Paws and Claws

Managing the area’s feral cat population is a community effort

by Cindy Anderson, DVM

Lakelands Trail Veterinary Clinic, with assistance from community donations for surgical supplies, has spayed and neutered 245 feral cats since the clinic’s opening. Photo credit: Matt Seymour on Unsplash.com

The number of feral, abandoned cats in the United States is estimated to be between 30 million and 80 million. As the number continues to increase, land managers, public health officials, and private citizens are voicing concerns about how to address problems that can be created by these feral cats, ranging from nuisances, to public health impacts and animal welfare concerns.

Since Lakelands Trail Veterinary Clinic opened in November 2021, Dr. Cindy Anderson, with assistance from the community, has spayed and neutered 245 feral cats. This has been made possible by the community donating to assist in covering the expense of the surgery supplies.

Lakelands Trail has a giving tree in the front lobby that recognizes donations given for this service. The donors can hang an ornament on the tree honoring their donation to the cause.

When it comes to control techniques, feral cat management falls into two main categories: lethal and nonlethal.

The trap-neuter-release (TNR) strategy for feral cat management—which is gaining popularity in the United States—proposes to reduce feral cat populations without euthanasia. Following this method, typically cats are live-trapped and taken to a nearby veterinarian, where the cats are neutered/spayed and sometimes vaccinated for rabies. Then they are released back to the area where they were trapped. Because the sterilized cats can no longer reproduce, the assumption is that over time the numbers of feral cats in a colony will decline, and eventually the colony will cease to exist.

Advantages of Trap-Neuter-Release

• Humane approach: One of the main arguments in favor of TNR is that it is a humane way to control feral cat populations. By spaying and neutering the cats, TNR helps to prevent unwanted litters and reduces the overall number of homeless cats in the community.
• Health benefits to the cats: Spaying and neutering can help to reduce the risk of certain health problems for these animals, such as reproductive cancers, and can also help to prevent the spread of diseases among feral cat populations.
• Cost-effective: In the long run, TNR programs can be more cost-effective than traditional methods of managing feral cat populations, such as trap-and-kill programs. By reducing the overall number of feral cats in the community, TNR has the potential to lower the costs associated with animal control and shelter services.
• Community support: TNR programs often have the support of local communities and animal welfare organizations. By working together to implement TNR programs, communities can help to address the issue of feral cat overpopulation in a more sustainable and compassionate way.

Remember you can help promote TNR by donating to the Community Cat Fund through the purchase of an ornament to hang on the giving tree at the Lakelands Trail Veterinary Clinic. And don’t forget to take a moment as the holiday season approaches to thank all those in the community that have helped spay and neuter the community cats this year.

Thank you,
Dr. Cindy Anderson and the clinic staff

Cindy Anderson, DVM

Cindy Anderson, DVM, is a graduate of MSU Veterinary College (1992) and has practiced veterinary medicine for over 28 years. The Lakelands Trail Veterinary Clinic is located at 4525 S. M-52 in Stockbridge. Phone: 517-655-5551.