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The difference between Trap, Neuter, Release and Shelter, Neuter and Release is discussed in this article by Nathan Winograd, the leader of the No Kill Movement. I'm interested in what other think. Please read this article and let us know your experience/opinion.
When to use a shelter really comes down to the condition of the cat and how well its doing. A shelter is appropriate for a tame cat who is clearly not an outdoor cat and isn't surviving well. TNR is appropriate for feral and tame cats who are faring well.
I rescued a friendly stray that showed up at my girlfriend's house in the country. He was super sweet and friendly, and a long hair that had no business being an outdoor cat. It was obvious someone dumped him in the country. It was obvious he wasn't going to find his owners. He was terribly malnourished and dirty. I picked burs off out of his fur every time I visited my girlfriend. After assessing the situation over a period of four weeks, I finally decided he needed to be rescued, I took him to the shelter in the city, and he found a forever home seven weeks later.
I'd never send a tamed stray to a shelter if it was obviously healthy and well fed. That cat might be owned by someone in the neighborhood simply making its rounds to other families it adopted in its territory. But I'd definitely TNR it if it isn't spayed or neutered. As far as I'm concerned, all cats--feral, community or owned--need to be spayed and neutered. I fully support TNR because cat populations get crazy out of control if they aren't altered. If I catch a neighbor's family pet that isn't spayed or neutered, I'm going to TNR that cat.
For the record, the kill shelters in my area aren't bad. Cats do get adopted. They only get euthanized if they don't pass the temperament test or have serious health problems. I know this for a fact because I've worked closely with people who are employed or volunteer with our kill shelters. Our no-kill shelter never has openings, and it's really a kill shelter because it sends animals that aren't adoptable to the kill shelters anyway.
While I somewhat agree with some of the article's points, I have a big problem with this:
"the risk of death for street cats in communities has been found to extremely low, with outdoor cats living roughly the same lifespan as indoor pet cats"
I don't believe that, at all. Although I'll agree that an outdoor cat may be more likely to be adopted off the street than from a shelter (a stat which might be much more true in some places than others.)
I echo Hopes' sentiments about condition of the cat. Here's an interesting thing...we had a cat in our neighborhood that had fluffy white and orange fur. It disappeared for a while. Then it reappeared with its fur mostly shaven off and its tail GONE. I can only assume it had an injury and was taken to the vet, and when they removed the tail they also shaved its fur probably due to mats. This cat is back outside now. I don't know if it's a full time or part time outdoor cat, though.
In my area, we have the Humane Society ("the pound") and at least 8-10 no kill orgs around town. Heck, one "shelter" of sorts is actually a feline blood bank. They keep and foster cats and draw blood from them over time, and at a certain point retire them and adopt them out. Many of the no kills shelters here, most of them, take cats on "death row" from the HS and give them a better chance. One shelter actually teaches its cats tricks, to make them more adoptable (clicker trains them.) For all that this area seems to be more popular with dog people, there are many organizations caring for cats.
In my area, we have the Humane Society ("the pound") and at least 8-10 no kill orgs around town. Heck, one "shelter" of sorts is actually a feline blood bank. They keep and foster cats and draw blood from them over time, and at a certain point retire them and adopt them out. Many of the no kills shelters here, most of them, take cats on "death row" from the HS and give them a better chance. One shelter actually teaches its cats tricks, to make them more adoptable (clicker trains them.) For all that this area seems to be more popular with dog people, there are many organizations caring for cats.
That's the exact opposite of here.
We have one no-kill shelter and it never has openings. It's really a kill shelter because it does send animals to the kill shelters.
The kill shelters take all animals and they truly do their very best to place them. After passing the temperament and health check, they get a place in the shelter or in one of the area pet stores.
Our "pound" is an entirely different situation. It's not even located in this county. That place keeps pets for the days required by law and they all get euthanized. Our area kill and no-kill shelters do check the pounds regularly to safe what few they can.
