Experts in population modeling, economics, wildlife conservation, and animal welfare collaborated on the bioeconomic research, which shows the projected cumulative costs, plus long-term decreases in free-roaming cat (FRC) populations, associated with different management interventions.

“The work helps answer crucial questions for the animal welfare community, policymakers, and conservationists,” says co-lead author Valerie Benka, Director of Programs for the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs, which facilitated the research. “It gives insight into what must be done to see lasting change in cat populations, as well as the related cumulative costs for organizations.”

The model simulations show that Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) can work extremely well, but the best outcomes and economic efficiency require that sterilizations be “frontloaded” and performed intensively early in the intervention. Authors defined that as quickly sterilizing 75% of intact cats, and continuing to sterilize that proportion of remaining (or new) intact cats over time—something that will yield a high percentage of sterilized cats in the community with many fewer sterilization surgeries needed in the
maintenance phase. Gradual TNR interventions can be costly without yielding significant reductions in population numbers long-term. They also aren’t as effective at reducing numbers of “preventable” cat and kitten deaths relative to doing intensive work up front.

The model shows that removal of cats successfully reduces populations over time. Removal for adoption is highly effective, but very costly. For results to be significant and cost-effective, cats must undergo lethal removal at a scale not widely practiced because of the constant and intensive killing required, and the desire of communities for more humane alternatives. The model shows that the more sporadic removal typically seen in communities is both costly and minimally effective.

“One big take-away from this research is that TNR works—and works well!—but it must be done strategically and intensively at the start for positive long-term results,” explains Margaret Slater, Vice President of Research at the ASPCA®, and co-author of the study. “The results are a call to action for TNR advocates, animal welfare organizations, and grantmakers to reflect on how they implement and fund TNR.”

And no matter the intervention, abandonment and immigration of new cats can quickly undermine progress, speaking to the importance of identifying sources of new FRCs, supporting vulnerable owners and pets, and focusing on access to veterinary care in underserved populations.

“This paper comes at an important time and aligns well with research from the DC Cat Count,” explains wildlife biologist Dr. John Boone, who participated in both initiatives. “The DC Cat Count brings valuable new ways to calculate numbers of cats in communities. This modeling work shows us what to do to manage them.”

The complete article can be read at no cost here. For those seeking practical take-aways from the modeling without all the technical background, the study authors created this user-friendly guidance document. It covers key findings from our research, and the recommendations and guidelines that result. More information on the research can also be found on ACC&D’s website.

About the study collaborators: This study is the product of an unprecedented joint effort by experts in cat welfare, wildlife conservation and veterinary medicine. Contributors come from the Alliance for Contraception in Cats & Dogs (ACC&D); American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA); Conservation Planning Specialist Group (CPSG); Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University; Great Basin Bird Observatory; Hunter College Program in Animal Behavior and Conservation; United States Department of Agriculture – National Wildlife Research Center (USDANWRC); and University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. ACC&D coordinated this study; the work was made possible by grants from the ASPCA, Merial (now Boehringer Ingelheim), and Kenneth A. Scott Charitable Trust.

ACC&D is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advance non-surgical sterilants and contraceptives for cats and dogs and to promote their global accessibility. For more information visit www.acc-d.org.

Benefits from adopting bonded cats:

• Easier transition from a shelter to a new home. Your new cat family members can more easily welcome new surroundings and new people if they have a familiar friend or friends to help them acclimate.
• If you’re gone during the day for work or have other obligations, a single cat may be lonely…and bored. What could be better than a play buddy or a friend to snuggle with on the sofa.
• When you’re home, cats can be very entertaining as they chase and hide from each other, running through the house having fun.
• Better grooming. Cats groom each other as a sign of affection. Bonded friends can also help keep faces and ears groomed — places that are hard for cats to reach on their own heads. What’s more relaxing than watching cats groom each other, and then plop down in a pile of purrs?
• Stronger social skills. Having a bonded pair of cats means they know how hard to play with each other, how to share territory, and how to communicate their needs. In the future if you decide to adopt again, the social skills your cats have developed and maintained may make adding another cat an easier transition for all.
• Better health. If you have more than one cat, you increase the chances them staying healthy, because even as they get older, they’ll have someone to play tag and wrestle with. An active lifestyle can increase your cats’ lifespan and keep them healthier overall.
• And most important of all, it’s very difficult for cats to be separated from their siblings and friends. Please consider adopting a pair.

I am 5 months old, and I love playing with my roommate, Chloe. (She’s the kitty on the left in the photo.) I think maybe my super-duper kitten energy tires Chloe out a little bit, but I can’t help it! It’s who I am. Here’s to Kitten Power!

When I first got to the shelter, my meow sounded like a squeak but guess what?? Chloe’s meow sounded like a squeak, too, so I knew we were going to be a team. We even look a little bit alike, don’t we? In fact, we just recently found a new home together with some wonderful hoomans!

Some of our hobbies are hunting down wiggly, squiggly toys that we can pounce on and wrestle with, and watching the bubbles that hoomans take out of a jar and somehow get to float in the air. When the bubbles drop down to the floor, they suddenly disappear. I know! Can you believe it? I haven’t figured bubbles out yet, but I am certain that someday I will capture one.

