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Project DescriptionA coalition of volunteer individuals, local veterinarians, city government and local business owners announces a program aimed at controlling and reducing the feral cat population in Ontario. The group plans to initiate a Trap-neuter-return (TNR), program. Several feral cat colonies have been identified in Ontario. The project is based on successful programs in other cities, including Baker City. The coalition was organized because of the growing problem with feral cats in Ontario. The project is staffed by volunteer individuals in the community and from local businesses. Feral cats are defined as cats that are born or raised in the wild or who have been lost or abandoned and reverted to wild behavior. In seven years, a pair of cats and their offspring can yield 420,000 cats.1 In addition to being a nuisance in the community, feral cats can carry and spread disease. They cost the community in terms of property damage and animal control efforts. Further, the cats usually have short lives of fear and starvation. Trap-neuter-return, commonly known as TNR, is the only method proven to be effective at controlling feral cat population growth2. TNR involves trapping all or most of the cats in a colony, getting them neutered, and then releasing them. The returned cats, who are ear tipped to identify them as neutered, are provided regular food and shelter and are monitored by their caretaker for newcomers. Whenever possible, kittens young enough to be readily socialized and friendly adults are removed and placed for adoption. TNR immediately stabilizes the size of the colony if at least 70 percent of the fertile adults are neutered. Neutering closer to 100 percent will result in a gradual decline of the population over time. In addition, the nuisance behavior often associated with feral cats is dramatically reduced. This includes the yowling and noise that comes with fighting and mating activity and the odor of unneutered males spraying to mark their territory. The cats tend to roam less and so become less of a visible presence. They continue to provide natural rodent control, a particularly valuable benefit in many areas of Ontario.
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We are working on our 2010 fundraising goal of $5,000!Check out our upcoming events!
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Key Milestones
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