The small rescue groups pull animals from the kill shelters and pound, and some of them are good. There are a few that take the saddest cases and provide outrageous medical care to them. I swear they have their priorities all wrong because those animals are never adopted and stay caged at these rescue groups for years
Sonic_Spork - I also find that statement to be untrue, that the lifespans of street cats and indoor pet cats are about the same. It has to be based on faulty statistics ... hands down there are more facts available for pet cats, but it's an impossibility to gather a great deal of facts about street cats - one can barely keep a decent count nevermind track their ages - so, there cannot be any accuracy to formulate such a statement. Many of us have or have had very senior cats, over the age of 15, and I find it beyond doubtful that anyone can find many senior street cats out and about.
I do agree about the misuse of "feral", but it is an easier way to describe homeless cats who are skittish even though they were not born wild to wild parents. I think it would be difficult to find a truly feral cat anymore especially in urban and suburban areas because of the deep involvement by humans with colony management to include TNR. But my perspective is narrow because of my limited experiences in places where I've been and where I've lived. It's been amazing to see the number of people and organizations that purposely manage colonies in places one wouldn't expect. I've seen managed colonies in rest areas on interstates. Sad to say, however, that most of these colonies have had to be disbanded because people were dropping off their unwanted cats, something that happens all too often.
It's because of this that I'm not a huge fan of always releasing a neutered/spayed cat back into its previous environment. It's case by case, and truly depends on the cat, on the circumstances, and on the environment. I am a proponent of indoor-only, but I can understand that under certain circumstances indoor/outdoor can be safe - unfortunately, from what I've seen, most indoor/outdoor scenarios are not safe. Some residents in suburban neighborhoods in which there are indoor/outdoor or community cats see them as nuisances and do whatever they can to eliminate them. Just this one thing, besides traffic, wildlife predators, territory skirmishes, and accidental poisonings from landscape pesticides, creates an unsafe environment. I'd much rather see TNA (trap-neuter-adopt), but that is far from easy to accomplish! I can still dream though.
Sonic_Spork - I also find that statement to be untrue, that the lifespans of street cats and indoor pet cats are about the same. It has to be based on faulty statistics ... hands down there are more facts available for pet cats, but it's an impossibility to gather a great deal of facts about street cats - one can barely keep a decent count nevermind track their ages - so, there cannot be any accuracy to formulate such a statement. Many of us have or have had very senior cats, over the age of 15, and I find it beyond doubtful that anyone can find many senior street cats out and about.
Agreed. That's definitely untrue. My neighbors across the street have had a small feral colony for the past 10 years. It hasn't grown at an alarming rate because they die so quickly. Right now, there are 3 adults and 5 kittens. None of the adults are 10 years old. Two of the adults are a few years old, and one of them is a year old. By Spring there might be 2 adults and 1 or 2 kittens left. I've watched this cycle of birth and death happen year after year.
I've recently come to the conclusion that they would be better off euthanized because the neighbors don't feed them regularly and they will sit for hours on end at the door hoping for food. I think our attention to doing TNR spooked the neighbors and that's why they aren't feeding them. I woke up this morning thinking it's best I go trap them and take them to the shelter to drop them off permanently.
Agreed. That's definitely untrue. My neighbors across the street have had a small feral colony for the past 10 years. It hasn't grown at an alarming rate because they die so quickly. Right now, there are 3 adults and 5 kittens. None of the adults are 10 years old. Two of the adults are a few years old, and one of them is a year old. By Spring there might be 2 adults and 1 or 2 kittens left. I've watched this cycle of birth and death happen year after year.
I've recently come to the conclusion that they would be better off euthanized because the neighbors don't feed them regularly and they will sit for hours on end at the door hoping for food. I think our attention to doing TNR spooked the neighbors and that's why they aren't feeding them. I woke up this morning thinking it's best I go trap them and take them to the shelter to drop them off permanently.
Love what you woke up thinking about!! I think we all agree those cats deserve better! Once feral or community cats learn that food is provided, they rely on it, so to feed them at a whim is really a form of abuse.
I cannot leave any one . I have taken 22 dogs to the shelters, 7 cats were rescued by me. 3 were given away to cat lovers , 3 with me. One passed peacefully years ago.
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