 |
No More Homeless Pets Forum
April 14, 2003 Getting Political About Feral Cats |
Becky Robinson, national director of Alley Cat Allies, has changed a lot of minds - and policies - about feral cats. It hasn't always been easy. This week she offers advice on how to win over reluctant government officials, animal control and your neighbors.
Introduction from Becky Robinson:
Are you tired of spending your time, energy, and money on neutering feral cats and managing their colonies, only to have animal control or public health tell you that you are part of the problem? Or worse, citing you for frivolous acts of threatening public health by harboring animals? Are you frustrated by fruitless attempts to get local authorities to recognize that what you and others are doing is the solution, and to get them to work with you instead of against you?I know how you feel. Since 1990, I have trapped hundreds of feral cats and tamed and found homes for dozens of feral kittens. I have organized and administered two spay/neuter clinics for stray and feral cats. I co-founded a national organization that has helped people in every state to establish non-lethal control for feral cats.
Yet, I live in a metropolitan area where some animal control agencies still do not endorse Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and do not consider the committed efforts of hundreds of feral cat caretakers and trappers to be part of the solution to feline overpopulation.
I'm here to tell you that it can get better for all of us. If you find the prospect of changing how your community is run to be a little scary, I assure you that it can be done -- is being done -- in many places, every day, by people like you.
In fact, there are communities, both large and small, where elected officials and animal control management have been convinced that traditional trap-and-remove schemes cannot continue and they have embraced non-lethal control. In some, they even finance TNR programs now in place.
Throughout this week, I'll answer specific questions about how you can get through to and work with local animal control, public health, and elected officials -- how to get political and make a real difference for animals in your community.
Questions
How to talk to neighborhood committees about TNR
Presenting TNR to animal control advisory board
Overcoming the fear of rabies to promote TNR
Getting people who call for help involved in TNR
Dealing with cat haters who call animal control
Estimating feral cat numbers for city officials
Doing TNR when there is restrictive legislation
When animal control wants to kill ferals as predators
Convincing board members to accept TNR who are concerned about predation issues
Should caretakers work to change laws or just focus on individual colonies?
Addressing the liability issue
Is it best to work underground or ask permission to do TNR?
Deciding which public officials' departments to approach first
Should we get media for our TNR efforts?
How to talk to neighborhood committees about TNR
Question from Carrie:
I have a feral colony living in a townhouse community. All but two are sterilized (very trap-smart girls). Their shots are up-to-date. A neighbor has been complaining and the neighborhood committee has decided they can trap them and take to ACO.My question specifically is: Who is the best person to talk with about what happens to the cats if and when they are trapped and taken to ACO? If they are ear-tipped and I have shot records and pictures can I get them back? Talking to the neighbor is not an option, as she won't listen.
Response from Becky:
First of all, let me tell you how great it is that you have already had the cats vetted, vaccinated for rabies, and eartipped for identification. Now you need to organize the cats' veterinary medical records and make copies of them. Do you have a completed Tracking Sheet - a log of all the cats in the colony including those that you trapped and adopted? This is excellent evidence of your commitment and professionalism to present to the property management.Do not stop feeding the cats. In the event the neighborhood committee sets traps soon, without you knowing, the cats will not be as interested in going in traps the second time around especially if you continue to see that they have plenty of food at their feeding station.
You indicate that one woman is doing the complaining. I suggest you approach the neighborhood committee and ask for an opportunity (soon) to explain all that you have done. This is a good way to educate them about TNR and to demonstrate that you truly are the solution, not the problem. In these situations, it's a good idea to take someone along with you, someone who understands your work and cares about the cats, too. This person can act as reinforcement if the discussion starts to get heated or disorganized or if you just need moral support. Two documents on our website, www.alleycat.org, may be of help when you have this meeting - "Making Feral Cats Welcome in Your Community" and "How to Talk to Anyone about TNR."
Ask the neighborhood committee specifically what the woman is complaining about. The most important thing here is to find out what's really bothering her. Frequently, such complaints can be fixed with a little positive action. "Making Feral Cats Welcome" describes several situations that can be resolved with simple actions. For example, one neighbor was upset that the cats were walking on his truck. When the caretakers purchased a vehicle cover for him, it settled the matter and no more complaints.
You need to ask the committee to not call animal control. Ask them to work with you and to give you time to resolve the situation. Tell them that you are consulting with two national organizations (Alley Cat Allies & Best Friends) that have dealt with feral cat colonies all over the country and there is every reason to believe you can come up with a solution that will be satisfactory.
