Hi all I'm new to this website and wanted to know if anyone here is involved mainly with feline spays and neuters - we are Barn  Cat Buddies and we are finding that although we've been around for 17 years in the Roanoke, Franklin county area of SW Virginia, there has been no decline in the feline population.  Even with low cost clinics and us helping the public with trapping, there seems to be no end in sight even a little bit of a dip. Anyone have ideas, thoughts comments about this? 

#CommunityCatManagement

------------------------------
Diane Novak
Volunteer
barn cat buddies.inc
SW VA
------------------------------

Hey Diane (and Judy)! 

Welcome to the site, and we so appreciate all your hard work for TNR in the region :) 

From some of what I've seen since the RVSPCA started our TNR program in 2021, a lot of the locations we have helped end up being "repeat clients"... but they don't reach out again until the population is out of control again. I personally think a lack of knowledge for outdoor cat caretakers about "best practices" does contribute to the problem for us. 

And, of course, we always have had trouble getting enough vet appointments to accommodate the number of cats in need, and trouble getting enough volunteers to trap/transport/overnight... etc etc.

In general though, I'd say we don't really have mainstream "buy-in" and support for TNR in our community. So the majority of caretakers, potential volunteers, local vet clinics just don't care to be involved in TNR. And it's been a struggle trying to figure out HOW to generate that interest/understanding for how important this is!

------------------------------
Erin Dams
Community Relations Coordinator
Roanoke Valley SPCA
Roanoke VA

Original Message:
Sent: 09-04-2024 08:47 AM
From: Diane Novak
Subject: Spays and Neuters

Hi all I'm new to this website and wanted to know if anyone here is involved mainly with feline spays and neuters - we are Barn  Cat Buddies and we are finding that although we've been around for 17 years in the Roanoke, Franklin county area of SW Virginia, there has been no decline in the feline population.  Even with low cost clinics and us helping the public with trapping, there seems to be no end in sight even a little bit of a dip. Anyone have ideas, thoughts comments about this? 

#CommunityCatManagement

------------------------------
Diane Novak
Volunteer
barn cat buddies.inc
SW VA
------------------------------

Hey Diane (and Judy)! 

Welcome to the site, and we so appreciate all your hard work for TNR in the region :) 

From some of what I've seen since the RVSPCA started our TNR program in 2021, a lot of the locations we have helped end up being "repeat clients"... but they don't reach out again until the population is out of control again. I personally think a lack of knowledge for outdoor cat caretakers about "best practices" does contribute to the problem for us. 

And, of course, we always have had trouble getting enough vet appointments to accommodate the number of cats in need, and trouble getting enough volunteers to trap/transport/overnight... etc etc.

In general though, I'd say we don't really have mainstream "buy-in" and support for TNR in our community. So the majority of caretakers, potential volunteers, local vet clinics just don't care to be involved in TNR. And it's been a struggle trying to figure out HOW to generate that interest/understanding for how important this is!

------------------------------
Erin Dams
Community Relations Coordinator
Roanoke Valley SPCA
Roanoke VA

Original Message:
Sent: 09-04-2024 08:47 AM
From: Diane Novak
Subject: Spays and Neuters

Hi all I'm new to this website and wanted to know if anyone here is involved mainly with feline spays and neuters - we are Barn  Cat Buddies and we are finding that although we've been around for 17 years in the Roanoke, Franklin county area of SW Virginia, there has been no decline in the feline population.  Even with low cost clinics and us helping the public with trapping, there seems to be no end in sight even a little bit of a dip. Anyone have ideas, thoughts comments about this? 

#CommunityCatManagement

------------------------------
Diane Novak
Volunteer
barn cat buddies.inc
SW VA
------------------------------

Absolutely! Reach out anytime as well that you want to talk (or commiserate together haha).

I forgot to mention as well - one local vet that HAD started partnering with us for TNR (once a month on Saturday, with their staff donating their time outside business hours for surgery) recently had to stop (for now). Someone from the public complained and reported them for taking feral cats and I guess questioning their health/safety standards... Even though the TNR cats come in through a different door than regular pets, and the traps go in their own room (without public pets). 

I don't fully understand how it's affecting them, but all TNr is on hold with them and I guess they need to get reviewed before they can consider it again.  So that's a GREAT example of how harmful people can be when they don't understand or believe in what we're trying to do with TNR.  And very few "regular" vets in our area do TNR; and now I could see this situation scaring others away from considering it. 

------------------------------
Erin Dams
Community Relations Coordinator
Roanoke Valley SPCA
Roanoke VA

Original Message:
Sent: 09-06-2024 06:32 AM
From: Erin Dams
Subject: Spays and Neuters

Hey Diane (and Judy)! 

Welcome to the site, and we so appreciate all your hard work for TNR in the region :) 

From some of what I've seen since the RVSPCA started our TNR program in 2021, a lot of the locations we have helped end up being "repeat clients"... but they don't reach out again until the population is out of control again. I personally think a lack of knowledge for outdoor cat caretakers about "best practices" does contribute to the problem for us. 

And, of course, we always have had trouble getting enough vet appointments to accommodate the number of cats in need, and trouble getting enough volunteers to trap/transport/overnight... etc etc.

In general though, I'd say we don't really have mainstream "buy-in" and support for TNR in our community. So the majority of caretakers, potential volunteers, local vet clinics just don't care to be involved in TNR. And it's been a struggle trying to figure out HOW to generate that interest/understanding for how important this is!

------------------------------
Erin Dams
Community Relations Coordinator
Roanoke Valley SPCA
Roanoke VA

Original Message:
Sent: 09-04-2024 08:47 AM
From: Diane Novak
Subject: Spays and Neuters

Hi all I'm new to this website and wanted to know if anyone here is involved mainly with feline spays and neuters - we are Barn  Cat Buddies and we are finding that although we've been around for 17 years in the Roanoke, Franklin county area of SW Virginia, there has been no decline in the feline population.  Even with low cost clinics and us helping the public with trapping, there seems to be no end in sight even a little bit of a dip. Anyone have ideas, thoughts comments about this? 

#CommunityCatManagement

------------------------------
Diane Novak
Volunteer
barn cat buddies.inc
SW VA
------------------------------

Hi all I'm new to this website and wanted to know if anyone here is involved mainly with feline spays and neuters - we are Barn  Cat Buddies and we are finding that although we've been around for 17 years in the Roanoke, Franklin county area of SW Virginia, there has been no decline in the feline population.  Even with low cost clinics and us helping the public with trapping, there seems to be no end in sight even a little bit of a dip. Anyone have ideas, thoughts comments about this?