The Town of Altona has partnered with Furever Friends Cat Rescue to implement a new trap, neuter and release (TNR) program to reduce problems caused by feral cats, such as noise and foul odours.

In the TNR system, feral cats are caught, vaccinated, spayed or neutered and freed. The population then stabilizes over time and cats become less aggressive, resulting in a safer environment for neighbourhood pets and less disease being transmitted through open wounds.

The town previously used a trap and remove strategy, but Tracy Harder, spokesperson for Furever Friends Cat Rescue, said that method only temporarily reduces the number of feral cats.

So far, the TNR strategy has proven its worth, but there are still many cats roaming throughout the region, according to animal control officer Geoff Loewen. He suggests pet owners keep their cats indoors and get them spayed or neutered to avoid any future problems.
 
Cats, however, do play an essential role within the town's environment that Loewen said is necessary.

“Cats are great for outdoors – they're great mousers... so we want to have some around, but we want to reduce that population,” said Loewen.

With the TNR program in place, Harder said she thinks the outcome will benefit both the cat population  and the town.

“This is an investment in cats' lives and cats' health, and it demonstrates a socially-responsible, efficient, and compassionate approach to serving the animals and the public. Altona could be looked at as a progressive leader when it comes to dealing with feral issues and we want to keep that momentum moving in a forward direction by encouraging the public of Altona and the farms of the RM to become a part of the responsible solution and spay and neuter your cats in an effort to help our endeavour,” she said.