Cat overpopulation is the single largest animal welfare issue facing our community.
As a largely rural county, cats are multiplying at an alarming rate in the barns
of local farms as well as in residential and business areas. Here at ACHS we experience
some of the consequences of cat overpopulation every day. Our small shelter is stretched
way over intended capacity housing roughly 85 cats at any given time. We also place
several cats in foster care, and we have a seemingly endless list of cats waiting
to come in. Litter after litter of kittens comes though our door, and while we have
great success socializing them and adopting them out, we cannot move quickly enough
to stay ahead of the problem. As such, we believe it is absolutely imperative that
we work to get as many cats spayed or neutered as we possibly can. Without such
efforts, our cat population will continue to expand, and more animals will suffer
the consequences.
The most effective and humane way to care for and ultimately reduce the feral population
is through a TNR program. TNR stands for Trap-Neuter-Return, where cats are humanely
captured in traps, spayed or neutered by a veterinarian, vaccinated, and returned to
their original location where they can live out their lives. TNR is only suitable in
locations where the cats are welcome to stay, and there is a person committed to
feeding them and keeping a watchful eye over the residents.
Farms are often burdened with cat overpopulation. We know it is not uncommon for people
to drop unwanted cats off at farms or for stray cats to seek shelter in local barns.
The cost of spaying and neutering can make it difficult to control these populations.
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