Please let us know how this works out. Of course, your goal is to prevent any trapping to occur by the animal control. Depending on how your local municipality is structured, you may want to call animal control directly. But be careful--before you contact them, find out what their policies are. Often times, they are delighted to not set traps if they know the issue is being resolved and if they are made aware that the cats are sterilized (not producing kittens), vaccinated against rabies, and being cared for.
Side note: as far as the last two "hard to trap cats" go, contact ACA directly to learn a few new tricks to get them trapped. We have fact sheets on this specific subject.
Presenting TNR to animal control advisory board
Question from Krista:
The Health Department of my rural county approved a proposal to ask the County Commissioners to appoint an Animal Control Advisory Board to establish policies and procedures for operation of the Animal Control Unit. The Animal Control Unit has operated throughout its existence under state guidelines but now has concerns about potential difficulties if the Officers actions were to be challenged. I was appointed along with 11 other individuals.My county is a rural community with many, many free-roaming dogs and cats. Cats are not held at all, due to lack of space, just euthanized immediately if not passed off to the local vet who tries to find homes for as many as possible.
We were just appointed last week but the Health Director has indicated that she wants to move very quickly and have regulations in place in 3-4 months. I would like to have facts and figures to present as alternatives. Can you please help me with ideas and how to approach these folks without being dismissed from the start as being too idealistic? My main concern is to make a difference for animals in my community.
Response from Becky:
Congratulations on taking a position on your community's Animal Control Advisory Board. This is an opportunity and an important first step in the Health Department and County Commissioners learning how other municipalities are reducing their euthanasia rate and increasing adoptions. But you need to realize that it's going to take some time to research, organize, and implement the new policies and procedures yougroup is tasked with developing.
Several programs can be implemented in a matter of a few weeks or months. Others will take longer, but change can occur this year and the success you experience will keep the momentum going to see real benefits to the animals. The most positive aspect of this is the health department and animal control agency's willingness to work with you. Nurture that relationship!
Now I'm going to suggest you do some serious homework:
Study the websites of organizations that have learned how to work with animal control. Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society, AzCats in Arizona, and Neighborhood Cats in New York City.
Also look for press reports and profiles of progressive communities on both the Best Friends (www.bestfriends.org) and ACA websites (www.alleycat.org).
For example, the Richmond (VA) SPCA now has a working relationship with that city's animal control agency. The Richmond SPCA has become a completely no-kill facility and, through several innovative programs, they prevent hundreds of animals a year from ever entering any of the local shelters. When stray and feral cats are involved, the first change they made to stop loaning traps to the community for trapping stray and feral cats and kittens. Clearly, this is one of the highest categories of animals killed in our countries shelters.
If at all possible, register to attend the next No More Homeless Pets conference, click HERE to see the upcoming dates. This conference will give you access to presenters from all over the country who have been instrumental in turning their town's animal control around. Ed Boks from Maricopa County (AZ) Animal Care and Control is one of them, and Ed can give you some solid suggestions. When you return, you'll have concrete, practical ideas to propose to your health director.
Conduct online research. There's a lot of good material out there. For example, ACA's fact sheet Reduce your Euthanasia Rate gives step-by-step instructions on how a shelter can re-direct "complaint" calls and how to start a pilot program for non-lethal control including Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
Your county commissioners might be interested in knowing jurisdictions in which cats are not held, but are killed immediately run a much higher risk killing an owned pet, which can be a direct path to a lawsuit.
Prepare yourself to educate those around you about the benefits of TNR. Citizens who "just want the cats gone" must learn about the process and the benefits of a non-breeding population of felines. When there is little or no sterilization of felines, citizens often only see the growing population and endless litters of kittens. But when there are active spay/neuter programs, their concerns diminish greatly. One suggestion to offer your health director is to develop a program with local veterinarians where spay/neuter is offered on a weekly or regular basis and then help promote this program so citizens will take advantage of it.
Good luck. We are all anxious to hear about your progress in the coming months!
Overcoming the fear of rabies to promote TNR
Question from Ramona:
The most recurring objection of TNR that I get from officials is, "What about the rabies booster every year? Are you going to continue to retrap every cat every year and booster them?" In the southeastern part of the USA there is a fair amount of rabies and it is an emotional issue. Although, in three years, only 3 cats have been found to test positive for rabies, and these were domestic cats.Response from Becky:
We are well aware of the instinctive fear of rabies that exists in many parts of the country. No one underestimates the serious nature of rabies or the damage it continues to do in other countries. The facts, however, are that, in the U.S., rabies is not a public health crisis and the fear of rabies far outweighs the actual threat from this disease.Here's an important but little known statistic that may be of interest to your public health officials. This comes from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta. From 1990-2002 (that's 12 years), there were only 36 human cases of rabies (deaths) in the United States. At least seven of those cases originated outside the U.S. None was acquired from a cat.
