A Case Study in Citizen Science: The Effectiveness of a Trap-Neuter-Return Program in a Chicago Neighborhood

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Simple SummaryDramatic declines in the number of cats admitted to and euthanized at U.S. shelters have taken place in recent decades. Still, millions of cats, many of them free-roaming, enter shelters each year. At some facilities, as many as 70% of feline admissions are euthanized, and it is estimated that, nationally, up to one million or more cats are euthanized each year. New approaches, including return-to-field (RTF) and targeted trap-neuter-return (TNR) appear to have transformative potential. The present study examines changes in feline intake and euthanasia, as well as impacts on associated metrics, at a municipal animal shelter in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after formal RTF and targeted TNR protocols, collectively referred to as a community cat program (CCP), were added to ongoing community-based TNR efforts and a pilot RTF initiative. As part of the three-year CCP, 11,746 cats were trapped, sterilized, vaccinated and returned or adopted. Feline euthanasia at the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department (AAWD) declined by 84.1% and feline intake dropped by 37.6%; the live release rate (LRR) increased by 47.7% due primarily to these reductions in both intake and euthanasia. Modest increases in the percentage of cats returned to owner (RTO) and the adoption rate were also observed, although both metrics decreased on an absolute basis, while the number of calls to the city about dead cats declined.AbstractAvailable evidence indicates that overall levels of feline intake and euthanasia at U.S. shelters have significantly declined in recent decades. Nevertheless, millions of cats, many of them free-roaming, continue to be admitted to shelters each year. In some locations, as many as 70% of cats, perhaps up to one million or more per year nationally, are euthanized. New approaches, including return-to-field (RTF) and targeted trap-neuter-return (TNR) appear to have transformative potential. The purpose of the present study was to examine changes in feline intake and euthanasia, as well as additional associated metrics, at a municipal animal shelter in Albuquerque, New Mexico, after institutionalized RTF and targeted TNR protocols, together referred to as a community cat program (CCP), were added to ongoing community-based TNR efforts and a pilot RTF initiative. Over the course of the CCP, which ran from April 2012 to March 2015, 11,746 cats were trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and returned or adopted. Feline euthanasia at the Albuquerque Animal Welfare Department (AAWD) declined by 84.1% and feline intake dropped by 37.6% over three years; the live release rate (LRR) increased by 47.7% due primarily to these reductions in both intake and euthanasia. Modest increases in the percentage of cats returned to owner (RTO) and the adoption rate were also observed, although both metrics decreased on an absolute basis, while the number of calls to the city about dead cats declined.

Section: Study Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 97%

The Impact of an Integrated Program of Return-to-Field and Targeted Trap-Neuter-Return on Feline Intake and Euthanasia at a Municipal Animal Shelter

Spehar¹,

Wolf

2018

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“…All articles focusing on free-roaming cats included a form of trap-neuter-return, as either the only method or one of the methods of cat population management, and, therefore, TNR appears to be the most widely accepted, or at least the most widely reported, non-lethal cat population management practice, though it is variable in delivery. Collectively, these TNR studies report varying degrees of success in controlling cat populations, with little to no effect on free-roaming cat populations reported in the short-term TNR programs in urban NYC [21] or rural Quebec [23], whereas the longer term (9-20 years) studies (n = 4) demonstrated significant decreases in free-roaming cat populations in rural and urban areas of the USA and Australia of between 54% and 100% [25][26][27][28]. However, all four long-term TNR programs were supplemented with removal (TR); mainly adoption/rehoming of social cats and the euthanasia of cats that tested positive to FeLV or FIV (feline leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus respectively).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Four articles assessed the impact of long-term conventional TNR programs on free-roaming cat populations in the United States [25][26][27], and in Australia [28], over extended periods of time; 23, 15, 10 and 9 years respectively. A US study [25] retrospectively evaluated a 23-year TNR program through census data collected before and during the program (program is ongoing).…”

Section: Long-term Tnr Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With 100% of the cats at Newburyport neutered during the program, the last cat passed away of old age (~16 years old) 15 years after the beginning of the program, resulting in a decrease in 100% of the cat population. In a citizen science study in Illinois, USA [27], a TNR program was conducted across 20 colonies in a 9.3km 2 urban area. A total of 75 baseline cats and 120 migrant cats (or kittens born) were trapped, neutered and either returned (44), adopted (59), disappeared (67), died (6 euthanised, 13 other causes), returned to owner (3) or were relocated outside the area (3).…”

Section: Long-term Tnr Programsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Global Strategies for Population Management of Domestic Cats (Felis catus): A Systematic Review to Inform Best Practice Management for Remote Indigenous Communities in Australia

Kennedy

Cumming²,

Brown

2020

Pet domestic cat (Felis catus) populations are increasing all around the world, resulting in an increase in contact with humans and wildlife, potentially spreading zoonotic diseases and predating on wildlife. With the recently identified rise in cat populations in remote Indigenous communities in Australia, culturally appropriate cat population management strategies are required. A systematic review process was conducted to review the current global cat population management practices that are suitable for owned, free-roaming cat populations in these communities. Eight articles on in-situ field cat populations and five studies simulating computer modelled cat populations reported results of 66 population management interventions. Surgical Sterilisation (SS) was used in all socialised owned cat articles. The trap–neuter–release (TNR) method was used most frequently on unsocialised cats and gained the best results when the trap–remove (TR) method was used concurrently to adopt out unwanted social cats and euthanise ill or injured cats. The results of this review suggest that long-term TNR/SS programs supplemented with TR provide the current most ethically sound best practice, humane method of managing cat populations in remote Australian Indigenous communities. It is also recognised that no one plan will fit all, and that further research on the micro-level techniques used to deploy both TNR and TR needs to occur, and that culturally appropriate community consultation during all processes is vital in achieving a sustainable management program.

“…Our point in relation to these studies and to others claiming population reductions following TNR remains that a large component of claimed reductions is removal of cats by adoption, euthanasia, migration, or death in situ. For example, of the 195 cats in one program, 59 were adopted, 67 disappeared, six were euthanised, three were returned to their owners, 13 died from other causes, two were relocated and one was seized [52]. In the ORCAT study in Florida, USA, 1111 cats were returned, but 1419 were removed by adoption, transfer to an adoption centre, euthanasia, death in care or dead on arrival [28].…”

Section: Tnr Will Reduce Urban Cat Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Response to Wolf et al.: Furthering Debate over the Suitability of Trap-Neuter-Return for Stray Cat Management

Calver

Crawford

Fleming

2020

To continue dialogue over proposed Australian trials of Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), we applied a framework requiring identification of areas of agreement, areas of disagreement, and identification of empirical data collection required to resolve disagreements. There is agreement that Australia has a problem with stray cats, causing problems of impacts on wildlife, nuisance, disease transmission (including public health issues and exchange of diseases between stray cat and pet cat populations), poor welfare outcomes for stray cats, and an emotional burden on staff euthanising healthy stray cats. There is disagreement on whether (i) current measures are failing, leading to unacceptably high euthanasia levels, (ii) some contributors to the debate misunderstand TNR, (iii) TNR trials will reduce urban cat populations and associated problems, (iv) TNR is an ethical solution to cat overpopulation, and (v) some contributors to the debate promulgated misinformation. Although not everyone agrees that TNR trials should proceed, as a hypothetical exploration, we propose an experimental approach explicitly comparing TNR to alternatives. Trials could only be considered if other detailed and well-funded attempts at stray cat control focusing across an entire Local Government Area (LGA) prove ineffective.