TNR Tips and Resources
Starting in spring and continuing into early autumn, many cats living on the streets become pregnant if not already spayed or neutered. That leads to kittens who will be born and die traumatic deaths afterward. It also leads to the spread of disease such as FIV or FELV, and fighting or wandering that leads to fatal injuries. There is still time to prevent much suffering by starting spay/neuter projects. For this #WiseWednesday we want to share some tips and resources related to Trap Neuter Return (TNR).
Tip 1: Reach out
While people and organizations are often busy, if you reach out and keep reaching out, there is often someone who can at least advise. Be kind and polite, keeping in mind that the real responsibility for your local project is your own. Just because someone is a volunteer doesn’t make it their job to help you. Offer compensation for transport or other related costs, and be as flexible as possible in working around busy schedules.
Tip 2: Research resource options
One of the trickier aspects of starting a TNR project in a foreign country is the language barrier. Thankfully, we now have resources to help compensate for those difficulties. Google translate can be used to build good search terms or to write reach-out messages, and Chrome can be used to translate websites. Click here for an article with more detailed advice on that.
Tip 3: Connect with local TNR volunteers
Along with the small number of spay/neuter clinics, there are also local clinics who support TNR by offering lower cost spay/neuter. However, they usually operate under the radar and can often be difficult to find. The best way to connect with these clinics tends to be first connecting with local TNR volunteers. Use the research strategies listed above to track down blogs, and social media accounts to which you can kindly reach out.
Tip 4: Advocate with neighbors
Be prepared to politely explain and defend what you are doing. It’s reasonable for people in the community to be concerned about cats living on the streets. It’s important to reassure everyone that these cats will no longer be reproducing, and that you will manage any issues that might come up. It can be helpful to point out that government animal control centers (hokenjo) are supportive of TNR as a way to address overpopulation of stray cats in communities. Provide printed out information to clarify the plan.
Tip 5: Be responsible
It’s important to plan to address some of the main problems with cats living outside in communities. These are primarily health issues (vaccinate before release for prevention); toileting in gardens (create a sandbox toilet that you maintain); trash from feeding (clean up after feeding and don’t leave packages or cans to be blown into yards); abandonment of new cats or kittens (monitor the colony for any new comers that might be left there and spay/neuter ASAP).
While we can’t reasonably bring every cat living outside into safe sheltered environments, we can at least improve their quality of life and prevent the needless suffering of offspring. We can also show the community that humane animal solutions can be found. And, we can live more happily in communities where cats are not continuously being born only to suffer and die. Nobody can do everything but everybody can do something. It’s been said that you can save a hundred lives by spaying one.
Check out the links to resources below: