Man Helps Control Washoe's Feral Cat Population
February 4, 2009
Thousands of feral cats call Washoe County home, but there are some dedicated people out there helping bring those numbers down.
Among them, John Carl who has been feeding these cats every morning for the past 18 years; He also traps and brings them to "Community Cats," an agency that provides free spay and neuter service for feral cats.
Denise Stevens is the Director of Community Cats. "We use the animal control feral cat euthanasia rate as our benchmark for success and it's dropped from 1,600 in 2006 to 400 last year."
Officials estimate about 26,000 feral cats live in Washoe County. They hope their spaying and neutering efforts bring the number down.
In the meantime, Carl said he will continue to do what he loves. "My wife and I said we either retire and sit around and do nothing so why not stay working and feed the cats. It's our choice."
Animal officials say they're seeing more folks who lost their homes letting their cats loose. They say it's not a good idea because domesticated cats aren't used to the wild, so the best advice is to bring them to the shelter.
Feral cats not a threat to birds
January 8, 2009
If you are like me, it is hard to really visualize a large number, so when you read that more than 1,000 bird species are listed as threatened, it is difficult to comprehend. Scientists predict between 500 and 600 of those species will go extinct in the next 50 years.
After studying possible causes of declining bird populations, the World Conservation Union found that habitat loss was the most important threat, affecting 83 percent of threatened bird species.
Urbanized land increased by 47 percent in just 15 years between 1982 and 1997, and it is estimated that by the year 2030, half of the buildings in which we live, work and shop will have been built after the year 2000, according to the Brookings Institution. Building, logging, farming, livestock grazing and dam building result in fragmentation of habitat on which birds and other wild animals depend.
Though they brighten our indoor world, the windows in our homes and offices also pose deadly obstacles for birds.
"Birds just don't see glass as a barrier, and this is a problem for them," said Daniel Klem, an ornithologist. "It's just so tragic to see this unintentional source of mortality being ignored."
Klem studied glass office towers, where tens of thousands of birds collide with the windows, and documented more than 100 birds striking the windows of a typical suburban home in a single year. Klem estimates a yearly death toll of at least 1 billion birds in the United States from window collisions. As a result, he helped develop bird-friendly glass that birds can see and avoid.
Communication towers seem innocuous, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates that 4 to 10 million birds die each year by colliding with communications towers and their guy-wires.
The National Institute for Urban Wildlife estimates that another 50 to 100 million birds are killed by cars and trucks each year. Pesticides likely poison 67 million birds per year according to the Smithsonian Institution. Cutting hay is estimated to kill up to a million more birds annually.
Some people mistakenly think that killing cats will save declining bird populations. This perceived animal-versus-animal conflict has the flair of drama, but it is really just a case of scapegoating cats. This perception has the negative result of distracting us from the genuine challenges facing birds today.
Killing or otherwise removing cats creates an ecological void that is quickly filled by others migrating into the area. That's the beauty of trap/neuter/return as a solution for controlling feral cat populations; it humanely stabilizes and over time reduces cat populations.
Volunteers trap outdoor cats and a local group, Community Cats, neuters and vaccinates them, preventing the birth of more cats, all at no cost to tax-payers. Volunteers feed and care for the cats that would otherwise be out there reproducing.
Humans have already tried killing stray and feral cats in a big way, millions a year for decades in animal shelters nationwide. Yet all the while, birds have continued to die because the real problems have not been addressed.
If we focus our efforts on preserving habitat and minimizing human hazards, we can make a lifesaving difference for the birds.
Bonney Brown is executive director of Nevada Humane Society.
"Nevada Humane Society &
Community Cats
Tops Goal during
Spay/Neuter Drive –
280 Surgeries Performed from
February 25 – 29
in honor of Spay Day USA"
Help the Nevada Humane Society find homes for barn cats - non-toxic pest control for your barn/stable, while saving a life of a feral cat will keep your barn or stable rodent free for the price of daily cat food, and you'll be helping to save a life! Nevada Humane Society has beautiful, healthy, neutered and vaccinated feral cats that are looking for outdoor homes with a barn, shed, or other shelter. If you would like to adopt a barn cat (or several) please contact Nevada Humane Society at 775-856-2000 ext. 200.
This is Bob . . . He was dumped off a few years back and being the stud that he is, fathered many kittens. Although elusive, his days of fathering are over thanks to the extreme efforts of his caretaker and, of course, Community Cats.
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This is The Greeter . . . Born along the Truckee River and very soon thereafter went through the TNR program. She waits patiently for passer-byers for a pet.
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The truth about feral cats
in your neighborhood
October 2, 2008
Cats have been living alongside humans for 9,500 years. They hung out with the Vikings, chasing off mice and keeping people company. They were prized in ancient Egypt for their ability to kill snakes and keep rodents at bay. Ultimately, cats attained an elevated place in Egyptian society embodied in Bastet, the cat goddess. In Japan, the Maneki Neko (lucky cat) beckons good fortune and wealth.
During the Middle Ages, the tide turned against cats for a while. They were killed en masse and, as mice bred unchecked, the bubonic plague flourished.
Today, cats are rapidly becoming the most popular pet, overtaking dogs in numbers. According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are 82 million pet cats and 72 million dogs in the U.S.
But cats are not just little dogs. They have different needs and a different place in our communities.
When they are abandoned, some cats are able to adapt and reproduce, which has led to a population of feral cats in most communities. Kittens (or puppies, for that matter) raised without human contact develop a natural fear of humans, not unlike squirrels or other wild animals. Feral cats often live together in small groups called colonies, and unless spayed or neutered, their numbers grow.
