Cats of UNL
Management Options
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR)
Under this method, cats are trapped, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, eartipped for identification, and returned to their territory where a caretaker will feed, shelter, and monitor them.
Sanctuaries
Cat sanctuaries offer a safe place for cats to be cared for and live out the rest of their lives off of the streets.
Trap & Remove
Similar to TNR, but cats are placed into a shelter or relocated to another territory instead of returned to their previous territory.
Euthanasia
Painless, drug-induced death for cats (i.e., putting them to sleep) to immediately reduce population size.
Working Cat Programs
Cats are adopted by those that live outside of city limits to be farm cats and kill barn pests, such as rodents.
Feeding Bans
Preventing the feeding of cats, in hopes that they will leave the territory to search for food elsewhere.
Trap-Neuter-Return
Advantages
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Improves the quality of life for the cats
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Reduces or eliminates births in the population
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Will eventually reduce the number of cats over time
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Reduces or elimates certain nuisance behaviors (e.g., fighting & spraying)
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Sometimes kittens can be removed & socialized to be adopted
Disadvantages
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Many feral cat caretakers have to use their own money to feed & shelter cats
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Some veterinarians do not work with feral cats
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Does not eliminate the threat of feral cats on native wildlife (they still hunt when returned)
Trap & Remove
Advantages
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Removes the threat to wildlife posed by the cats
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Reduces / eliminates nuisance behavior from previous territory
Disadvantages
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Rarely solves the issue completely because cats may leave new territory and return to old territory
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Alternatively, other cats may move into the old territory when it becomes vacant
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A lower population size may accelerate growth rate until carrying capacity is reached again
Working Cat Programs
Advantages
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A presence of feral cats discourages presence of rodents on farms
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Removes cats from urban areas where cars, buildings, and people are abundant
Disadvantages
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Requires a confinement period (2-4 weeks) to acclimate the cat to its new environment
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The cat still may try to leave to find its old territory
Cat Sanctuaries
Advantages
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Offer a safe place for cats to live off of the streets
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Most cats are able to adapt to living at the sanctuaries
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Cats receive high-quality care
Disadvantages
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Excessive cost associated with caring for so many cats​
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Requires abundance of space and time and extensive knowledge of feral cats
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Sanctuaries get overcrowded quickly, which could cause disease-related problems
Euthanasia
Advantages
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Quickest way to diminish a population of feral cats
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Useful in areas with highly vulnerable wildlife (i.e., threatened or endangered species)
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Also helpful in areas with excessively large feral cat populations
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Prevents the cats from dying an otherwise more gruesome death (e.g., starvation, vehicle trauma, weather extremes)
Disadvantages
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Expensive and resource intensive
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Controversial in terms of social values and animals rights
Feeding Bans
Advantages
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Minimizes contact between people and feral cats
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Encourages cats to look elsewhere for food
Disadvantages
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Difficult to detect feeding & enforce ban
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Resistance from caretaking citizens
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They will find other sources of food: wildlife, dumpsters, etc.
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Will likely be ineffective because cats can go days without eating and do not like to leave their territory
Less Common Management Strategies
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More feral cat legislation & management funding for feral cat management to displace responsibility from caretaking citizens
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Contraceptives that are environmentally safe and nonsurgical
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Poison baiting with sodium fluoroacetate
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Shooting / hunting / culling
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Exclusion fencing
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Dogs for detection or guarding