Compare this to West Nile Virus, a disease we often associate with animals but less so with people: In 2002 (that's just one year), there were 4,171 human cases of West Nile Virus in the United States that resulted in 277 deaths.
Also, be aware that virtually no feral cat TNR programs in place around the country require a second rabies vaccination for cats in managed colonies. One reason for this is rabies immunity far outlasts the "shelf life" indicated on the vaccine label.
According to "Experimental Rabies in Cats: Immune Response and Persistence of Immunity," a study conducted in 1981, "Complete protection was observed after more than 3 years following a single vaccination." In other words, a one-year rabies vaccine maintained immunity for a full three years, and probably a lot longer, but the study was concluded after three years so we don't know for sure.
If a rabies epidemic is of paramount concern to your public officials, they need to look into vaccination of wildlife that may be reservoirs for rabies. Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs are having tremendous success in eradicating rabies among raccoons, fox, and coyotes in several areas of the country. Together with vaccination (yes, a single vaccination) of feral cats, the likelihood of humans being exposed to rabies is dramatically reduced.
Your best course of action is to keep solid vaccination records for all the cats you manage and educate your public officials. Keep in mind, a community TNR program ALWAYS provides greater protection from rabies than doing nothing.
Getting people who call for help involved in TNR
Question from Linda:
How can small groups best build community support for the nonlethal approach? We seem to run into a lot of situations where if we just go and do a project "for" someone, we don't get any long-term support or community change. How do you suggest we make it easy for people and still get their buy-in to responsibility over the long term?Response from Becky:
Carrying out TNR "for" someone only demonstrates that they are not the responsible party. The most effective and long-lived TNR programs are those that actively involve feeders from the start. People who are feeding cats often call a TNR group for help. If the group simply takes care of the cats, these feeders may never commit to the philosophy of TNR. Once the group has finished the job (for the moment), the feeders can just quietly keep on doing what they have been doing for years, which is likely to result in more kittens being born.Yet how do you convince them? People don't "buy into" something they don't own - you must make them own the TNR process. Set limits on how much hands-on work your group is willing to do. Try convincing the feeders to get the traps from your group and teach them how to use the traps. Provide information about low- or no-cost s/n clinics. Break it to them gently that this is their responsibility, and remind them how many kittens they will have next spring if they don't TNR the cats this year.
An obvious exception would be if a person were elderly, disabled, or otherwise incapable of carrying out TNR on his or her own. But in the majority of cases, people can do this themselves with a little training and encouragement. The bonus is that people are more committed to something that they themselves did. Because the feeders trapped and sterilized the cats, they become far more committed to the cats' long-term care than if someone just came out and did the work for them.
And they frequently "get hooked," which is no surprise. TNR is about more than helping the cats - it's about people making a connection between the colony they care for and all the rest of the feral cats in their town. Not everyone will be persuaded, but a lot of people will be.
Be sure to keep those you help connected with TNR by sending them your newsletter and periodically contacting them. Once you have trained and recruited these people, many could become valuable members of your group and help other people in the community as well. A very helpful resource on this subject is Bonney Brown's booklet, "Grassroots Organizing to Help Feral Cats," currently available from Alley Cat Allies for $4 (S/H included).
Dealing with cat haters who call animal control
Question from Cindy:
We have a person going around calling in "anonymous" complaints to Vector Control re: "flies, cat feces and fleas" in places where he knows (or suspects) the property owner has given permission for TNRM. If he sees the cats are still there a few months later he calls in another one.This just happened to one of my colonies. The inspector did not find a problem and the file was closed but it has caused a lot of trouble for us with the property owners. They now want the cats removed from their property rather than risk the Department of Health showing up at their door again.
I have heard that people who don't like feral cats are suggesting that people make Vector Control complaints as a way to get rid of feral cat colonies. Have you heard of anything like this and do you have any suggestions for caretakers on how to fix it?
Response from Becky:
Are you certain these complaints are really anonymous? Few animal control agencies accept truly anonymous complaints. At a minimum, they know the number and location of those complaining. However, they may be keeping this information confidential.It seems as though the challenge here is for you to get ahead of those making complaints. Once again, it's a matter of educating everyone in a position to affect your work.
