Starting tomorrow, we are going to take a break from fancy cat furniture and adorable handmade goodies for one week. Instead, we will feature a series of posts focusing on TNR, or Trap-Neuter-Return, which is an approach for humanely reducing the population of feral, or unowned, cats. Not all cats are as lucky as yours and mine, and as cat lovers, we all need to be aware of this growing crisis.
I have enlisted the help of Peter J. Wolf, who is a true cat advocate (despite his last name). Together, Peter and I will present an overview of TNR — including a brief history of the practice, show you who’s doing it and where, offer resources for people interested in becoming involved, and discuss some of the controversy surrounding TNR.
Featured posts will include:
- Q&A with Cat City Documentary Writer/Director Justine Pimlott
- A Brief History of TNR: Q&A with Ellen Perry Berkeley
- TNR on College/University Campuses
- Q&A with Becky Robinson, President and Co-founder of Alley Cat Allies
We hope you find this special theme week informative and enlightening. We welcome comments throughout the week and hope that this discussion will lead to increased awareness of this important issue.
We will also be featuring the stunning photography of Troy Snow, who has a remarkable ability to capture images of our feral friends in their surroundings. Thank you to Troy for these moving images.
September 11th, 2010 at 8:59 am
Both of my cats are former TNR homeless kitties. Great program, and kudos to the vets who provide such low-cost surgeries.
September 11th, 2010 at 10:11 am
This is very near and dear to my heart .Both my vets do it,and I used to help with it in the Bronx ,when I worked there.
I ended up keeping 2 of the cats from the Bronx,and I got one whole family rescued and adopted out before I left .
I also have one from Whiskers rescue in NJ ,that does 90% TnR
The locals near Whiskers are actually trying to shut them down,which would be a huge shame .
I have a boy that lives in the neighborhood that I feed. I’ve been begging for a trap,but no one lends out anymore,because no one ever returns them.
He occ doesn’t show,and I worry….
I’m going to have to buy one .I was told Home Depot carries them.
Xxoo
Missy
September 11th, 2010 at 10:21 am
Thank you Kate!! I am looking forward to this, though I know all about TNR and have TNR-ed over 300 cats I love learning about what others are doing in their neck of the woods.!
September 11th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Yes, please, more on feral kitties and t&r! I rescued some feral kitties and was able to find them home. And sometimes with the adult cats, you find they actually aren’t feral at all and can find homes. Even if are entirely feral, t&r is a great option.
September 11th, 2010 at 11:01 am
Big, Big, Big proponent of TNR!! I’m lucky enough that we have not one but two organizations in Grand Rapids Michigan that specialize in TNR. It is so important for people to get involved in their neighborhoods to help control overpopulation of friendly and feral strays. YAY moderncat – thanks for spreading the word!
September 11th, 2010 at 11:10 am
Thank you for bringing awareness to population control. I’m looking forward to this week’s posts.
September 11th, 2010 at 11:30 am
So delighted you are doing this! Community cats have enriched our lives immeasurably. We have adopted a number of them from local alleys here in Washington, DC, and these cats can be wonderful indoor companions! They are also great assets outdoors, helping to keep rodents in check. TNR has helped keep the cat population down in the neighborhood and improve the cats’ quality of life. We wish there were more local resources to help inexperienced cat lovers trap ferals.
September 11th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
All of our cats were strays but only one was a TNR. Our neighbors abandoned her when they moved. She was not fixed and very scared of people. The Stray Cat Alliance of Long Beach California lent me a trap and made arrangements to get her fixed once she was caught. Since she was a previous house cat they wanted to adopt her out to a good home or release her into one of the local TNR feral colonies. We took her in as her fosters and here she has been here ever since.
September 11th, 2010 at 2:58 pm
Shout from the roof tops, TNR…
Killing is NOT kindness.
September 11th, 2010 at 2:59 pm
Awesome! Thank you for focusing on such an important issue.
September 11th, 2010 at 3:04 pm
SUPER DUPER subject!!! MANY MEOWS to you! It’s extremely important and not just for feral cats! There are many, many documents and websites out there for lots of good info! Let people know that we are doing some of it in Albuquerque(as much as we can anyway!) By doing different events, we are trying to make people aware that it is a problem and just by removing the cats does NOT fix the problem! Anyway, really happy you are doing this subject this week!
September 11th, 2010 at 4:31 pm
My husband and I have TNR’d more than 25 in our inner-city neighborhood! Some have gone their own way, and sadly we’ve lost too many to the perils of outside living. But, a good dozen have decided to call our backyard their home, along with those that we adopted into our inside family… all which have enriched our lives beyond measure!
Our extended family, although precious to us, has challenged our resources more than we could have ever realized. Aside from day to day feeding and maintenance, the medical expenses have overwhelmed us… There needs to be more awareness and some form of legislatively supported financial respite. It would be great if our community could get together and petition our government to allow us to either partially claim our feral children as independents, or at least write off their medical expenses like we do for ourselves.
Thanks to all who do what they can!
September 11th, 2010 at 6:01 pm
So cool! Thank you for deciding to feature TNR this week. I hope everyone who reads this week’s posts become well-informed (if they aren’t already) about TNR. I also hope they all become inspired to volunteer for and donate to (if they don’t already) their local humane organizations and shelters that help feral and stray cats. Your community and the cats need you all so desperately!
September 11th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
So happy to see you covering this topic! You have amazing and fun posts that show the best of our feline friends, I’m so glad you’re also covering how best to care for them, individually and for cat-kind as a whole. Love your site!
September 12th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I feel that the complete cat lover must embrace TNR: the only humane way to reduce the population and suffering of ownerless cats. Thank you Modern Cat for drawing attention to this situation. Too often I find that even people who love their house cats are unaware of the extent of the problem and the steps they can take to help when they have unowned cats in their neighborhood.
September 12th, 2010 at 6:08 pm
Good for you Moderncat! Anyone interested in felines should have the opportunity to become involved with, or at the very least be provided information to allow them to grasp, the existence of all felines.
Thank you for taking your space to expand the understanding of the finest of the small animal world (my opinion of course).
September 12th, 2010 at 7:52 pm
I’m looking forward to your posts this week! Thank you for spreading the word on TNR!!
September 13th, 2010 at 7:02 pm
Thank you very much for using your popular and fun blog as a platform for important social issues as well. TNR is something that I support, and love learning more about. I hope to become more involved in my community and I am looking forward to your articles this week
Thank you for going the distance 
September 18th, 2010 at 1:21 pm
Beautiful photography – cats are so photogenic
December 2nd, 2011 at 11:10 pm
Does anyone know how long it takes a player to clear waivers?