Trap-neuter-return program is essential

Nancy Peterson, Washington

Saturday, Aug. 16, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.

Regarding a story in Wednesday’s Las Vegas Sun headlined “She’d ‘legalize’ feral cats to save them”:

I applaud Clark County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani’s efforts to reduce the feral cat population and improve the cats’ and community’s quality of life through a recognized trap-neuter-return program.

Spay and neuter, an essential component of a trap-neuter-return program, prevents reproduction and results in an immediate reduction in the number of homeless cats. Further declines in population occur because feral kittens — which can be socialized — and lost or abandoned pet cats are removed from the streets and evaluated for adoption. Feral cat caretakers provide additional community service by trapping new cats for appropriate trap-neuter-return programs or adoption.

However, caretakers did not create cat homelessness and should not be expected to combat the issue alone. Low-cost spay and neuter must be available to them and to low-income pet owners. In addition to spaying and neutering pet cats before even one litter is born, it is essential to keep them indoors or safely confined to their property and provide them with visible identification so they do not contribute to cat overpopulation and homelessness.

Also critical to the effectiveness of trap-neuter-return programs are ordinances that do not make its practice immensely difficult for caretakers.

I urge Clark County officials and citizens to support a life- and money-saving trap-neuter-return program.

The writer is the feral cat program manager for the Humane Society of the United States.