Running head: FERAL CATS 1

NMSU Feral Cat Management Program

Ashleigh Trujillo

New Mexico State University

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Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

NMSU Feral Cat Management Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Trap-Neuter-Return Program . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Interviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Abstract

The feral cat issue at New Mexico State University is a problem but isnt harmful to the staff and

students but in time I could develop in to a problem that can hurt everyone involved. Individuals

on campus are feeding these stray cats which make these colonies return to campus which is

starting to make the population of them multiply. With the number of cats increasing its hard for

animal shelters to keep track. The good thing is that when a cat is taken to a vet they perform ear

tipping on the cats left ear which helps let people know in the future that the cat has already been

spayed/neutered and vaccinated. When the vets finish with the procedure the cats are returned

back to where they were trapped. The trap-neuter-return program may not stop the problem of

the growing feral cat population but it will maintain the problem until something else comes up

to be done with the cats.

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Introduction

Everyone loves animals, especially those that love cats but most people like the idea of cats

wondering around there backyards at night. Feral cats are different from domesticated cats in the

sense that stray cats have little no human interaction. Feral cats can be considered stray cats, who

no longer live in homes. Cats often live in what people call colonies. A colony is a group of

cats that live together in one territory. In the cases that the animal shelters catch these animals to

treat them of illnesses they will also spay and neuter them to try and control the populations of

these cats. When they are captured they will growl, hiss, bare their teeth, or strike out. It is just

the instinct of the animal to try and protect itself from what they think is danger. Around the

university some people will feed them while others try to get rid of them. Some people keep

feeding these animals and that makes them to keep returning. The main problem of feral cats is

their ever growing population and for us to find a way to manage it so that it doesnt grow

anymore out of control.

NMSU Feral Cat Management Program

The NMSU Feral Cat Management Program otherwise known as FCaMP is a small all

volunteer organization that has permission from the NMSU administration to conduct a Trap-

Neuter-Return (TNR) program on campus. Their mission is to stabilize the feral cat population at

NMSU and obtaining this goal by spaying or neutering, vaccinating and microchipping the

felines: tipping their left ear to identify them as having been TNRd. Spaying and neutering is the

most important part of management control because of the fact that they will not be able to

multiply and make the populations grow. The cats are then returned to campus where they will

live out their lives. Each year these females if left unsprayed could potentially produce 2-3 litters
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of 3-5 kittens each. The FCaMP runs off of the generous donations of time and money from

NMSU students, staff, faculty and other local and various support.

Trap-Neuter-Return Program

The trap-neuter-return (TNR) program is the human approach to addressing community cat

populations according to Alley Cat Allies. They have also stated that it improves the lives of

cats, addresses community concerns, reduces complaints about cats and stops the breeding cycle.

The cats are trapped, brought to a veterinarian, ear tipped (which is the universal sign that a cat

has been spayed/neutered and vaccinated), and then returned to their outdoor home. According to

Feral Cat Coalition there are 5 steps to the trap-neuter-return program. The first step is

preparation for trapping; you want to get the cat used to eating at the same spot everyday along

with getting them used to the trap being there while they are eating. Dont feed the cats the

day/night before you are going to trap them to ensure that they will come when you lay out the

trap. You will also have to plan very carefully because it is very unlikely that an animal will be

trapped twice because they learn very quickly. Step two is setting the traps; you will want to plan

to set the traps before or at the cats normal feeding time. Make sure that the weather is

acceptable for the cats to be in. Make sure that the trap is nicely covered so that it is camouflaged

and can help to calm the cat after its caught. Step three is waiting for success; keep an eye on

the trap but dont remain in sight so the cat cant see you. Check the trap every 15 minutes or so.

Once a cat is caught you will want to make sure that it is the cat that you were intending to catch.

Step four is holding procedure; after a cat is caught you night have to hold it overnight till you

can get it to a vet, you dont want to feed the cat but you can put a small bowl of water in the

trap. The final step is releasing the cats; you will want to pick a nice place to release the cat so
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they dont associate it with any danger. Keep the trap door away from yourself, the cat might run

right when the door opens or stay in the trap. Dont rush the cat and let it go at its own pace.

Interviews

I interviewed two people about the rising concern of the feral cat population. The first

person I interviewed was Jen Souhrada who is a co-owner of an Albuquerque cat program and

has also worked in a spay/neuter clinic. When asked what her experience dealing with feral cats

was she said In the 9 years I have been doing rescue work, I have trapped many cats and kittens

for the Trap-Neuter-Return program. I have also worked in the spay/neuter clinic and have been

hand on for the treatment and sterilization of the kitten. Ms. Souhrada continues to work with

trying to find forever home for cats and kittens. When asked what she believed is best for them

she commented, I believe that the trap-neuter-return program is the best way to take care of the

feral cat population. They are sterilized and returned to the only home they know. She also

brings up that the breeding of the cats needs to be stopped or the endings for most of them wont

be a good one. Along with stating that just because we feel bad for them doesnt mean they are

completely unhappy.

The second person I interviewed was Niki Mott who is a part of the English department

at NMSU and has taught an animal science English class. When Mrs. Mott was asked how she

felt about feral cats her response was, of the animals that have been domesticated, cats seem to

be the ones best adapted to living on their own if food is available. However she stated that

cats with caring homes that provide proper food, water and medical attention will always be

healthier. Mrs. Mott has also stated that A catch-neuter-release program, I think, is appropriate,

although it may give students the impression that its okay to adopt a cat, then abandon it
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because someone else will take care of it or it will do well on its own., when asked what she felt

should be done with feral cats. She has also stated that ideally, there would be enough people to

give them proper caring homes. But because theyre reproductive rates, they quickly outnumber

potential homes. Lastly Mrs. Mott states that within her 20 years at NMSU she hasnt seen the

cats on campus very much when asked if she has seen any of the cats around the NMSU campus.

Conclusion

With the ever growing population of the feral cats the trap-neuter-return program is the

best way to manage it. The trap-neuter-return program is a humane approach to minimizing the

feral cat population while also being able to improve the co-existence between outdoor cats and

humans in the shared environment. I have explained the way to use the trap-neuter-return method

with any feral cats that you might have seen hanging around along with a way to identify if they

the cat has already been through the TNR program. I have also specified the program at NMSU

that deals with the feral cats on campus and how they work.
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References

Alley Cat Allies. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from https://www.alleycat.org/

Corella, M. NMSU Feral Cat Management Program. Retrieved April 18, 2017, from

http://fcamp.nmsu.edu/

Feral Cat Coalition. (n.d.). Retrieved April 18, 2017, from http://feralcat.com/

Mott, N. Interviewed April 16, 2017

Souhrada, J. Interviewed April 15, 2017