Volunteers work to help the ‘wild cats’ of Jackson
JACKSON, Tenn. — Some local residents are volunteering to help some community fur babies.
Wild cats, also known as feral cats, have gathered in colonies throughout the Hub City for awhile now, mostly in the older neighborhoods.
A local organization called Trap, Neuter, and Release, or TNR, is pairing with volunteers and feeders, people who have chosen to feed cats and care for those near them, to help reduce the number of reproductions among these groups of cats.
“We’ve only been going a year, and we have already trapped about 170 cats,” said Kathy A. Arrington, the head of TNR.
Organizations like these are vital, as female cats can produce two to three litters per year, equaling over 100 cats per lifetime.
By helping to lower the population of the community cats, as TNR calls them, residents are able to experience less of the issues these colonies can bring into their area.
The process TNR has implemented is pretty straightforward. Once they are contacted by an approved feeder, TNR will start off by helping them trap the cats.
“They go into these traps and what happens once they cross what we call a clip plate, the trap locks within the trap,” Arrington said.
Once the cat has been trapped, it will be taken to the vet where is can receive a rabies vaccine, be neutered or spayed depending on the age of the cat, then it will be taken back to the feeder, where they are shown how to properly release the cats back into the community.
TNR also works with West Tennessee Spay and Neuter, an organization that helps owners and their pets.
“The other animals, is all West Tennessee and they are owned animals. They just need assistance getting their animals spaded or neutered,” Arrington said.
Before the cats have been released back to the feeders, their ears will be slightly clipped for future identification.
If you have a feral or community cat situation, call Kitty Katchers at (240) 604-7269.
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