On Monday of this week, I helped out with some TNR (Trap, Neuter, Release) kitties. I didn't really know what to expect when I volunteered, other than I would be helping to release the feral cats that had been collected from various neighborhoods, taken to the Humane Society and spayed/neutered.
When I arrived at the building where the cats were waiting, I saw rows of cat traps, all carefully covered with blankets, to keep the kitties feeling safe. So many of them!
I helped one of the volunteers return about 20 feral cats to her backyard. She and her husband have taken on the HUGE task of caring for all of them. She called Unleashed Pet Rescue about the colony, to prevent future litters. Each one of the cats we brought back to her house looked very healthy (although not wanting anything to do with people), and some of them even had collars. She has also, of course, given each one a name.
My car loaded up and ready to go!
I was happy to learn that the rescues who take part in the TNR program evaluate each cat that comes through, and hold onto the ones that are friendly or too little to return to the streets. The only cats being taken back out after spay/neuter are the truly feral ones, who are far happier roaming free.
Can you find the feral cat? ;)
Basically, my small part in this team effort involved the relatively easy task of driving around town to various addresses and "freeing the cats". I was worried it would be hard to just put them back out there, but it was great to see them take off and head back to their safety zones.
I plan to help out again--I'm so glad there is a group of people--vets, volunteers, residents, rescues--who take part in caring for these cats who would otherwise be on their own.
Remember, if you see a cat with his or her ear clipped, like in the featured image, that's a TNR cat!
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