Start with vector control by asking to meet with them about the condition of your colonies. Bring photos of your managed colonies and clean feeding stations, and copies of the cats' medical records. You can do this without disclosing the locations of colonies. Show the responsible agencies that you have X number of colonies completely controlled and managed, and that the current population of cats is lower than before you implemented TNR. For example, you found adoptive homes for the five kittens and two friendly cats in the colony, thereby reducing the total number of cats by seven. (This is another reason why it is so important to keep accurate and up-to-date records.)
Ask vector control to call you first when they do get a complaint. Be clear that you want an opportunity to find out what the concerns are and to resolve them constructively. It's in vector control's interest to have these complaints stop, so try hard to develop a good working relationship with them.
Alley Cat Allies' fact sheet "Making Feral Cats Welcome in Your Community" will give you ideas about ways to resolve complaints. Share it with the people you work with and make sure they all know that the best defense of feral cat colonies is a positive, well-informed offense.
Finally, remember that you cannot change everyone's mind. There are true cat haters out there and they will not be convinced that what you are doing is right. Your challenge is to find a way to co-exist with them while keeping the cats safe. Good luck!
Estimating feral cat numbers for city officials
Question from Barb in ID:
We are a small non-profit rescue group and we are in the process of starting a spay-neuter clinic in the local area. We have had no spay-neuter programs or programs for feral cats in this small town-rural area. We are currently talking to city officials about their horrendous feral cat problems and we are very interested in starting a TNR program. The officials are asking for estimates of how many feral cats we are talking about. Do you have any rule of thumb for determining the possible numbers of feral cats in an area (per capita?)? Any help you could give on this would be greatly appreciated.Response from Becky:
You realize, don't you, that counting feral cats is a bit like counting pigeons in a city? Before you undertake this monumental task, find out why the information is needed and how it will be used, and perhaps offer a more practical alternative.Many municipalities use two easily tracked statistics as a baseline: the number of calls concerning cats and the number of cats actually taken into the facility. For example, Maricopa County (AZ) Animal Care and Control tracks every cat entering their shelters, every cat adopted out, and every cat euthanized. With these figures, they are able to analyze their annual costs associated with the actual number of cats they handle. Obviously, this number does not tell them what the total cat population is, but as the numbers decline over the years, they know that the overall feral cat population is also declining.
If your municipality does not currently track feline intakes or calls about free-roaming cats, it will be very difficult to estimate the size of the population. One town that did not take cats into their shelters (and therefore did not have those numbers) took out an ad asking people who were feeding cats to call in. (The callers were assured confidentiality). This gave the community an idea of which areas had the most free-roaming cats.
I recommend you read Alley Cat Allies' fact sheet "Reduce Your Euthanasia Rate," which explains how to track and record the progress your spay/neuter and TNR program is making. This information will be vital when evaluating the difference your work is making. For example, demonstrating that 10 colonies totaling 200 cats are 96% sterilized and that no new kittens have been born in a year is proof that your program works.
Comment from Frank in FL:
There is a recent article written by Dr Julie Levy (forthcoming in JAVMA) that has a good set of estimation figures. Find out the number of households in the area in question (census has that figure)...11.9% of the households feed an average of 3.6 cats each.Doing TNR when there is restrictive legislation
Question from Chris:
We're working with our local Humane Society to turn them on to TNR, but there are some major hurdles to cross before we see them actively participate.One of the biggest is existing legislation in our county that limits the number of pets a household may care for, and requires that they all be licensed (including cats). The Director at the Humane Society is open-minded to explore TNR, but he wants to know if there are examples of effective legislation that protects ferals and their caregivers, but still allows them to maintain their (HS') stance on licenses and pet limits.
Do you know of existing legislation that provides ferals some type of status as quasi-pets, without affecting existing pet laws? Changing the existing ordinances is a long way off, especially without HS support, but I don't want to lose the momentum we now have with them.
Response from Becky:
Alley Cat Allies has had a lot of success in teaching communities how counter-productive proposed licensing and pet-limit laws are, and convincing them to vote instead for programs that will generate real results, like high-volume spay/neuter programs and neuter-before-adoption in shelters for all companion animals. (You can read more about cat-licensing and pet limit laws in Animal People and on the San Francisco SPCA website.)The situation is a lot harder in communities where such laws are already in place, but these communities still find ways to carry out TNR. One of the main tools is the pilot program. A pilot program is a test of sorts that allows you to skirt restrictive ordinances in a specific way for a specific time in order to investigate whether a new approach to a problem will work. They launch pilot TNR programs one part of the community or one or two neighborhoods, often where free-roaming cats may be numerous and highly visible, like a trailer park or industrial area.
The best approach is the figure out what you can realistically accomplish and propose a pilot program that is small (or large) enough to ensure success. What's important is to start a TNR project that you can be certain will succeed. Success breeds success. Support for future, larger TNR programs will stem from your initial effort.
