The population of Feral Cats has been on the rise over the years and has become a significant problem in certain neighborhoods in Lansing. While for a long time the solution was to trap and kill these cats, Holly Thoms of Voiceless-Mi says, "If that was a good idea, it would have worked by now." Since it hadn't, it was time to try something else. Spurred by local organizations that were fed up with the cats, Voiceless-MI and The Capital Area Humane Society teamed up to try and new solution.
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The Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) program, does just what it says. They trap the animals, neuter them and return them to their home. While this doesn't get rid of the animals immediately, it prevents them from reproducing and deters new cats from entering their territory. Once the cat dies (feral cats have a much shorter life expectancy than house cats) no new cats will come to the area.
The organization, while purely volunteer based, uses local vet offices, and spay and neuter clinics to fix the cats. "We are keeping the clinics very busy," says Thoms. And while they hope to grow, their ultimate goal is to put themselves out of business by bringing the feral cat population down.
Source: Holly Thoms, President, Voiceless-MI
Writer: Allison Monroe, Innovation News Editor
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