Do Your Part For Our Felines

Written By Susan Roberts
 

Many cats living on the streets will become pregnant if they are not already spayed or neutered. That leads to kittens who will be born only to die traumatic deaths afterwards. It also leads to the spread of disease such as FIV or FELV, and fighting or wandering that end up in fatal injuries. There is still time to prevent the suffering by starting spay/neuter projects. For this #WiseWednesday, we want to share some tips and resources related to Trap Neuter Return (TNR).

 

Tip 1: Reach out

While people and organizations are busy, if you reach out and keep reaching out, there is often someone who can at least advise on the next steps. Be kind and polite, keeping in mind that the real responsibility for your local project is your own. Just because someone is a volunteer, it doesn’t make it their job to help you. Offer compensation for transportation or other related costs, and be as flexible as possible in working around busy schedules.

 

Tip 2: Research resource options

One of the trickier aspects of starting a TNR project in a foreign country is the language barrier. Thankfully, we now have resources to help overcome those difficulties. Google translate can be used to find good search terms or to write reach-out messages, and Chrome can be used to translate websites. Here’s an article with more detailed advice on that: https://animalrescueguide.org/.../searching-for-rescue...

 

Tip 3: Connect with local TNR volunteers

Along with the small number of spay/neuter clinics, there are also local clinics that support TNR by offering lower cost spay/neuter services. However, they usually operate under the radar and can often be difficult to find. The best way to connect with these clinics tends to be first connecting with local TNR volunteers. Use the research strategies listed above to track down blogs and social media accounts that you can kindly reach out to.

 

Tip 4: Advocate with neighbors

Be prepared to politely explain and defend what you are doing. It’s reasonable for people in the community to be concerned about cats living on the streets. It’s important to reassure everyone that these cats will no longer be reproducing, and that you will manage any issues that might come up. It can be helpful  to point out that government-based animal control centers (hokenjo) are supportive of TNR as a way to address overpopulation of stray cats in communities. Provide printed out information to clarify the plan.

 

Tip 5: Be responsible

It’s important to plan to address some of the main problems with cats living outside in communities. These are primarily health issues (vaccinate before release for prevention); toileting in gardens (create a sandbox toilet that you maintain); trash from feeding (clean up after feeding and don’t leave packages or cans to be blown into yards); abandonment of new cats or kittens (monitor the colony for any new comers that might be left there and spay/neuter ASAP).

 
 

While we can’t reasonably bring every cat living outside into safe sheltered environments, we can at least improve their quality of life and prevent the needless suffering of offspring. We can also show the community that humane animal solutions can be found. And, we can live more happily in communities where cats are not continuously being born only to suffer and die. Nobody can do everything, but everybody can do something.

 

Check out the links to resources below:

  • Zero No Kai (spay/neuter clinic in Kyoto) – *Must* have a Japanese speaker help with reservations. Now open every day except Wednesdays, taking phone calls from 10am to 1pm, and spaying/neutering in the afternoons. Phone number: 075-441-0509. Location is in Kamigyo-ku. Website: https://www.zeronokai-vh.com

Susan Roberts
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