There are cities where TNR has been written into the ordinances. Santa Cruz, CA, and Cape May, NJ have similarly worded ordinances:
"5-11.2 Unlawful Care. It is unlawful for any person to intentionally provide food, water, or other forms of sustenance to a feral cat or feral cat colony unless the person has furnished a signed statement to the Animal Control Officer agreeing to comply with the following conditions..."
Cape May loans traps to caretakers and provides no-cost transportation to the no-cost spay/neuter clinic. This is a big factor in their great success. Volunteers help the city adopt out the tame strays and the city received the Municipal Incentive Award and $3000 from the Rutgers University Center for Government Services for innovative use of community resources.
As you stated, you don't want to lose the momentum. This too is important. Harness the energy and enthusiasm of your team and the humane society now to organize a small but powerful TNR plan. Success breeds success. Support for future, larger TNR programs will stem from your initial effort.
Comment from Jan in AZ:
I would always suggest that the first step they should take is to get someone with a legal background to actually read the ordinances and/or statutes involved, preferably someone who is "TNR friendly" - like say, me. When Maricopa County Animal Care and Control wanted to stop taking feral cats into the shelter, they originally thought that they had to change our state law. Fortunately, Ed Boks presented that idea to me before proceeding. Turns out that they were just reading the statutes wrong and that there was in fact no requirement that they accept cats at all (except for bite cases.)Second, an amendment to a law, rather than outright appeal of the law or a total rewrite is a much easier way to go. For example, in Arizona our law defines ownership in a way that I have long advocated we should change for a lot of reasons that adversely impact ferals. If feral cats can be defined out of the term ownership and reclassified like urban wildlife rather than "pets" these issues go away for those cats. (I don't personally advocate any cat licensing laws, etc. but that is a separate issue.) You need to be careful how you do that though because there can be unintended consequences. One I grapple with here is the fact that a redefinition could put feral cats under the jurisdiction of our Game & Fish Department - something I wouldn't want to have happen.
It is often easier to wear laws away piece by piece over time. Attorneys can be handy tools in the animal rescue movement.
When animal control wants to kill ferals as predators
Question from Pat in WY:
In our state, any free-roaming cat is classified, under state law, as a "predatory animal." This exempts all stray and feral cats from Wyoming's anti-cruelty laws and makes them sitting ducks. Essentially, any form of torture, torment, or killing, is legal in this state for non-owned loose cats (or even for owned but non-tagged or those not clearly identified). I drafted a bill to remove "stray cat" from the predatory animal list in 2003, but while it passed the House Committee, it never made it out on the House Floor. I plan to reintroduce a similar bill in 2005, but in the meanwhile, many of our outside cats are vulnerable.Most animal control officers want cats left on the predatory animal list, so they can trap and euthanize cats they deem "feral," without having to adhere to a holding period; and ranchers may "control" populations of feral and stray cats via the bullet (or any other) method. Those of us pushing this bill emphasized that problematic cats could still be controlled, if "stray cat" were removed from the predatory animal list, albeit controlled humanely, but the ACOs and Audubon people came out vehemently against this legislation. They cited the large numbers of songbirds that are preyed upon by cats, using a study from Wisconsin that showed up at the Committee hearing. Committee members therefore removed "stray cat" and replaced it with "feral cat," as if it were always possible to tell the difference!
Do you know of any other state that lists cats as predatory wildlife? And what would you suggest we do in the meanwhile to protect cats in this situation? TNR is hard to sell in Wyoming, but I plan to work on a campaign, locally, in the near future. I brought it up once, and our local ACO came out swinging, saying it was illegal to trap, and then return, cats within city limits. (You already answered one of her concerns about rabies prevention with a single vaccination. That was very helpful.)
Response from Becky:
You have your work cut out for you. I believe everyone knows that there is still a wild-wild-west attitude in parts of the U.S. Let me first say that carrying out TNR in the city limits is probably not illegal, despite what your ACO says. There are many jurisdictions with "no-dumping pets" laws in place. Some ACOs confuse Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) where caretakers continue to monitor and feed the cats, with abandonment. In Las Vegas, they determined that TNR is absolutely not considered abandonment and TNR is now carried out daily.Now, about the larger issue... States where cats are "predatory wildlife" or domestic animals still face the difficult task of documenting cruelty and then enforcing anti-cruelty statutes. Your plan to organize and launch a campaign is in order. Try to develop to a broad-based coalition of diverse interests for whom this issue may be their only common ground. There are many people everywhere, in your state, too, who support humane and nonlethal care and control of animals, including cats. Forming a coalition will help leverage publicity and educational outreach. This is going to take time and a lot of work, but you sound up to it.
