12,000 Homeless Kittens Will Not be Born in Cleveland In 2009

Landmark 1,000th Feral Cat Surgery at Cleveland APL Clinic

Late in the evening of November 11th or early in the morning of November 12th, a cat in the Cleveland area will enter a humane trap and be transported by a compassionate caregiver for the 1,000th TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) surgery at the Cleveland Animal Protective League’s (APL) Animal Welfare Spay-Neuter Clinic (AWC). The AWC, which opened in February, is providing low-cost services for people who care for these unowned cats who are found in virtually every neighborhood in the area. 

“Without this program, the 1,000 feral cats who have been spayed or neutered in our clinic since February would have each put at least 12, but up to 36 homeless kittens, on the streets of our community in 2009.  If you do the math … that’s 12,000 to 36,000 cats!” said Sharon Harvey, Cleveland APL Executive Director, “We’re delighted to offer these low-cost spay-neuter services to compassionate people who are out there every day caring for cats they can’t ever touch or hear purr.”

Feral cats are the offspring of socialized cats who breed outside and survive by forming colonies around sources of food and shelter. Harvey points to studies that show that sterilizing felines in feral colonies will first stabilize the number of resident cats and then lead to a decline through attrition. Nuisance behaviors associated with breeding, such as the yowling of females or the spraying of toms, are virtually eliminated.  Because of the prolific nature of cats, removing individuals for euthanasia when even one cat remains will fail to help the cats or control the problem as it fails to stop the endless cycle of breeding or homelessness. Unspayed cats can go into heat at 4 months of age and give birth to 3 litters each year. 

The Cleveland APL provides box traps and training in their use to people who want to stop the breeding of cats in their yard or neighborhood. Cats transported to the APL clinic are then sterilized and vaccinated for rabies and other infectious feline diseases. Cats who have undergone the procedure are ear-tipped for identification – meaning a small portion of the left ear is painlessly removed showing that they have been sterilized. They are then returned to their familiar habitats under the care of dedicated caretakers. The fee for surgery and vaccination is just $40.

For more information about the Cleveland APL’s TNR program, call Marta Anderson, Cleveland APL Spay/Neuter and TNR Services Manager, at 216.771.4616; ext. 124 or to learn more about the APL’s program and other programs in the area, visit www.clevelandapl.org/tnr.htm.