Calling All Cat Lovers: What Do You Know About TNVR?

Chances are, you've spotted a stray cat or two in the neighborhood at some point.  The cute and cuddly visitor that has taken up residency on your deck, or under the neighbor's tree.

I bet there are even some of us that just love animals so much that they end up making a rookie mistake and feeding those cats, right? It's me, I did that and ended up feeding and caring for some cats that weren't feral at all, they had homes in the neighborhood but were enjoying the love they were getting at our house so they invited more local kitty friends to get in on the action and more and more cats kept showing up at my house.

Anyway, while it's great to be an animal lover and take care of strays you may come across, there's actually a way to properly care for feral and community cats while helping to control the feral cat population.  Let's break it down.

TNVR:  What's It Mean?

You may have heard the phrase TNR before when it comes to caring for feral cats, but let's make sure everyone understands what TNVR means - Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return.

Basically, TNVR is a way to control feral and free-roaming cat populations, aka, cats that don't have a home.  These animals were likely born outside and cannot live in homes, as they have never had human interaction. There's a way to humanely trap them (DCSPCA even has traps that can be used), affordable neuter and vaccine clinics, and then a proper way to release them back into the community.  In some cases, young kittens may be able to be socialized and then adopted out rather than released back outside.

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Dutchess County SPCA TNVR Presentation

The Dutchess County SPCA has announced they will be offering a TNVR presentation this Saturday, June 9th, at the Pleasant Valley Library Community Room.  The session will run from 11 am until 1 pm, and registration is required.

While there, participants will learn 'about what life is like for ownerless cats living outdoors, how they got there, and what we can do about it.'  The DCSPCA Executive Director, Lynne Meloccaro, who does so much for the Dutchess County animal population, will lead the discussion about the importance of caring for feral cats, and what we, as community members, can do to help.

More About the Dutchess County SPCA

During the past few months alone, we've highlighted a great deal of the incredible efforts coming from the staff at the DCSPCA, like sleeping in the shelter during snow storms to care for the animals, and the work they recently did to try and get pet oxygen mask donations for local fire departments, and even a virtual kitten shower during kitten season that was so incredibly adorable.