29/03/2025
Why we RETURN!
Also, some people don't realize that many colony cats consider where they live outdoors with their caretaker as HOME. We return them to their home because they are fed, have other cats that are their family, and this is what they know and love. Relocating feral/colony cats is something we almost always discourage because of this! Taking them from what they know and placing them in a random barn(that YOU think is better) is overwhelming and dangerous. Many times they will die trying to find their previous home. RETURNING cats to where they came from is a very important part of TNR, that's why we have the R in there!!
Some folks are uncomfortable with the RETURN part of T-N-R (trap neuter return). Here's an explanation of why we do what we do to help others understand.
There are an estimated 50-80 million homeless cats in the United States alone. Kitten season has begun and millions more will be born this spring. 🌷😔
It's heartbreaking. 💔 But, here is the fact:
👉 There are not enough homes for all of the cats and kittens. 👈
Well-intentioned followers will ask, "Why don't you find that cat a home?". Because there is no space available. 😞 There are THOUSANDS of adoptable cats at all of our local shelters who could potentially die without a home. But people want us to keep pulling any and every cat from outdoors to find it a home. Current population numbers make this an impossible task. But there is hope through spay and neuter‼️
We are grateful our shelter accepts ✅ young kittens. They also do wonderful work for ✅ sick and injured community cats. We are blessed they provide space for those who need it most ❤️🩹 and we utilize this resource to the fullest! They have the largest foster program in the area, but even they have limits. Space is not unlimited. Fosters are not unlimited. Funds are not unlimited.
If you are an individual who comes across a homeless cat (or even a whole litter) and you are willing and able to take them in (socialize them, if needed), we encourage you and applaud you! We WANT you to do that, as long as you are able to get those kitties fixed. But if you are that person who was fortunate enough to be able to do that and CHOSE to do that, please don't pass judgment on those who are not able to do the same.
To us, a healthy fixed cat who is returning to a caretaker outdoors is not a failure. We are in rural Virginia 🌳, so when we return, it's not exactly "to the streets". We return to *caretakers* with farms, yards with sheds or porches, houses with trees, etc. They have a home in their familiar outdoor space. They have a caretaker to monitor for sickness and injuries and we are always there should those caretakers need us. ❤️
The RETURN part of T-N-R is necessary for combating the overpopulation problem. Right now, they can't all have an indoor home, but if more people understood the importance of spay and neuter, it could definitely be a goal for the future. 🎉
Small nonprofit 501c3 team of volunteers doing TNR (Trap-Neuter/Spay-Return) in Phelps County, MO We caretake for multiple colonies in St. James and Rolla.
