Community Cats & Why They Matter!
Community cats, they live among us from cities to farms, even if we can’t always see them. According to Ally Cat Allies, “Cats living outdoors is nothing new. For most of their natural history, cats have lived outside alongside people. Evidence shows cats began living near people over 10,000 years ago, before the pyramids were built! It wasn’t until very recently, with the invention of kitty litter in the 1940s, that so many cats began living indoors only. Community cats are truly at home outdoors, just as countless cats have been for thousands of years.”
Know the facts! While community cats can do a good job of keeping rodent populations managed, reliable science shows they have little impact on wildlife populations, and given they have lived among us for over 10,000 years they have always been a part of our ecosystem – the real danger is not the cats, but the impact humans have on habitat!
These community cats may not like to snuggle in our laps, like their indoor cousins, but it doesn’t mean they don’t deserve our support and compassion. While there is a common misconception that outdoor cats are unhealthy, studies have shown these cats are just as healthy as indoor cats and often live just as long. There are many ways we can assure these outdoor kitties have a great quality of life!
So what can you do? Support our Barn Cat and Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) programs! Our MN based TNR program humanely traps community cats, brings them to a vet to be spay/neutered, microchipped, vaccinated, and ear tipped (universal sign that a cat went through a TNR program). The cats are then released to their original location to continue living with their community – now healthier, reducing the risk of the spread of disease, as well as the stresses of breeding.
Our TNR program helps our communities by eliminating nuisance behaviors like yowling, fighting, and spraying of un-neutered male cats, reduces and stabilizes community cat populations, saves tax-payers’ dollars, reduced the burden on local shelters and rescues, and provides a humane and collaborative way to address concerns and coexist with cats. (source Alley Cat Allies)
Want to support Pet Project Rescue’s efforts to support community cats in the Twin Cities? Join us from November 30th to December 3rd for our Barn Cat Program online auction on Facebook!