Can I tell you a secret? When I was still at the shelter, there was kitten kibble for me to eat, but I am most fond of snarfing down wet food. I paid special attention when the volunteer brought in the smelly wet food and as soon as the dish was on the floor, my head was in it. It is the best. I was even faster than Chloe when it came to getting to the wet food!

Anyway, Chloe and I are so happy to have found our forever home together. And thank you to everyone at LFFAC for helping us get there!

Because so many of our households have feline family members, we thought it would be helpful to share a list of plants that are poisonous to these beloved four-leggeds. The list of 17 plants that we are including in this post is from the ASPCAPro website (see below for the link) but there are any number of good resources available with just a little online searching.

Here is the list: Lilies, marijuana, sago palm, tulip/narcissus bulbs, azalea/rhododendron, oleander, castor bean, cyclamen, kalanchoe, amaryllis, autumn crocus, chrysanthemum, English ivy, peace lily, pothos, and schefflera. Other plants that commonly appear in poisonous plant lists are geraniums, jade plant, and rubber tree.

A more extensive list of toxic plants, as well as a list of those that are non-toxic, can be found on the ASPCA website here: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/animal-poison-control/cats-plant-list

You might also want to revisit our website article regarding foxtails, “Foxtails – A cute name for a dangerous plant”: https://longmontfriendsofcats.org/articles/

Consider keeping this information handy, as well as the telephone numbers of your regular veterinarian and an emergency vet, just in case your curious kitty decides to sample a plant that is not kitty-friendly. The ASPCA also has a Poison Control Center that can be reached at 1-888-426-4435.

Here’s to keeping our fabulous felines out of harm’s way!

Additional sites with useful information:

https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/17-plants-poisonous-pets

https://www.animalhealthfoundation.org/blog/2020/04/a-pet-owners-guide-to-flowers-and-plants/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoIi5qLXq8gIVWz2tBh3ZgQCjEAAYASAAEgL3RvD_BwE

https://be.chewy.com/which-plants-are-poisonous-to-cats-a-complete-guide/

https://www.rd.com/list/houseplants-cat-owners-should-avoid/

Photo credit: Linnea Sandbakk on stocksnap.io

Let’s begin with Batman, shall we? And if you feel the urge to hum the theme music from the 60s TV show, go for it!

While our Batman may not be fighting crime in Gotham City, he certainly is our Caped Crusader of Cuteness! Without further ado, meet Batman:

Meow, everyone! Let me tell you a little about myself.

I am a bundle of floofy, black and white fabulousness, with bright yellow-green eyes, a pink nose, and whiskers that are to die for.

One of my most favorite things ever is being brushed. Just call me: “Batman! Brush!” That will do it. Really! I will come running from wherever I am just to be brushed. I will watch you closely and wait for you to sit down with the brush and then I will be by your side as quickly as my paws can get me there. Brush the top of my head, brush my back, brush my cheeks (yes!), brush my tail. And be sure to brush my tummy, please! It’s true! I love to have my tummy brushed. And while I am being brushed, I will express my pleasure with a rumbling purr and synchronized paw flares.

I share shelter space with three other kitties who are all gray and white. (They just happen to be my brother and sisters!) I am the only black and white kitty in our group and that makes me very easy to spot. Of course, quite honestly, my sweet temperament makes me a standout in any crowd.

I also like to play with toys that wiggle and move quickly. My eyes flash and I concentrate, waiting for the precise moment to pounce. My other favorite things are kibble and sun puddles. Sun puddles are the best. After I have been brushed and am totally relaxed, I like to plop down in a sun puddle to take a well-deserved nap. And speaking of naps, I feel another one coming on, so I’d best be off. Things to do! Purrfect nap spots to find! I hope you have enjoyed this short story of me, Batman!

We’re very excited to have the Shelter designation to help more under-socialized, community cats who have been displaced from their homes. Originally, the purpose of the shelter was strictly to support our TNR program by giving us a low stress environment for skilled volunteers to tame under-socialized cats and kittens when it was determined that they were appropriate for adoption into human homes. In addition, we needed space for feral adults who required temporary housing for medical care or re-homing, or for kittens who needed medical care or to grow before we transferred them to shelters for adoption. We soon found that there was also a need to partner with other shelters or rescue groups that have older, displaced feral kittens but do not have the staff or volunteers to tame them. Because we have time to keep them and skilled volunteers to work with them, we can socialize the cats and find them human forever homes.

In the coming spring, we are looking forward to moving our Big T’s Colony to the shelter property where they’ll continue to be cared for daily by Big T’s feeders. These cats are getting older (8+) and will need to be monitored more closely. The property they live on now has been for sale for several years and is rapidly changing in a way that will be less safe for these cats. We’re looking forward to having them close by where we can feed and check on them at least twice a day.

What you can do:

• remove any foxtails from your yard
• avoid areas where foxtails grow
• check your pet after they’ve been outside

Signs to look for:

• sneezing, runny nose
• partially closed, reddened eye
• pawing at ear
• limping when walking, raised lump on paw
• gagging, coughing, retching, repeated swallowing

If your pet exhibits any of these symptoms, contact your vet ASAP, because foxtails need to be surgically removed, and they can be fatal.

Sources:

Four Hazards of Foxtails for Pets By Dr. Fiona Caldwell, a veterinarian and writer for Pets Best

Beware: It’s Foxtail Season in Colorado by Alta Vista Animal Hospital