It’s estimated that one million homeless dogs and cats will end up in Texas animal shelters this year. Nationwide, more than four million companion animals are euthanized annually; many are puppies and kittens less than six months old.
Bryan Place has always had its share of feral cats. The City of Dallas estimates there are approximately 400,000 homeless cats in the city. Most agree this population is growing.
Relocation and euthanasia programs might provide quick and immediate relief from over population, but the effects are usually temporary. Cats are territorial animals. When a territory has a sudden vacuum, cats from other areas move in to fill that vacuum. Both relocation and euthanasia programs create the type of vacuum cats from other areas are looking for.
In 2008 the Dallas City Council adopted a humane way to approach the problem of overpopulation: the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method.
According to the American Humane Society, TNR works better than “trap and euthanize” or “trap and relocate” programs, and is successfully practiced in hundreds of communities.
Trap-Neuter-Return is exactly what it sounds like: Cats are humanely trapped, taken to be spayed or neutered, and vaccinated. After recovery, the cats are returned to their home — their colony — outdoors.
The SPCA offers a low-cost option for this method. For $50, they neuter, vaccinate for rabies, and notch one ear. The ear notch is a signal the animal has already been fixed, and should be released if they wander into a trap.
How does the program work?
Cost: $50 to spay/neuter, vaccinate for Rabies, and notch one ear of a feral cat.
- Get a feral trap. We have traps to lend to Bryan Place residents, and you can request one at bryanplace.org/feralcats.
- Trap the animal overnight.
- Drop the animal off at the SPCA in the morning. You don’t need a reservation for the TNR program.
- Pick the animal up in the evening.
- Keep the animal in the trap in a comfortable area overnight so it may recover from the surgery.
- Release the animal in the morning, and return the trap.
Leaders of major humane programs all over America agree that cats live healthier, more peaceful lives after TNR. It helps to stabilize the number of cats in the community and helps keep the cats healthy. They really have great lives out there doing their “feral cat” thing.
Perhaps you’ve seen stray cats in the neighborhood, and can’t bear the thought of them being euthanized. If you’d like to participate, please contact us using the form below.
Request a Feral Trap
Phillip Bryan has traps available for other Bryan Place residents to participate in the TNR program. Please contact him using this form.
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