Trap, Neuter, Return Catching on for Stray Cats

Stepping onto the back porch of Suzanne Des Marais's row house in Washington, D.C., a visitor might be skeptical about the colony of feral cats she supposedly feeds.

This photo released by Alley Cat Allies shows an eartip signifies a feral cat has been neutered. (AP Photo/Alley Cat Allies,Jason Putsche)

(AP)

There isn't a feline in sight, until she points to a pair of yellow eyes peeking between boards at the top of a fence. The black cat keeps its distance, apparently alone, then she picks up food dishes and suddenly three cats are watching from the next yard.

"They know the sounds, like the clanging of the dishes," Des Marais says.

These are authentic alley cats — an alley runs past her backyard gate — but they're far from the raggedy specimens the term brings to mind. And Des Marais's loving care of her "regulars" stretches well beyond food.

Des Marais is a volunteer advocate of the Trap-Neuter-Return approach to managing stray cats. The tips are missing from the left ears of those she feeds, identifying them as cats that have already been captured and returned to their home territory, with vaccinations thrown in as well.

The approach, known as TNR, used to be close to an underground movement but is now standard policy for major animal welfare organizations like the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and the Humane Society of the United States. More than 250 nonprofit TNR organizations operate nationwide.

The District of Columbia has about 400 cat colonies with almost 2,000 cats that have been spayed, neutered and vaccinated by the CatNiPP program of the Washington Humane Society, says program director Bridget Speiser.

Neighbors are often skeptical at first: Why trap the cats and then put them back instead of finding them homes?

The TNR programs generally do try to adopt out friendly strays. But true feral cats, born and bred on the streets, missed out on a crucial period in their lives (before about 8 weeks of age) to become socialized to humans, according to cat advocacy organization Alley Cat Allies.