I often receive calls from individuals concerned for the welfare of feral cats living on and around local businesses. These callers are usually concerned because they’ve learned that organizational management has hired a pest control company to trap and “remove” cats from the property. In most cases, this means that management has contracted to have trappers come to the property, trap the cats and take them to the nearest animal control agency. If the cats are truly feral, meaning they are not socialized to people and are accustomed to living in the wild, then their fate is typically euthanasia after their requisite stray period has expired (because they are typically unadoptable).

The Richmond SPCA strongly opposes the trapping and removal of feral cats. It is ineffective and costly. It provides only a short-term solution because in a matter of months, new cats will take up residence where the former feral cat colony members once lived. Most importantly, this method is not humane and results in the unnecessary death of hundreds of cats in communities each year.

So what does work and has been proven successful time after time? Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the single most effective and humane solution to feral cat colony management. Through TNR, dedicated colony caretakers agree to trap feral cats, bring them to a spay/neuter clinic like the Richmond SPCA where they are sterilized, vaccinated against rabies and provided with routine veterinary care at no charge, and return them to their colony, which is the only home these cats have ever known. Colony caretakers agree to provide food to the colony on a regular basis. TNR works because 1) cats are spayed or neutered, so they can no longer reproduce, which prevents their colony growing beyond a manageable level; 2) cats receive rabies vaccines, so they present no threat to human safety; 3) cats are provided with a regular feeding schedule, so they do not need to forage for food around the property. TNR costs businesses nothing, yet these same businesses stand to gain everything.

When I contact business management to talk to them about humanely managing the colonies on their properties, they are fond of attributing motivation for the removal of the cats to the wishes of their employees or residents; however, as the Richmond SPCA found in the overwhelming support of the community after feral cats were killed by Critter Control behind Fox Richmond last summer, most Richmonders desire a compassionate response to the presence of these companion animals. Fortunately for businesses, the compassionate response and their own priorities and interests align perfectly with TNR.

Today’s blog was written by Tamsen Kingry, chief operating officer of the Richmond SPCA.

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