Please read ACA's white paper, "The Strategic Campaign for Change" (http://www.alleycat.org/pdf/StrategicPlanning.pdf), which outlines the four primary stages of an advocacy campaign. And if at all possible, attend a No More Homeless Pets conference (scheduled for April 25-27 in southern California, and Oct. 24-27 in Philadelphia). The speakers and participants in these conferences have the expertise you need to tap into to make your campaign a success.
There are so many myths about feral cats that still drive the decisions of officials and animal control officers. Predation is one such myth. Please refer to one of the other questions on today's forum regarding the truth about predation, feral cats, and wildlife habitat destruction. And, please keep Alley Cat Allies and Best Friends informed of your efforts. We are glad to advise you as you develop and carry out this campaign.
Convincing board members to accept TNR who are concerned about predation issues
Question from Franny:
I work for a humane society that has the contract for animal control in our county. The feral cats here have been identified as the number one animal-related problem in the public view (with different viewpoints from both ends of the spectrum). I feel it is important that our organization take the lead on supporting TNR as not only a more humane approach to controlling feral cat populations, but as a way to reduce our animal control problems in the long run.However, I have been met with a great deal of resistance from board members and staff. I am interested in ways that I can convince people WITHIN our organization that TNR is not a "radical" idea. One issue brought up by one of our board members is that feral cats endanger the bird population (we have a number of threatened species here on our island).
So my questions has two points - one, do you have any recommendations as to how I can prove the "validity" of TNR to animal control veterans and resistant board members, and two, do you know where I can find any statistics or studies on the effects of feral cat colonies on bird populations? Thanks for all the good work you do!
Response from Becky:
TNR is practiced by thousands of individuals and groups in every state in the U.S. and many countries throughout the world and both statistics and scientific studies are available. What you need to do is educate your animal control veterans and resistant board members about what's going on. Many long-time shelter personnel have a hard time accepting the idea of feral cats remaining outdoors, but the cats are already there, so it boils down to three choices:Leave the cats alone, which is inhumane and how the problem of feral cat overpopulation started.
Trap and remove (eradicate), which is also inhumane and, as has been proven over decades of practice, doesn't work.
Nonlethal control, a proactive full management plan to sterilize, vaccinate, and care for feral cat colonies, while finding homes for tame strays and kittens.
As for educational materials, ACA's video, "The Humane Solution", is a powerful public policy tool that outlines the benefits of TNR and profiles jurisdictions where TNR has made a difference for the cats and the entire community. On the ACA website (www.alleycat.org) you can find fact sheets and advocacy materials covering almost every subject touching on feral cats. They can all be downloaded and printed out.
A couple of examples of where TNR works include: Maricopa County (AZ), where the County Board of Supervisors unanimously passed a resolution designating their Animal Care & Control's FELIX (Feral Education and Love Instead of Ex-termination) program the "officially approved means to solving feral cat related problems in Maricopa County."
The Merrimack River Feline Rescue Society (MRFRS) is endorsed by Newburyport, MA, public officials. TNR is a key component of their work. MRFRS has systematically sterilized and maintained feral cat colonies, tamed and placed stray cats and feral kittens, and educated the public on the importance of sterilizing companion animals. When they began, there were 300 cats on the waterfront. Today, there are 23. No kittens have been born there since the mid-1990s. MRFRS's TNR program is so effective that concerns have risen over the growing rat population.
And now, about predation... Please read Feral Cats on the Firing Line in the Info Section of Alley Cat Allies' website. As this article points out, every major, reputable study has shown that claims to cat predation affecting bird or wildlife populations are wholly overstated. Cats are predators, but habitat loss is the leading factor in the decline of birds, followed by over trapping, drought, and pesticides. Cats are noticeably absent from the list.
Set a goal to convince your humane society that they are the leaders in the arena and that the sooner a program is launched, the sooner they will experience solid results. That will be all the evidence they need.
Should caretakers work to change laws or just focus on individual colonies?
