The Vacuum Effect: why catch and kill does't work

Source: Alley Cat Allies

Removing cats from an area by killing or relocating them is not only cruel—it’s pointless. Scientific evidence indicates that removing feral cat populations only opens up the habitat to an influx of new cats, either from neighboring territories or born from survivors. Each time cats are removed, the population will rebound through a natural phenomenon known as the “vacuum effect,” drawing the community into a costly, endless cycle of trapping and killing. Please click here for more information.

Scientific evidence supporting TNR

Source: Alley Cat Allies

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) is the only effective method of stabilizing outdoor cat colonies. As a result of TNR, the birth of new kittens in the colony slows down and eventually ends when all the cats are spayed/neutered. After using the costly catch and kill method for decades and failing to stabilize cat populations, local officials and animal control officers everywhere have realized that they need a completely different approach. Some TNR programs have now been in place for as many as 25 years and are a testimony to how well this approach works. That’s why the number of municipalities that officially endorse this approach increased tenfold between 2003 and 2013. Please click here for more information.

Feral Cats and the Public: A Healthy Relationship

Source: Alley Cat Allies

Feral cats are not a threat to public health and they do not spread disease. Most diseases that infect cats can only be spread from cat to cat, not from cat to human. You are much more likely to catch an infectious disease from the person standing in line with you at the grocery store than from a cat. Infectious diseases can only spread from cats to humans via direct contact with either the cat or its feces, and feral cats typically avoid humans. Please click here for more information.