TNR good for cats and communities

Should Butler County create a trap-neuter-return (TNR) program? I believe so.

I’m a sucker for stray animals. My family knows this. My friends know. Most importantly, the animals know, and I interact with plenty of stray cats and dogs — especially the cats, and I’ve seen many of them since moving to Poplar Bluff. What surprised me is the lack of resources for them.

This is not to criticize the hardworking staff at the Poplar Bluff Animal Control shelter or the Animal Welfare Association — they’re awesome, and the AWA is finishing a new facility. But even if these entities had the space to take in every cat in Butler County, feral cats are nearly impossible to adopt out, leading to their euthanization. Eliminating them this way doesn’t sit well with many people, or even solve the problem of cat overpopulation. New cats simply fill the empty space. It leaves communities in a cycle of stray cats breeding more stray cats, most of whom will never be properly socialized with humans and in living outside will put a dent in populations of native birds, reptiles and small mammals. They can also pick up and spread harmful diseases to domestic animals.

A successful solution to this is TNR, in which people trap colony cats, vaccinate and sterilize them, clip one ear tip to mark them and then release them back where they were found. These cats continue to occupy their territory, but their capacity to multiply is gone and their risk for rabies greatly reduced. Fewer kittens also means rescues are not overwhelmed from April to October and the overall population is more controlled. Friendly strays are often adopted out and live safe, happy lives off the streets.

TNR programs operate in conjunction with vets, shelters and volunteers who care for local cat colonies anyway. Starting one involves talking to local leaders and policy makers to create the proper ordinances so everything runs smoothly, and it’s worth it both to human communities and community cats to find sustainable ways to live together. TNR programs are a great step in that direction, and there are plenty of resources online like alleycat.org and humanesociety.org with advice on how to advocate for community cats and start TNR programs.

Samantha Tucker is a staff writer for the Daily American Republic. Contact her at stucker.dar@gmail.com.