More than 35 people turned out recently for free spay and neuter coupons. Lee County Domestic Animal Services partnered with non-profit Fortunate Ferals for the first event teaching about Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR), a process to lower feral cat populations.
Fortunate Ferals volunteer and speaker Kaylee Theroux said there are more than 250,000 feral cats in Lee County, according to local rescuers and research. TNR supports public health and shelter sustainability by controlling the population of community cat colonies.
“My experience trapping cats has been great, Theroux said. “There are some cases that are trickier than others. Some are bigger and take a lot more time, but each and every one is important and I have a lot of fun doing it. It feels great. Almost as good as helping a person, maybe even better.”
The first step of TNR is using a cage to trap a cat with catnip, fish, or cat food. Cape Coral Animal Shelter and Gulf Coast Humane Society loan out cages for this purpose. Cats are transported to one of seven local shelters accepting the coupons. The coupons cover a sterilization surgery, rabies vaccine, ear tip, and microchip. After a healing period, cats are released back into their environment.
Some attendees take care of a few cats, but others provide for ten, or even as many as twenty. Betsy Wooley hopes the three coupons she received will help manage the amount of cats she looks after.
“I have 20 cats that I’m feeding, and my family thinks I’m nuts,” Wooley said. “It’s not really a conscious decision, it just kind of happens over time. One has kittens, and then the kittens have kittens, and before you know it it’s just out of control. My family says, ‘Stop feeding them,’ but you just can’t do that.”
Attendee Randy Haffey felt the same, having accidentally become responsible for a community of cats after a neighbor died. That person left two cats in Haffey’s care.
“We had two female cats a year and a half ago, and that has turned into 13 cats,” Haffey said. “It’s a lot to put an end to this growing colony of cats. I’m not even a cat person, but we spend a lot of money taking care of them. This would definitely help, this is a huge step forward for people like me and my wife.”
Spaying and neutering does more than regulate cat populations. By lowering hormone levels, cats are less likely to develop mammary tumors and other cancers. Male cats are less prone to fighting, causing injuries and infections. Sterilization prevents inbreeding and birth defects as well.
A six-month average of 22% of cats taken in by shelters were euthanized, according to shelter statistics from Lee County Domestic Animal Services. Cancer, serious injuries, poor quality of life, and overcrowding in shelters are contributing factors that can be reduced through TNR.
“The most important thing would have to be that they can do it, and it is our responsibility as a community to do it,” Theroux said. “It’s important for people to know that if there is a problem out there with an animal, there is a solution. They just have to find it.”
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