WRITTEN BY: Lauren Cavagnolo
For anyone who has ever wanted to help a stray cat and lives outside of Tulsa city
limits, it doesn’t take long to realize there are few options for helping these cats in need. While some suburban areas have their own animal shelters, most rural areas have little to no resources for these homeless animals who can rapidly reproduce.
That’s where Outsiders TNR steps in. TNR stands for Trap, Neuter, Return. Sometimes the “R” is confused with release, but it’s an important distinction to make, said Kelly Hines, vice president of the organization.
“Some people think it stands for Trap, Neuter, Release. Those are very different. We are not just trapping these cats, getting them fixed and releasing them to a different spot or somewhere else,” Hines explained. “We are getting them fixed and taking them back to their home where they originated.”
TNR is the most humane way to address the overpopulation problem of feral cats. While
T-Town TNR serves Tulsa City limits, there was an unmet need for those living in rural and suburban communities who needed help getting feral cats fixed.
Hines, along with Amanda Jackson and Coty Vincent, recognized this. They began working on their own, many times with their own funds to support that need. The first big return the group did together was 30 cats, which garnered a lot of attention on Facebook and prompted calls from other areas such as Porter, Catoosa and Coweta.
“That was the triggering point to make a group that will reach out to the county areas and these people in the rural areas that don’t get the help they deserve to have,” Jackson said. “A lot of these people don’t have the money to fix the cats; a lot of them don’t have the money to feed the cats so that was the reason we founded Outsiders TNR.”
As a group, they have decided to stick to a 30-mile radius from the outer limits of Tulsa,
but Jackson, who serves as president of the group, added that they make decisions on a case-by-case basis or will sometimes use their personal time to trap and return individually, apart from the organization.
The group also works with area shelters to help place unsocialized cats as barn cats, further reducing the euthanasia rate of feral cats.
Outsiders TNR officially received its 501(c) (3) status in October but formed and has been working together for more than a year now. They have since added a fourth member, Laura May Chapman, and have returned about 200 cats and placed 75 barn cats as of printing.
“For a 501(c)(3), you have to designate titles, but we really operate as a team,” Hines said. “It’s a good mix of personalities and backgrounds, and we are really trying to focus on ‘We do TNR. We are not a rescue; we do not take in cats.’ There are other groups that do that. There is no other group that does what we do.”
Trapping cats who are oftentimes less than friendly is not a glamorous task.
“It’s not cute and cuddly. You are out there in the middle of nowhere, no cell service, and you are trapping in the heat and the cold and various conditions, trying to catch these cats that aren’t socialized so you can get them fixed,” Hines elaborated. “But it’s not this really easy thing that’s just one and done. You are out there repeatedly trying to close out these colonies.”
Closing out the colony means no cat in the colony is left unfixed.
“You don’t want to leave one female cat out there, you know? That would negate what we did,” Hines explained. “The bigger the project, the harder it is. You are going to need a lot of appointments, a lot of equipment, a lot of manpower.”
The group uses the most humane protocols, meaning traps are never left unattended.
“A lot of people think we just put these traps out overnight and come back in the morning, but we would never do that—that’s very reckless,” Hines continued. “It could lead to wildlife getting injured in the traps. Cats, when they are trapped and the trap isn’t covered, they are still trying to get out and thrashing around in it, and that could cause injuries.”
Once cats are trapped, they are immediately transported to be fixed and vaccinated. Cats are then overnighted to allow for healing and are returned to their homes the next day. If there are other serious health issues, those are addressed at the same time.
“It’s really making these cats lives better,” Hines said. “We are very proud to do that work. It isn’t easy, but it’s going to make a huge difference.”
Cats returned by Outsiders TNR also have their left ear tipped, a straight edge cut across the top of the ear. This is to signify to others that the cat has been fixed, has a feeder and can be left alone. An ear tip is the most universal signal for a TNR’d cat, but some vets will cut a V-shaped notch into the ear.
While the group has assisted colonies that have 30- and 40-plus cats, the ultimate goal is to be able to address colonies before they get to that size.
“Cats out in the country, there aren’t homes for miles, and so it’s usually an older person who decides ‘I’m going to feed this one stray that wandered up,’ and then that one stray turns into 40,” said Jackson, who previously worked as an animal control officer in Sapulpa.
Cats can have kittens as early as 6 months old; therefore, one or two stray cats can quickly become many.
“If one male impregnates three of those kittens, that’s typically how these problems get out of control; somebody with a good heart is feeding one or two cats, and then kittens start happening. It’s just an ongoing thing,” Jackson said.
However, once the cats have been fixed, they can actually be beneficial.
“As long as the cats are fixed, the problem is never going to get out of control,” Jackson said. “It helps keep rodents down, snakes away. It’s very beneficial to keep these cats as long as it is not an overpopulation in one area.”
Hines added that the group is just getting started.
“It’s really exciting to think about all the people we have helped to this point and what we can do with more funding and volunteers,” Hines said. “We know that need is there, and we want to address it.”
