Applause For Feral Cat Action

WE applaud the success of the Cat Protection Society’s Swakopmund branch in reducing the numbers of feral cats and improving their quality of life (‘Swakopmund’s Rodent Patrol’s Days Are Numbered’, August 8).

In the United States and elsewhere, there is great debate as to the effectiveness of trapping and removing feral cats, and instituting such measures is usually beyond the resource capabilities of most municipalities. Volunteers, such as Karene Brewis, do fortunately exist for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts, and this alone puts TNR programmes at a significant advantage.A very important aspect of a successful TNR program also involves long-term care and monitoring of the colony by dedicated caretakers.Such vigilance ensures that any newcomers are immediately trapped for appropriate TNR or placement; without such vigilance, feral cat populations will quickly increase.Trap and removal may accomplish a short-term reduction in the numbers of feral cats, but over the long-term it will entail an endless cycle.TNR has been shown to reduce the numbers of cats over time and is a much better use of time, money and resources.More information is available at www.humanesociety.org/feralcats.Nancy Peterson, RVT Feral Cat Program Manager The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037Volunteers, such as Karene Brewis, do fortunately exist for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts, and this alone puts TNR programmes at a significant advantage.A very important aspect of a successful TNR program also involves long-term care and monitoring of the colony by dedicated caretakers.Such vigilance ensures that any newcomers are immediately trapped for appropriate TNR or placement; without such vigilance, feral cat populations will quickly increase.Trap and removal may accomplish a short-term reduction in the numbers of feral cats, but over the long-term it will entail an endless cycle.TNR has been shown to reduce the numbers of cats over time and is a much better use of time, money and resources.More information is available at www.humanesociety.org/feralcats.Nancy Peterson, RVT Feral Cat Program Manager The Humane Society of the United States, 2100 L Street, NW Washington, DC 20037