Wednesday, October 15, 2008

No Kill Study Group Meeting Tonight at 7 p.m.

Come join the Las Cruces No Kill Study Group, where one set of people is already working on a plan for TNR for which we'll receive an update and where we will discuss our next step regarding the other parts of the No Kill Equation: contacting successful shelters and gathering some research about them.

If you are interested in learning how No Kill success has been implemented in varying areas of the U.S., join us tonight. We'll be in the foyer of the Unitarian Universalist Church, 2000 S. Solano, from 7 p.m. to about 9 p.m.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

i thought TNR was not allowed in the city
are you telling me that your group is just going to ignor the restraint ordinance and if so let me know where so i can call the officials

Anonymous said...

Please, anonymous, don't have a coronary! :)

No one is ignoring any ordinances! The purpose of the No Kill Coalition Meetings (including the TNR portion) is to do meaningful research and compilation of data relevant to ALL aspects of achieving a No Kill Community. TNR is quite controversial, but it is a key and necessary part of this study, as feral cats DO contribute to the pet overpopulation problem that exists in Dona Ana County. We intend to look at both sides (pros and cons) of TNR, and will give equal and careful consideration to all TNR-related data, whether positive or negative.

Anonymous said...

TNR is an idea whose time has come in a big, successful way here in the US and in countries all over the world. Since the 1970s when a university professor in London began TNR on a feral colony in a public housing project TNR has been proven to reduce the number of feral cats. Then in the 1908s Alley Cat Allies was formed here in the US and began advocating for TNR here. Since then TNR programs have grown significantly.

More progressive cities/counties than ours have been willing to implement TNR and have discovered that it does show a positive result in reducing the numbers of feral cats. Not only were the numbers reduced but the shelters also saw decreases in their expenditures to house and kill the cats.

I have founded two feral cat colonies--one in 1978 to 1996 when I left the area but the program is still in existence; the second one here at NMSU (state property not city/county). One of the comments frequently heard on campus is what has happened to all of the cats? Well, they are still there but since the numbers have decreased they're not quite as visible. We now have only one or two litters a year because sterilized animals can't reproduce.

The time has come for our city/county to modify their codes and permit people who wish to legally care for the ferals (also domestic strays). With the continued overcrowding in our shelter and the lack of adequate funding there must be a way to keep more animals from entering the killing place. Ferals in managed colonies do not belong in shelters and they deserve to live as much as you do.

Codes are not set in stone and can be modified to reflect the changing needs/wishes of the community. That time is near for Dona Ana County.

Please have some tolerance for the opinions of other people, but most of all some kindness toward the animals. After all, an ancestor of a feral cat was once a domestic cat.