Missouri Coalition of Animal Care Organizations

Who doesn’t need more foster homes right now? Commit your organization to doing these seven easy things to grow your foster program! https://www.humananimalsupportservices.org//recruit-more/

Should fostering be the new normal in animal sheltering? Take 29 minutes and listen to this amazing interview to inspire the foster program of your dreams! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywimTHhL3yg

In less than 100 days, we will finally be able to gather in-person to discuss how we can collaborate to elevate the collection impact of the animal welfare industry in the Midwest. It’s our favorite time of year, and we can’t wait to network with you!

Win a free ticket to attend the 2021 Midwest Animal Sheltering Conference - over $100 value! Be sure to complete the steps on or before June 13th and comment on the original post (not a shared post) to be eligible to win!

Community cats live full, healthy lives outdoors. In fact, a 2006 study found that of 103,643 stray and feral cats examined in spay/neuter clinics in six states from 1993 to 2004, less than 1 percent of those cats needed to be euthanized due to debilitating conditions, trauma, or infectious diseases.

Imagine if we met rehoming decisions with compassion and not judgement. Is it good for a pet to be in a home where the people don’t have the resources to address its needs? Is it good to keep a pet in a home because the person has been publicly shamed to keep the pet? No, it isn’t. What’s best for the pet is to find a home with a person who can give them the brightest future. That’s what we should focus on. When people rehome their pet, it is because they recognize that thei...r pet needs something they can’t give it. We should meet that agonizing decision with compassion and when possible, help them find resources that might help them keep their pet. But we also must acknowledge that this is sometimes the most selfless thing someone can do for their dog and that it gives the dog a chance to have the best life someone can give it. https://animalfarmfoundation.org//we-need-to-stop-stigma/

Americans want humane solutionsthey want TNR. More than 80% of Americans believe it is more humane to leave a cat outside than to have her caught and killed, according to a 2007 study conducted by Harris Interactive for Alley Cat Allies. Trap-Neuter-Return reflects Americans’ humane ethic that community cats deserve to live out their lives in their outdoor homes.

The process of Trap-Neuter-Return has an immense benefit for the cats that are involved in these programs, explains Dr. Levy. They’re vaccinated, so they’re less susceptible to infectious diseases. Although feral cats are healthy, vaccinations given during TNR protect them even further.

TNR results in a reduction of mating behaviors, like roaming, yowling, spraying, and fighting. In a 2002 study conducted by prominent researcher Julie Levy, DVM, caregivers reported that cats tended to roam less after neutering, which is beneficial for their safety and reduces conflict with neighbors. With decreased competition for mating, the cats are also less likely to suffer injuries. A study of a feral cat colony in London conducted by leading cat biologists and TNR pioneers Dr. Jenny Remfry and Peter Neville found that cats were more affectionate towards each other after neutering, spending more time in groups and fighting less.

Attempts to permanently remove cats from an area always fail because of a natural and scientifically-documented phenomenon known as the vacuum effect. Whenever cats are removed, new cats move in, or the surviving cats left behind, breed to capacity. As a result of the vacuum effect, non-TNR approaches to feral cats are not only cruel and pointless, they are also completely ineffective at stabilizing the cat population.