Community Cats: How to Save a Life this Winter Season
By Kristen Koirtyohann
Now that the autumn leaves have fallen from the trees and twinkling holiday lights have taken their place, it’s safe to say that winter is here to stay. While this time of year can be magical for some, it’s also difficult for others, such as our local outdoor community cats.
What are Community Cats?
The Animal Welfare League of Arlington defines community cats as “unowned, free-roaming cats who live outdoors.” These cats can range in age from kittens to adults, can be friendly (or less so), and can be altered or unaltered. They do not have a specific owner or home, but they’re cared for by people in the neighborhood. Types of care include giving fresh food and water, offering an outdoor shelter safe from predators, and providing veterinary care through a Trap-Neuter-Return-Monitor (TNRM) program.
What is a TNRM Program?
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) defines TNRM as “the method of humanely trapping community cats, having them spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies, and then returning them to their managed location to live out their lives. TNRM also involves a cat caretaker who provides food and monitors the cats’ wellbeing as well as identifying and quickly trapping new intact cats.”
Cats that have been through a TNRM program are marked with an ear-tip (i.e., a tiny portion of their ear tip is painlessly removed under anesthesia, usually in conjunction with their spay/neuter surgery). This shows the community that the cat has already been through a TNRM program and is spayed/neutered and vaccinated.
The ASPCA studies’ have shown that “by sterilizing at least 75% of cats in a group within a six-month period (and continuing to sterilize at least 75% of the remaining intact cats), TNRM helps stabilize the population of community cats and, over time, reduce the number of cats.”
Reducing the number of unowned cats in the community has several benefits. First, TNRM programs save innocent lives and prevent more kittens from being born into the homelessness cycle. All over the country, and specifically here in northern Virginia, shelters are at capacity and have more cats and kittens than homes and people willing to take them. Second, the community also benefits by having fewer nuisances from the cats such as noise, spraying, mating, and fighting.
How Can I Help Community Cats?
Become a caregiver: If you choose to become a community cat caregiver in your neighborhood, identify any cats that may need to go through a TNRM program and then continue to care for them throughout their lifespan. This includes providing fresh food and water daily, as well as clean and safe shelter, and overseeing their general care and wellbeing. This also includes looking out for new cats to the area who may also need to be spayed/neutered and vaccinated.
Buy or build a shelter: With temperatures plummeting, it’s important for community cats to have a warm and safe shelter to stay out of harm’s way from both wintry weather and predators. If buying a premade shelter is not in the budget, consider learning to build one for your community cats or to donate to other local community programs.
An effective shelter can be made from a few simple materials: two plastic containers, styrofoam, and straw. (Never hay. Remember, “hay is for horses; straw is for strays.”) There are accoutrements that can be added to enhance the shelter such as an inner styrofoam container to further insulate the vessel, warming pads, a flap door, an extra entrance/exit hole, and even a wireless camera to monitor your new friends!
But to keep it simple, first cut a small hole in a plastic container, one that is large enough for a cat to enter and exit, but too small for a predator such as a fox or raccoon. Insert a second smaller container into the first one. The outer container will keep the inner one dry and warm. Then, insulate the inner container with straw and styrofoam. You can even put extra straw in between the two containers for an additional layer of warmth and insulation. Remember, never use blankets, towels, or newspapers in a shelter as these items can freeze when wet and cause harm and hypothermia to the cat using it.
It helps to place the shelter somewhere close to where the community cats hang out, but not too close to their food, which could attract predators. They’re most likely to use the shelter when it is concealed from traffic and people and in a quiet spot, such as under a bush or deck or against a wall. It also helps to place the shelter off the ground, like on a wood plank or board. This provides further protection from rain, snow, and cold.
Ally Cat Allies has published a comprehensive guide to shelters, including multiple instruction manuals and YouTube videos. This is link to their website: https://www.alleycat.org/resources/how-to-build-an-outdoor-shelter/
Finally, reach out to local shelters and programs to offer your support: Local shelters and programs often have many unfilled volunteer positions. These can include transporting cats to veterinary appointments, humanely trapping cats to put them through a TNRM program, opening your home to foster cats recovering from medical procedures, and volunteering at adoption events, among many other needs. Shelters and animal welfare programs local to the area include King Street Cats, the Animal Welfare League of Arlington, the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, and the SPCA of Northern Virginia.
When you choose to provide a community cat with a bowl of food to fill its belly or a shelter to provide it with warmth and safety, you’re not only providing comfort and happiness, but you’re saving a life as well. For more information on how to best become a community cat caregiver, please refer to the sources listed below, many of which are local to this area. Happy holidays to all!
About the Author: Kristen Koirtyohann has two indoor cats, Harrison and Atticus, and is a caretaker for several community cat colonies in the area. She looks forward to seeing her outdoor friends each day.
Sources:
https://www.awla.org/wildlife-animal-control/protecting-animals/community-cat-program/
https://www.aspca.org/helping-shelters-people-pets/closer-look-community-cats
https://www.alleycat.org/resources/how-to-build-an-outdoor-shelter/
https://www.alleycat.org/resources/feral-cat-shelter-options-gallery/