Question from Linda:
Would you recommend that individual caretakers concentrate on the hard work of TNRing their colonies, or on changing laws and regulations? Is ACA aggressively trying to change public policy across the US, while rescues continue to care for individual animals?Response from Becky:
To answer your first question, I don't see a clear choice between one and the other. Caretakers evolve into advocates, but they don't stop being caretakers. I have met very few activists who aren't also taking hands-on care of feral cat colonies. Even caretakers who do not view themselves as activists are advocating to some degree every time they change a resistant neighbor's mind, help out with a cat food drive, or volunteer at a Sunday Spay Day. These actions, together with all the time they spend educating others and networking with other caretakers, are an investment in the long-term welfare of the cats.The founder of a group in our area started by TNRing five cats and now is completely involved with trapping, training caretakers, and running a spay/neuter clinic. She has come to ACA on more than one occasion for help to advocate for cats on municipal property or in apartment complexes, or to negotiate with neighbors, etc. I think that to a greater or lesser degree we are all multi-tasking - all doing whatever jobs we are suited for that will benefit feral cats.
To answer your second question, since 1990 Alley Cat Allies has worked to raise national awareness of feral cat overpopulation, promoted TNR, and helped thousands of individuals and groups to organize, train, and get to work. Two years ago we concluded that to make real progress in conquering feline overpopulation, we had to focus on changing the minds and policies of people, agencies, and organizations that control the lives (or deaths) of feral cats. We're talking about animal control officers, environmental managers, veterinarians, health department officials, police, and state and local governments.
We pursue this work by providing advocacy tools and assistance to activist caretakers, so that they can learn how to change their communities' policies and ordinances. It would be completely ineffective for ACA to directly attempt to change local laws. Jurisdictions do not want a national organization swooping in and telling them how to run their community - the demand for change must come from the people who live there.
So, yes, ACA is aggressively working with local advocates to change public policy across the U.S. - community by community. At the same time, we continue to provide information, resources, and assistance to groups and individuals who are directly working with feral cats.
Addressing the liability issue
Question from a member:
The biggest issue we are facing in trying to convince our city government and animal control to take on feral cats is the liability issue. They are afraid that if they condone TNR then if someone gets bit, or scratched, or complains about cats in their yard, they will be responsible and don't want to assume that risk. Do you have any suggestions on how we can address this concern?Response from Becky:
The better question is: who's responsible now if someone is bitten or scratched by a stray cat or complains about feral cats? Presumably the city government and animal control are currently responsible, even though they are doing nothing, or perhaps because they are doing nothing.TNR has been fully investigated and endorsed by many communities as the safest (as well as most effective) way to deal with feral cat overpopulation. For example, in Maricopa County (AZ), the County Board of Supervisors passed a resolution designating TNR as official policy for dealing with feral cats. This endorsement did not come easily. All aspects of TNR were fully investigated, including county liability, if any. Maricopa County Animal Care & Control made the case that doing nothing was a greater risk to public health and safety than instituting TNR.
It appears to me that in your case, too, the greater risk lies in continuing to do nothing. I can't give you a more specific answer without knowing more details than you can provide in a one-question forum, but I strongly suggest that you do some research and find out more about the sovereign immunity statute in your jurisdiction. Every jurisdiction has one and it would be more reliable to consult with the city attorney in your municipality. However, I will say that we have reviewed many sovereign immunity statutes across the country and have yet to run across one that includes an exception for suing a county that practices TNR should a citizen be bitten by a feral cat.
Is it best to work underground or ask permission to do TNR?
Question from Susan:
Would you have suggestions for ways people ought to network before or in the early stages of working on a colony? It seems like most of the horror stories I've been hearing are because people start to do TNR on their own, and then someone complains after they see activity and blames the problem (which they never cared about before) on the caretaker. Are you aware of situations where the caretaker pointed out the problem herself, and then said, "I'm here to fix it." before she even began? Is this a better way of going about it? It seems to me a lot of projects start out in stealth mode, or as a solitary venture, and then get attacked once they are outed. Or is it better to ask forgiveness than get permission?Response from Becky:
I wouldn't phrase this as "pointing out the problem." People who live in an area with a colony of feral cats are usually aware of it. It is a good idea to get a feel for the neighborhood before you start. But don't ask permission (unless you are going on someone's private property to trap) or forgiveness. Simply explain that you are taking the cats to the vet to be sterilized and given their shots, which means the cats won't be fighting, spraying, or yowling as much, and that there won't be any more kittens born. Then enlist the neighbors' help and thank them for caring.ACA has brochures and fliers available to educate neighbors about feral cats and TNR. We recommend that caretakers distribute this material in the neighborhood (in doors, on door handles, etc.) before the TNR process even begins. Always include a first name and phone number on the material, and encourage people you meet to contact you, not animal control, if they ever have questions or concerns about the cats or if they are interested in helping.
This process will help you identify who's feeding the cats already, as well as who has indoor-outdoor cats and whether those cats have been sterilized. You may want to help people sterilize their domestic cats if they can't afford it or do not have transportation to the vet.