"Feral cats are part of our community -- they are not homeless, but live outdoors in colonies in their home territory," said Dr. Diana Lucree, a local veterinarian. Lucree is one of the founders of Community Cats, a nonprofit group that has been promoting the humane management of the feral cat population through Trap-Neuter-Return in Washoe County since 2003. Lucree has personally spayed and neutered nearly 8,000 feral cats at no cost to their caregivers.
The best thing we can do for outdoor cats, both for their own well-being and to prevent the birth of more kittens, is to get the cats neutered or spayed. Once they are fixed, they can return to their home turf.
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is widely recognized as the most humane and effective strategy for reducing feral cat populations. It involves humanely trapping feral or stray cats and getting them spayed or neutered and vaccinated. Then the cat is returned to his colony, where he will live out his natural life. Since the cats are no longer reproducing, the colony will gradually diminish in size. Neutering also reduces or eliminates mating, fighting and wandering, which makes the colony more stable, reduces the number of newcomers and improves the health of the cats.
Generally, because feral cats are unsocialized, they do not make good pets and don't adapt well to life in a human home. Relocating them to another area is challenging. Therefore, if feral cats are taken to traditional animal control shelters instead of being neutered and retuned, they most likely will be killed. Trapping and removing them is only a temporary fix at best. It opens up an ecological void that more un-neutered cats will eventually fill, starting the breeding process all over again. The trap and remove method is an endless cycle of breeding and killing while TNR is a lifesaving, permanent solution.
Research conducted by Alley Cat Allies found more than
16 million Americans are feeding and caring for outdoor cats. One of their recent surveys found that 81 percent of respondents preferred a TNR program over trapping and killing strays.
To recognize all the kind people who help cats, and the intrinsic value these cats add to our communities, Oct. 16 has been dubbed National Feral Cat Day. One way you can celebrate this special day is to make a donation to Community Cats (P.O. Box 60284, Reno, NV 89506), the local TNR group that provides free spay/neuter clinics for feral cats.
To get outdoor cats fixed through Community Cats or to volunteer to help local feral cats, call the Nevada Humane Society Animal Help Desk at 856-2000, Ext. 200. To learn more about feral cats and National Feral Cat Day, visit the Alley Cat Allies' Web site at www.alleycat.org
Bonney Brown is executive director of the Nevada Humane Society. Comments or questions may be e-mailed to bbrown@nevadahumanesociety.org
Public meeting regarding the welfare of outdoor or feral cats
March 26, 2008
The Nevada Humane Society and Community Cats are joining forces to host a public meeting regarding the welfare of outdoor or feral cats in our communities. This meeting will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Nevada Humane Society's Education Room, 2825 Longley Lane. If you are feeding outdoor cats or just care about their fate, you can learn more about them and hear from experts at the meeting.
"Cats are part of our community. Just because a cat lives outside doesn't mean he/she is homeless," said Diane Blankenburg, Community Programs Director for Nevada Humane Society. "These alley cats, barn cats or street cats are sometimes unsocialized or feral cats that are afraid of humans, but are most often healthy and happy."
The outdoors is home for these cats, just as it is for squirrels or birds. Feral cats often live together in small groups called colonies, and unless they are spayed or neutered, their numbers grow.
Founded in 2003, Community Cats is a non-profit organization run by a small group of feral cat advocates, servicing Washoe County and beyond. The group has neutered and spayed more than 6,000 local feral cats and returned them to their homes.
Details: 856-2000, ext. 336.
Free Spay/Neuter drive for feral cats in Reno Area October 20
October 15, 2007
“The Feline Frenzy” in honor of National Feral Cat Day hosted by Nevada Humane Society and Community Cats
RENO, NV—“The Feline Frenzy” on October 20 will improve the well-being of free-roaming cats in Washoe County for years to come.
This free spay/neuter clinic for feral cats hopes to neuter 200 free-roaming cats in a single day. Hosted by the Nevada Humane Society and Community Cats, the goal of the event is to prevent the birth of kittens in neighborhoods across the county through Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), a non-lethal method of controlling feral cat populations.
This spay/neuter event is in honor of National Feral Cat Day on October 16.
“Feral cats are part of our communities—they are not homeless, but live outdoors in colonies in their home territory,” explained Dr. Diana Lucree of Community Cats, a non-profit organization that has been sponsoring Trap-Neuter-Return in Washoe County since 2003. “Born in the wild, the adult cats are often not friendly to humans, but if neutered and fed daily, they can lead a good quality of life.”
The success of this free spay/neuter day depends upon help from the public at large and feral cat feeders who are invited to trap and bring outdoor cats they may be feeding in to be neutered. (Caregivers must commit to taking the cats back and providing food for them on an ongoing basis.)
Community Cats and Nevada Humane Society will supply free spay/neuter and vaccinations, and each cat will be ear tipped—the universal identification of a neutered feral cat is the removal of one half of the left ear tip, giving the ear a flattened look.
"The Feline Frenzy spay/neuter event will dramatically reduce the number of kittens born on the street, improve the lives of outdoor cats, and will, ultimately, reduce the number of cats who end up in our local animal shelters.” said Diane Blankenburg of Nevada Humane Society. “TNR is a critical part of achieving our no-kill community goal.”
Washoe County Animal Services works closely with Community Cats and is providing one of the surgical suites for the event.
What You Can Do
Feline Frenzy volunteers are needed to help in the following ways:
* Humane trappers to trap cats, deliver them to clinics, and return them to their colonies.
* Event day volunteers to help with checking animals in and out, as well as hands-on animal care help to clinic staff.
For more information, to volunteer, or reserve a spay/neuter spot, call Nevada Humane Society at 775-856-2000, ext. 331 or e-mail dblankenburg@nevadahumanesociety.org. Donations to help with the costs of spay/neuter and vaccinations for the feral cats are needed and greatly appreciated.
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