DIRECTIONS Compile all critical information (See the Best Friends worksheet/checklist)Best Friends...
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Transcript of DIRECTIONS Compile all critical information (See the Best Friends worksheet/checklist)Best Friends...
DIRECTIONS
• Compile all critical information (See the Best Friends worksheet/checklist)
• Make copies of the Best Friends FAQ document for officials
• Delete this slide from your presentation• Personalize this PowerPoint presentation as
appropriate• Practice the presentation, keeping in mind any
time constraints
• SPEAKER’S NAME• CREDENTIALS• ORGANIZATION AFFILIATION
(if applicable)• CONTACT INFORMATION• Phone• Email
INSERT A PICTURE OF THE SPEAKER HERE
Free-Roaming Cat Dynamics
Ownership status• Owned• Unowned
Lifestyle• Indoor only• Free-roaming outdoor• Free-roaming unowned
Socialization status• Friendly• Unsocialized
Continuum• Move from one lifestyle to another
Community/Free-Roaming Cats Exist in all types of
environments May impact:
• Public health• Environment• Cat welfare
7% to 26% of U.S. households feedcommunity cats*
*American Association of Feline Practitioners
Traditional Management Methods Community cats are often
unsocial, so they are deemed unadoptable and killed in shelters
Community cats produce the majority of kittens entering shelters
The sheltering system is ill-equipped to handle these unsocialized animals
Trap and Kill Ineffective Fails to curtail population
growth Costly Leads to compassion fatigue:
• High employee turnover in shelters
• Taints public image Publicly unpalatable
Philosophical Shift in Animal Control
“The cost for picking up and simply euthanizing and disposing of animals is horrendous, in both the philosophical and the economic sense.”
—Mark Kumpf, President, National Animal Control Association, 2010
TNR: A Non-Lethal Management Plan
Humanely trapped Evaluated by a
veterinarian Spayed/neutered Ear-tipped Vaccinated Returned to the habitat
where originally trapped
Cat Deterrents
• Provide non-lethal, proactive strategies
• Deter cats away from areas where cats are not wanted (e.g., backyard, garden)
Video about cat deterrents: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5nnOibg6nYc
Benefits of TNR
Reduces shelter admissions and euthanasia rates
Improves public health Provides access to grant
funding and volunteer participation
Decreases nuisance complaints
Stabilizes and even reduces the number of cats
TNR SuccessesJacksonville, Florida: Feral Freedom
Jacksonville reported: Net savings: 2007–2010• $160,000 • 13,000 lives
Decrease in feline nuisance complaints
31% decrease in feline shelter admissions• FY06–07: 13,455• FY09–10: 10,302
Jacksonville: Feral Freedom
0
20
40
60
80
100
JUL 07 JAN 08 JUL 08 JAN 09 JUL 09 JAN 10 JUL 10
Perc
ent o
f Int
ake
Impact on Feline Live Release RateLRR (%) w/FF LRR (%) w/o FF
Salt Lake City: Feral Fix
Feral Fix program (launched in 2008) reported:• 2008–2010: SLC improved its save rate by 40.4%
Result: Overall cost savings of more than $65,000 • 2008–2010: Utah save rate only improved 4.7%
In 2010, SLC realized a 21.8% decrease in shelter cat intake from 2009
No increase in feline nuisance complaints
Other Examples (as Reported by Some Organizations)
Maricopa County, Arizona: cost per cat • $61 to trap, hold and euthanize • $23 to TNR
Indianapolis, Indiana: cost per cat • $130 to trap, hold and
euthanize (national average)• $20 to TNR (IndyFeral)
Utah Community Cat Act§11-46-303
Gives Utah cities the freedom to release cats immediately for TNR
Community cats are eligible for release prior to the 5-day hold period
Hazards of Feeding Bans They are impossible to
enforce Starving cats continue to
breed Desperate cats move closer to
homes Malnourished cats are more
susceptible to illness and parasites
Other food sources are available
Criminalizing kindness is bad public policy
Problems with Cat Licensing
Difficult to enforce May increase shelter
admissions because if too costly, people relinquish cats
Hard to market for indoor-only cats
TNR implications:• Cost-prohibitive• Cats are not “owned”
Hazards of Pet Limits
Limits are arbitrary Negatively impacts
responsible pet owners Difficult and costly to
enforce Fails to prevent
hoarding situations May deter people from
fostering animals
Cats Are Not the Primary Threat to Birds
“By far the largest threat to birds is loss and/or degradation of habitat”*• Human development• Agriculture
Chemical toxins Direct exploitation
• Hunting• Capturing birds for pets
*Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Threats to Native Birds:http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/conservation/planning/threats
Liability Unsocialized cats tend to avoid people, thus
minimizing likelihood of contact Community cats are typically vaccinated against
rabies Liability results from negligence: A municipality’s
involvement in TNR for the purpose of reducing free-roaming cat populations, protecting public health (mandatory rabies vaccinations), and resolving nuisance complaints is NOT negligence
Advantages of Adopting a TNR Ordinance
Promotes community involvement
Establishes reasonable standards
Defines duties Encourages caregiver
cooperation Gains caregiver trust
Effective Public Policy Must consider the
human dimension No solution works in
every area Need creative,
integrated programs Must be cost-effective TNR (for maximum
effect)• Caregiver trust and
cooperation• Adoption
Existing Resources in(insert name of city/town/or county)
Compile a list of all resources available to support TNR of free-roaming cats:• Funding• Existing programs• Volunteers• Cooperative agreements• Etc.
Ask them for what you want
• Be clear and concise• Do you want:
Money? If so, how much?Bans lifted?TNR ordinance adopted?