By Rebecca Simmons

Julie Falconer loves her cats. But the affection that the Charlottesville, Virginia native has for felines isn't limited to her own pets—Falconer also volunteers to help hundreds of feral cats in her area.

Falconer is making a difference by employing an approach known as trap-neuter-return (TNR). TNR involves humanely trapping feral cats, having them spayed/neutered and vaccinated for rabies, and then returning them to their original territory where a caretaker provides regular food, shelter, and monitoring. Cats who have been through the TNR process are eartipped—the tip of their ear is clipped while the cat is under anesthesia—so the cat can easily be identified as being part of a managed colony.

"The most rewarding part of being involved in TNR is the instant gratification," says Falconer. "I want to contribute to ending pet overpopulation. Feral cats—and their kittens—are a major source of the cats and kittens surrendered to animal shelters each year. One good night of trapping on my own can result in 10 or 11 cats who will no longer produce litters of kittens. That's a lot of births prevented, and the cats will lead longer, healthier, and safer lives freed from the stress of breeding."

Now, through a strategic collaboration between The HSUS and Neighborhood Cats, a New York City-based organization that specializes in feral cat management, and the launch of a new, self-paced online course through The HSUS's Humane Society University, anyone can learn to do what Falconer finds so rewarding—manage feral cat populations in their own backyard.

Community Collaboration

Although there are no clear statistics on the numbers of feral cats in the United States, estimates range from 10-90 million. These cats are the offspring of once owned cats who were lost or abandoned. They tend to be unsocialized, live in a colony or group of similar cats, and shy away from people depending on how many generations they are removed from regular human contact. Many Good Samaritans feed feral cats, but these people may not realize they can also help by humanely reducing the numbers of rapidly multiplying cats.

"These animals exist through no fault of their own, and they need our help. There are a large number of cats affected and, without human intervention, their numbers will only increase," says Nancy Peterson, feral cat program manager for The HSUS.

The HSUS and Neighborhood Cats will work together to spread that message—and the necessary skills to implement TNR—to communities around the nation. Several resources are being developed to help caretakers effectively manage feral cat populations.

"By collaborating, Neighborhood Cats and The HSUS will be able to help communities nationwide work towards non-lethal control of selected feral cat populations," says Peterson.

Over the last several years, Neighborhood Cats has been extremely successful in reaching its community, and beyond. In response to New York City's feral cat overpopulation crisis, the organization was formed in 1999 to promote TNR as the most effective means of solving the crisis.

"The HSUS believes that TNR, with ongoing management by dedicated caretakers, currently provides the most effective long-term method for decreasing the numbers of feral cats," says Peterson. "In addition, for pet cats lucky enough to have a responsible home, we advocate keeping those cats indoors or safely confined. It's critical that cats be spayed and neutered before they have the opportunity to produce even one litter and that people not abandon their cats."

Creating Animal Allies

The collaborators' first resource is a self-paced online course launched by Humane Society University, titled "Trap-Neuter-Return: How to Manage a Feral Cat Colony." The course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about TNR.

"The goal of the course is to empower people who want to work directly with feral cats by giving them the practical skills and knowledge needed to safely and effectively practice TNR," says Bryan Kortis, executive director of Neighborhood Cats and course developer. "This course is designed for people who want to work hands-on with feral cats in order to stop their reproduction, reduce their nuisance behavior, and provide the cats with the best quality of life possible in their circumstances. The course will supply the information needed to achieve this."

Enrollment is open to private citizens, animal shelter workers, animal control officers, veterinarians, policy makers, public health workers, and others who are interested in learning more about the mechanics of TNR and why it can be an effective tool in feral cat management.

In addition, the course is designed to be accessible to people with time or money constraints.

"It's self-paced so people with limited time can complete it at their own pace," says Kortis. "And the $50 fee is modest compared to the amount of time, money, and effort the student would otherwise spend trying to manage a feral cat colony without proper instruction."

Additional resources, all slated to become available over the next several months, include:

• A new statement supporting Trap, Neuter, and Return programs;
• An online course through Humane Society University for animal shelters and adoption groups;
• A day-long workshop on feral cats at The HSUS's annual Animal Care Expo in Anaheim, California, held in March 2006;
•  Increased support materials for handling obstacles to feral cat management.

With support for TNR growing and resources becoming increasingly available, it's never been a better time for individuals to get involved in managing their community's feral cat population.

Volunteers with experience in TNR agree that the results of their efforts really do have an effect on the felines they help.

"I would definitely encourage people to get involved in TNR," says Falconer. "Volunteers can make a world of difference for cats in their communities."

Rebecca Simmons is the Outreach Communications Coordinator for the Companion Animals section of The HSUS.