Professional, ethical, and legal dilemmas of trap-neuter-release

Barrows, Paul L.

doi:10.2460/javma.2004.225.1365

Cited by 34 publications

(25 citation statements)

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“…Estimates of wildlife mortalities attributed to free-roaming cats range from millions to billions, and predation on birds has created significant controversy. This may reflect the fact that cat impacts on birds received widespread attention in the media following two studies in the UK [8] and the US [9] and the subsequent involvement from major non-governmental organizations (NGOs), advocacy groups (e.g., The Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, and American Bird Conservancy; [10]), and professional societies (e.g., The Wildlife Society). Conservation efforts focused on protecting birds by removing legal protection of feral cats, encouraging responsible pet ownership by keeping cats indoors [11], opposing trap-neuter-return (TNR), and eventual removal of feral cat colonies from the landscape [11], [12], [13], [14] sparked organized opposition from cat colony NGOs, feral cat bloggers, and cat colony caretakers (CCCs) [15].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opinions from the Front Lines of Cat Colony Management Conflict

et al. 2012

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Outdoor cats represent a global threat to terrestrial vertebrate conservation, but management has been rife with conflict due to differences in views of the problem and appropriate responses to it. To evaluate these differences we conducted a survey of opinions about outdoor cats and their management with two contrasting stakeholder groups, cat colony caretakers (CCCs) and bird conservation professionals (BCPs) across the United States. Group opinions were polarized, for both normative statements (CCCs supported treating feral cats as protected wildlife and using trap neuter and release [TNR] and BCPs supported treating feral cats as pests and using euthanasia) and empirical statements. Opinions also were related to gender, age, and education, with females and older respondents being less likely than their counterparts to support treating feral cats as pests, and females being less likely than males to support euthanasia. Most CCCs held false beliefs about the impacts of feral cats on wildlife and the impacts of TNR (e.g., 9% believed feral cats harmed bird populations, 70% believed TNR eliminates cat colonies, and 18% disagreed with the statement that feral cats filled the role of native predators). Only 6% of CCCs believed feral cats carried diseases. To the extent the beliefs held by CCCs are rooted in lack of knowledge and mistrust, rather than denial of directly observable phenomenon, the conservation community can manage these conflicts more productively by bringing CCCs into the process of defining data collection methods, defining study/management locations, and identifying common goals related to caring for animals.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Opinions from the Front Lines of Cat Colony Management Conflict

et al. 2012

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“…Feral cats can enhance transmission of zoonotic diseases to humans, other domestic animals, and wildlife (Barrows 2004). These diseases include toxoplasmosis, rabies, toxocariasis, bartonellosis, bubonic plague, and flea-borne rickettsiosis (Gerhold and Jessup 2012).…”

Section: Rickettsial Diseases Associated With Feral Catsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Orange County Vector Control and the County’s Feral Cat TNR Program: Ne’er the Twain Shall Meet?

Cummings¹,

Krueger²,

Nguyen³

et al. 2016

vertebrate_pest_conference

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“…The practice of releasing feral cats back into the environment through TNR programs is also not humane to the cats, wildlife, or people. The maintenance of feral cat colonies through TNR is a manifestation of preferential treatment for one species (i.e., domestic cats) and ignores the impacts these cats have (Barrows 2004, Jessup 2004, Longcore et al 2009). TNR does not eliminate substantial risks of injury or disease for feral cats, direct and indirect impacts on native wildlife, or public health concerns (Barrows 2004, Jessup 2004.…”

Section: Trap-neuter-release (Tnr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The maintenance of feral cat colonies through TNR is a manifestation of preferential treatment for one species (i.e., domestic cats) and ignores the impacts these cats have (Barrows 2004, Jessup 2004, Longcore et al 2009). TNR does not eliminate substantial risks of injury or disease for feral cats, direct and indirect impacts on native wildlife, or public health concerns (Barrows 2004, Jessup 2004. Roebling et al (2013) concluded that even TNR programs that included rabies vaccinations during the sterilization process "are not effective methods for reducing public health concerns or for controlling feral cat populations."…”

Section: Trap-neuter-release (Tnr)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Domestic Cats: Management of a Charismatic Non-Native Species

Sizemore¹,

Wallace²

2014

vertebrate_pest_conference

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The domestic cat is a charismatic and pervasive non-native predator whose population in the United States is an estimated 114-188 million. When permitted to roam outdoors, cats pose serious risks to the health and welfare of wildlife, people, and the cats themselves. Despite overwhelming evidence to support keeping cats indoors, many municipalities continue to endorse the maintenance of cats outdoors through Trap-Neuter-Release at the behest of feral cat advocacy programs and their vocal grassroots supporters. The American Bird Conservancy (ABC) Cats Indoors program strives to raise awareness about the negative impacts of outdoor cats, to educate policy makers and the public, and to promote responsible pet ownership. We review the scientific evidence that necessitates keeping cats from roaming outdoors and how ABC's Cats Indoors program is working to protect wildlife, cats, and people. Proc. 26 th Vertebr. Pest Conf. (R. M. Timm and J. M. O'Brien, Eds.) Published at Univ. of Calif., Davis. 2014. Pp. 220-224.

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Professional, ethical, and legal dilemmas of trap-neuter-release

Cited by 34 publications

References 1 publication

Opinions from the Front Lines of Cat Colony Management Conflict

Opinions from the Front Lines of Cat Colony Management Conflict

Orange County Vector Control and the County’s Feral Cat TNR Program: Ne’er the Twain Shall Meet?

Domestic Cats: Management of a Charismatic Non-Native Species

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