Cats, Cats, and more Cats.
They’re in our streets, they’re in our yards, you here them cry, you watch them die, by the passing cars that do not care why.
With every passing day cats in our community continue to multiply. There are over 12,000 feral cats within the city limits. This has been an ongoing problem for quite some time. The Humane Society Pikes Peak Region definitely know about this issue and have been hard at work since 2011trying to rectify the problem.
The Trap Neuter and Return (TNR) program has a unique way of looking at the cat population. If you were to just catch the cats and euthanize them another cat would just take their place because cats are very territorial. If one would trap the cats bring them in and get them spayed or neutered and return them to the neighborhood in which they were found where they could live out the rest of their life. This would prevent the cats from multiply it will also prevent cat cries at night because they will not be looking for mates. They would not scent neighborhood bringing more cats in for the mating season.
The TNR program also does ear tipping, a quarter of an inch is removed from the tip of the left ear in a straight line. Ear tipping is the easiest way to identify a feral cat as being sterilized. If an ear tipped sterilized feral cat is caught during a “TNR catching”, the cat can immediately be released. If the cat is otherwise identified (such as a tattoo or microchip) the feral cat would be subjected to stressful handling which would also expose the Colony Manager to possible injury. Ear tipping shows that a cat has been sterilized, vaccinated and is part of a managed feral colony. Ear tipping is approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association. Ear tipping is a medical surgical procedure done while the cat is under anesthesia. Ear tipping is considered essential by experienced feral cat advocates and is endorsed by all major humane groups.
The Humane Society Pike’s Peak region has a Feral Cat Colony Managers Program. These Colony managers provide adequate food and water for the cats on a regular basis, year-round. They also are responsible for trapping and bringing feral cats to the Humane Society to get spade or neutered and ear tipped. Colony Managers are required to file an annual report and keep an ongoing census of the colony. They have to contact Pueblo Animal Services about any changes or events pertaining to the colony.
If you do not want to be a colony manager and have a feral cat in your neighborhood you could catch it and bring in to the Humane Society. However, if you leave the cat there they will probably euthanized it. If you think that’s inhumane there are other places that will except unwanted cats and dog. For example, The Southern Colorado Spay and Neuter Association (SoCo) they are a no kill shelter. SoCo can facilitate hold up to 13 dogs and up to 160 cats, according to Lisa Buccambuso, the owner facility. Another option if you can afford it just get the cat spayed or neutered. Wondering what it would cost, at SoCo it will run you about $40.00 to $45.00 cost depending on its gender.
According to Gretchen M. Pressley Community Relations Manager at Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region “The TNR program relies heavily on alert citizens and volunteers. With 345 colony managers just in the city limits alone in 2015.” She also reports than 2015 pueblo animal service had spayed and neutered 1,287 cats under the TNR program.
Let’s all help make Pueblo a better place, not only for but for your pets as well. As Bob Barker ended every Price is Right, a TV Game show, “Help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered."
