unowned cat problem.
An approach that disregards human health risks of cats that carry disease defecating and urinating in children’s sandboxes, play areas and flower beds is not a solution to the unowned cat problem.
An approach that invites discord among neighbors who actively plant their properties to benefit and attract native birds and other wildlife is not a solution to the unowned cat problem.
An approach that results in attracting skunks, raccoons, rats and opossums to feeding areas to swap diseases amongst themselves and unowned cat colonies is not a solution.
There are better approaches to unowned cat management that do not have such a wide range of negative consequences and that actually are effective in reducing populations. This starts with a widespread education campaign to help the public understand responsible pet management, being honest about the harsh realities of TNR and supporting preferable truly humane alternative solutions.
These include increased adoption efforts and promotion of enclosed cat sanctuaries, “catios” and other enclosures where cats are safe and can be monitored for disease or illness. These approaches keep native birds and wildlife safe from the natural predatory instincts of feral cats, and, importantly, do not put human health at risk. Lastly, existing spay/neuter and pet-roaming ordinances need to be enforced, with real consequences in the nature of fines for citizens who violate these ordinances.
