TNR Essay

Adalina Garcia

17 March 2021

Saving Neighborhood Cats: TNR

It breaks my heart to see and witness countless animals be abandoned by their owners.

There are about 70 million stray animals in the United States and I truly believe we should all

strive to change this, and help these poor cats. For as far back as I can remember, there have

always been countless stray cats all around my neighborhood and the city of Pittsburg. My

neighborhood was filled with stray cats that had to face the dangers of nature alone. It devastated

me knowing that these cats don’t have access to food or shelter and that some of them once had a

loving home.

When I was younger my parents would always tell me stories of how they would help

abandoned animals ranging from dogs, cats, rabbits, and even a few birds. The first time I ever

witnessed my parents help an animal was on October 24, 2009. It was the day after my little

brother’s birthday party, there were decorations all over the house and the house was just a mess.

I was 5 at the time and my mom, dad, brother, and I were all cleaning the house. There was a

really strong rainstorm and it was pouring rain and it was really windy and cold. While we were

cleaning we heard meowing outside of our house. My mom and I looked outside and noticed a

small soaking wet kitten with black and white spots and this cat’s mother ran off the moment we

opened the door. My mom had me go tell my father what we saw. I honestly can’t quite

remember how they managed to trap that kitten but soon enough that kitten was in our home and

was getting a flea bath. The kitten was covered in fleas to the point that his fur had a pink tint.

My brother and I watched as my mom and dad removed the fleas out of his fur. Shortly after my

whole family fell in love with the stray kitten, we named him Happy and he has been a part of

our family ever since.

In September 2020 my dad and I were cleaning the garage and we noticed five stray cats

hiding under the parked cars in our driveway. Seeing these cats motivated me to help and get

these cats off the streets. That night my dad and I lured the cats into the garage with some treats.

I tried to gain the cats' trust but they were very timid and they would run away every time I

reached out to pet them. After many failed attempts my dad and I came up with a plan. We

decided to make a trap out of supplies we had in our garage. While I continued to attempt to lure

the cats into the garage, my dad scavenged around the garage and made a trap out of an old dog

crate and some rope. He tied the rope in a way so that when the rope is pulled the crate shuts. I

put some cat food into the crate, then my dad and I hid so that the cats wouldn't be as scared,

soon enough one of the cats entered the crate and we caught the cat.

My mother then got ahold of Project Delta View Cats, which is an all-volunteer group,

dedicated to promoting and delivering the humane management of the city of Pittsburg's

abandoned community cats. My family and I have assisted Project Delta View Cats to spay,

neuter, and adopted them out to a loving home. Since September we have helped spay, neuter,

and adopt around 50 cats of all ages. I had never known or heard of TNR until September 2020.

Alley Cat Allies talks about the benefits of TNR (Trap, Neuter, Return) on their website,

“Trap-Neuter-Return is the humane and effective approach for stray and feral cats. Now in

practice for decades in the US after being proven in Europe, scientific studies show that

Trap-Neuter-Return improves the lives of feral cats, improves their relationships with the people

who live near them, and decreases the size of colonies over time”. My family and I started

assisting in this TNR campaign due to the outrageous amount of stray cats in our neighborhood.

There have always been stray cats in our neighborhood but it has gotten out of hand and there are

cats everywhere you look.

This all wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for the help of kind people around our

community, many people allowed us to set up cat traps with food in their yards and they would

alert us if a cat was caught. We have also had people donate cages, food, litter, and many other

supplies so that we can house these cats while they heal from being spayed or neutered and

potentially get them adopted. I have helped these cats basically every day since September 2020,

when I wake up I would go downstairs and tend to the cats, this consist of cleaning the cat cages,

scooping litter, and giving the cats food and water. Throughout the day I would spend time trying

to bond with the tamable cats that we have caught so that they have a better chance at being

adopted. I would sit in my parent’s room while I’m doing virtual school, I would let the cat

explore my parents’ room until they are comfortable then if the cat lets me I will try to pet them

and try to gain their trust. I personally think it’s easier to tame and bond with kittens and younger

cats. My absolute favorite part about spending time with these cats is watching them learn to

trust humans again, on February 23, 2021, we received a call about two young cats who needed

our help. When they arrived at our house they were very scared and didn’t trust anyone. We later

learned that they came from an abusive household that mistreated them. It brings me so much joy

to see these cats change from not knowing what it was like to be loved, to cats that follow me

everywhere asking for attention and to be pet.

While most of my “Trap, Neuter, Return” experiences have ended in the cats being

adopted. It doesn’t always end that way, I have helped with cats who are just too feral and too

timid and we have no choice but to release them back into the neighborhood. In that article

published by Alley Cat Allies that I referenced earlier talked about how TNR is beneficial even to

the cats that are too feral to be adopted and need to be returned to where they were found,

“Trap-Neuter-Return Improves Cats’ Lives...relieves cats of the constant stresses of mating and

pregnancy… mating behaviors cease, like roaming, yowling, spraying, and fighting… cats’

physical health improves… cats are vaccinated against rabies… cats live long healthy lives”.

Out of all the cats we have rescued, one cat truly made me realize how important it is to

help these animals. His name is Chewbacca, when we first got him his fur was extremely matted

and he was extremely underweight. We brought him to the vet and they told us that he had

several health conditions. Chewbacca has kidney disease, a heart murmur, and gum disease. He

was in such bad health that the veterinarians couldn't tell how old he is. On one of the first days

we got Chewbacca I was petting him and then out of nowhere, I started sobbing. Seeing him

reminded me of my oldest cat (Happy) who was once a stray, and I realized that my cat could

have ended up like Chewbacca. Both the people at Project Delta View Cats and I believe that

Chewbacca once had owners and was abandoned due to his health problems. Currently,

Chewbacca is still living with my family and me until he passes due to the fact that he has so

many health problems and it would be extremely expensive to get him to perfect health.

Working with Project Delta View Cats has taught me compassion, patience, and just

reinforced my love for animals. Many of these stray cats have experienced human kindness and

are eager to be taken inside, where they will be given comfort, food, loving care, and affection as

they learn to trust again in the human-animal relationship. It is essential that when people adopt

an animal that they realize how much of a commitment owning a pet is.

Works Cited

“Why Trap-Neuter-Return Feral Cats? The Case for TNR.” Alley Cat Allies,

www.alleycat.org/resources/why-trap-neuter-return-feral-cats-the-case-for-tnr/.