Who are all these cats, and where are they coming from?
Free-roaming cats is a term that describes a few different categories of cats. It includes feral cats, stray cats that have been lost or abandoned, owned cats that are outside 100% of the time, and owned cats that are allowed outdoors sometimes. Though owned cats that live or are allowed outside are not the cats we want to target, it is important that pet owners get these cats spayed and neutered. It is the unsterilized outdoor cats, and cats that have been abandoned by owners, that have caused this problem in the first place!
Trap/neuter/return has been operating in several countries for decades, and offers a progressive and humane way to help respond to the rapidly growing free-roaming cat population in our communities. Many free-roaming cats live long, content lives outdoors. TNR is an effort to give these cats a chance at a full life outdoors – keeping them out of shelters where they have no chance.