This process can also alert you if there is a person who doesn't like the cats, or who may be indifferent to them until the cats do something they don't like (get on their car, etc.), when they may be the first to call animal control. It's better to know where such people are so you can focus your activities away from that house.
One more point: this definitely is not a solitary venture. The cats are the entire neighborhood's issue. The more you make them aware of the problem and a part of the solution, the better off the cats will be.
Deciding which public officials' departments to approach first
Question from a member:
I would like to talk to my public officials about allowing a pilot program for TNR in my community but am not sure where to begin. Our animal control only deals with dogs, so I can't start there. No agency picks up stray cats, and as a result, there are a lot of them. Can you give me some tips on where I should begin--do I start with the Health Dept or go to City Council? And how do I find out who is animal friendly in advance so I don't get shut down immediately by a cat hating public official?Response from Becky:
From a TNR standpoint, there are benefits to living in a jurisdiction where animal control does not pick up or accept stray and feral cats. In a way, it's an ideal situation - even if you encounter resistance, there is no process in place to trap and kill the cats. I recommend that you start a TNR program as soon as possible. Don't be concerned about your public officials at this point. Rather, you need to find people like you who are willing to get involved in some capacity (feeding a colony, trapping, whatever) and all of you just get to work doing TNR. Keep detailed records of every cat, every procedure, every adoption, every outcome.Your next step is to begin gathering detailed information about your community. Why? Sometime in the near future, what you are doing is likely to become an issue and you need to prepare yourself.
Read the paper and talk to people who know public officials to find out who among them is animal friendly. These officials are potential allies when you need them.
Research how your local government is structured. Find out who animal control reports to - public health, the city administrator, or someone else. Look at the annual budget to find out how much is allocated for animal control services. Find out the time frame for creating, finalizing, and voting on the annual budget.
Find out where complaints about cats are currently directed and how they are handled. Even though your municipality does not pick up stray and feral cats, someone in one of the city or county agencies receives and possibly logs all calls. This costs your jurisdiction money, since this uses employee time.
Conduct you own needs assessment by placing a newspaper ad asking residents to call a number you set up with a machine to report free-roaming cats. Assure them the information will be kept strictly confidential. If eventually you want to convince your city or county council that you are knowledgeable on this subject, you'll need this kind of proof. And always, keep educating everyone you deal with about the importance and effectiveness of TNR. If and when local government does decide to do something about the problem, the greater the network of concerned and active citizens already in place, the better for everyone.
Alley Cat Allies has a load of solid information to help you in this process. Go to the info center on our website, www.alleycat.org, to find fact sheets and how-to guides on many of the subjects you will be researching. I especially recommend the fact sheets, "How to Talk to Absolutely Anyone About TNR," "How to Talk to Animal Control," and "TNR for Animal Control" to help you prepare for future meetings about the cats. You will also find basic to advanced material on a wide array of feral cat subjects, all of which can be downloaded and printed out to use in educating your community. Good luck!
Should we get media for our TNR efforts?
Question from a member:
We have struggled with getting media for our TNR efforts. On one hand, we want to bring awareness to the issues and show to our public officials what we are doing in these neighborhoods so they will lend support, but we are afraid that it will awaken cat haters and TNR opponents to become more vocal. What are your thoughts on using media to help (or hurt)? TNR efforts?Response from Becky:
I'm sorry to have to put it this way, but if you have cat haters and TNR opponents in your community, you definitely want to get to the media before they do. But first you have to have something tangible for your media to be interested in. What this is depends on what your local media focuses on and how you can make your organization fit into that picture. This is not as obscure as it sounds.In the Spring 2002 Feral Cat Activist newsletter you will find an extremely useful article on how to go about this: "Getting Publicity for Your Organization: Ten Things You Can Do, and Ten Things You Must Never Do," by Ellen Perry Berkeley. You can find it in the newsletter archive on the ACA website, www.alleycat.org. The author offers solid, practical advice, such as always remember that the media aren't there for you; you are there for the media. Be persistent. Just because a newspaper doesn't report your activity now, doesn't mean they won't be interested next month.
Perhaps most important, remember that "media" consists of people. Treat them as such. Build relationships.
And what can you get out of this? Important coverage of TNR-related events that will spotlight your efforts and attract more support in the community. An increase in public awareness that there is a better alternative to calling animal control about the cats in their backyard. Support for any efforts you may make in getting local government to endorse TNR.
Don't be stopped by your concern about cat haters and TNR opponents. The situation will be far worse if you must go on the defensive because the anti-cat folks got to the media first. Plan to get your side of the story in front of the public first - that is what will stick with most of the audience, so right there you've got the advantage.
