TNR – trap-neuter-release is a well-versed aspect of feral cat control. It is conducted all over the US and many other countries. The TNR programs are run by happy and committed volunteers for which they deserve the praise of the communities in which they live. Feeding feral cats is part and parcel of TNR programs.
Sometimes, rarely, a local ordinance (law) created by a local authority forbids the feeding of feral cats. This is to ensure the amenity of the community is not degraded by wildlife eating feral cat feed and encouraging more feral cats to migrate to the area.
Such a law exists in Youngstown, Ohio, where they have a bad feral cat problem by all accounts. Perhaps a contributing factor to the severity of the feral cat problem is the aforesaid law 😎😢.
It cuts both way as a councillor, Julius Oliver, has recommended that the community start up some TNR programs but the obstacle to his reasonable suggestion is the non-feeding of feral cats law.
He said that he wants to hire an organisation to do the TNR. You don’t need to unless the organisation he is referring to is a group of volunteers living locally. Anyway he added:
“These people can’t come and do what they could do for us because of our ordinance. If we want this to happen, what we have to do is basically pull back that ordinance for a while that says you can’t feed feral cats or feral dogs, and then replace it once this job is done.”
Seems like a reasonable suggestion. Only I’d remove the law permanently or amend it to allow TNR volunteers to feed feral cats but no one else.
The need for a permanent change comes about because TNR work never ends. It has to be a permanent way of life for this town in order to gradually reduce and stabilise the feral cat population. It is unlikely that they’ll totally remove all feral cats. TNR usually does no work like that.
It is not painting by numbers. Or hard science. It is slow and painstaking with success but the success is not startling.
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P.S. please forgive the occasional typo. These articles are written at breakneck speed using Dragon Dictate. I have to prepare them in around 20 mins.
