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Hi, I’m Dr. Maja! Read my introduction to learn more about me and Miki, the kitten who made me a cat person.
As a cat lover, you may have come across an acronym TNR, which stands for Trap Neuter and Release (or Return). These are generally volunteer and charity based veterinary programs across the world, that focus on managing the stray and feral cat (and dog) populations. There are different legislations and rules surrounding these programs depending on the particular country and state, and in some cases, although not commonly, there may be legal implications or even prohibitions regarding them.
However, there is great value in performing such programs, when it comes to managing the ever-growing stray and feral cat population and number of abandoned, sick or injured cats. Neutering ensures there are no unwanted pregnancies, dumped kittens, or heat-related behavior that leads to cats fighting and contracting nasty viral diseases, that cause chronic health issues and eventually may lead to death, while infecting further cats they come in contact with. These programs give the stray and feral cats the best chance of living a healthier and longer life, not focused on the continuous cycle of reproduction, and generally makes it safer for pet cats that come in contact with them.
Greece, It’s Not Just The Lovely Beaches
I would love to share my personal experience of participating in these programs, to give you a window into what happens behind the scenes. I have been a vet for 9 years now, and back in 2017 I came across a Greek charity that has dedicated their time and effort towards helping cats in Kefalonia, a Greek island in the Ionian Sea.
Kefalonia’s rocky beach
When you think of Greece, you can’t help but think of Athens, one of the most popular cultural and historical sites in the world, but also the lovely beaches, islands and mind blowing Greek food, with something to offer for every type of tourist. But, if you’ve been to Greece, similarly to many countries around the world, there are cats everywhere.
A cat sleeping in Athens, Greece
You can’t miss them. They may be sunbathing on a nearby archaeological site, or they may be waiting at restaurants for tourists or owners to give them some food. And there may be cats with unusually shorter left ear tips, meaning the very tip of the left ear is missing. If you’ve come across cats like this while exploring Greece, or other Mediterranean countries, then you have seen the cats that have been neutered and treated as a part of a TNR.
What Happens During a TNR?
Many people may think of TNRs as cruel and inconsiderate ways to capture cats, before putting them through painful surgery, in order to remove their natural ability and right to reproduce, just to be released back on the street. But there is much more to it. First of all, there are the people who make it all happen.
The registered charity I work with, called the Kefalonia Animal Trust, or KATs, is really just a bunch of women and their husbands, dedicating their time every single day to helping the cats. They are regular people like us, living their lives and working 9–5 jobs, while some are even retired, but unlike most, their days are filled with cats that don’t belong to them.
The volunteer team for KATs
Feeding the cat colonies morning and evening, providing water and shelter, taking sick and injured cats to the vets, raising money through book clubs and charity shops, and so much more. They inspire me to be a better person, when I see the care and kindness they put into their work, to help their community and raise awareness about animal welfare.
Trap
And yes, they catch the cats. But it takes time and patience, and you need to understand cats and their language. They use traps and boxes, tempting them with food, and no animals get injured in the process. Each gets their own carrier box, that is disinfected before every cat, and covered with a towel, all in order to minimize stress. When the cats are asleep for their neutering or spaying, we give them a detailed health check, remove any ticks, apply the flea and tick treatment and wormers, clean any of their wounds and sometimes vaccinate them. They get pain killers, so they can recover in the best possible way.
Trapping a cat using food
Neuter/Spay
After surgery is performed under anesthesia, each cat is given the care they deserve at least for those 24 hours, before they get back on the street. However, this is their life and they have found ways to survive. Without being forced to continue reproducing, whether they want it or not, as instincts are not something they can choose to go against, they can continue their life in a healthier way and many will now thrive. If you’ve seen a neutered or spayed street cat, you can easily notice they are generally looking fuller, healthier, and tend to more easily approach people, while cats that haven’t been neutered are usually quite scared, often skinny, with a poor coat and big bellies.
Me neutering a cat
Release
They stay inside the carriers overnight after their surgery and get offered food and water before being released the next day, in the same location. And if they are sick or badly injured, they may get taken to the local vet for further treatment or be kept with one of the volunteers during their recovery.
Cats in cat boxes, recovering after their procedure
It may be a scary experience for most cats, being captured and handled by strangers, but most of them do not seem too phased after even just a few days. There was a male cat we caught at the site of our field clinic two years ago, as he kept visiting daily, being curious about what we were doing. After we neutered him, he continued visiting us for the whole program, returning for food, despite “losing” his manhood. He wasn’t too fussed about that. These examples bring us joy, to know we have made a difference for every single one of them.
Neutered cat, hanging out at the field clinic daily
Why Does The Ear Need To Be Tipped?
Ear tipping, or removing a small part of the ear tip, usually on the left ear, under anesthesia, may seem like a cruel procedure. In reality, it’s a pretty straightforward procedure that takes only a few seconds and doesn’t cause the cat any lasting harm, while it enables the volunteers and TNR staff to easily recognize a neutered cat from a distance.
If the cats weren’t ear tipped, some particularly more friendly cats may get caught several times and unnecessarily go through another sedation, before it’s realized they were already “done”. This is easy to see on male cats, as their genital organs, testicles, are on the outside. For females, if they were neutered very early as kittens, a scar may not be visible, and the poor animal may go through a second surgery, only to establish there are no reproductive organs in the abdomen.
Neutered cat in Kefalonia, with a tipped ear
This is why a quick ear tipping, that causes transient discomfort, brings easy identification of the cat from a distance.
Emotions Surrounding a TNR
The last TNR program I did was the hardest, as you can’t stay unaffected seeing all these animals, some of which are in a very poor state, and hearing stories of human cruelty towards them, without feeling helpless. And to make the matter more complex, I came back home with a skin-and-bone sick rescue dog, as I couldn’t turn a blind eye knowing there was something I could do, to make it at least a bit better, one animal at a time. Will I go back, yes of course, after I recharge my batteries a little bit, spending time with my animals who remind me why I am a vet.
Feral Greek cat
What Does the Future Hold?
TNRs are quite intensive programs, that require a lot of donations from supporters, and dedicated volunteers and veterinary staff that are ready to find the time, to travel often to distant parts of the world, in order to make a difference. Luckily, it seems that the future may bring us some hope. There is a novel treatment using anti-Müllerian hormone, or gene therapy, that may replace the need for surgery. This would certainly allow us to make a greater impact on feline stray and feral populations and their health long term, with less stress for the cats, being able to help more than we have had so far. The future sounds promising and I am excited to see what it means for the TNR programs and the cats.
Featured image credit: Feeding a stray and feral cat colony at the TNR field clinic, with the female cat to the right being neutered during the program || All photos by Dr. Maja Platisa
