Community Cat Program Success in Galveston

The Galveston Island Humane Society is committed to reducing the number of feral cats on Galveston Island.

In 2015, the Galveston City Council approved a TNR (trap-neuter-return) program for community cats on Galveston Island. 

I can say with confidence while drawing from my experience as an animal control officer both with and without the benefit of such a program that this community resource is a much-needed effort to control the population of feral cats. 

Just for a moment ponder the mindset of the person who is feeding cats that they know are not classically adoptable in a shelter setting. Many of these cats are not social at all and have a very poor chance of winning the adoption lottery in any shelter. When their only options are hiding the cats from the neighbors and from animal control or taking them to a shelter for the adoption lottery or seemingly inevitable euthanasia there is a lack of cooperation born from a lack of positive options. 

Furthermore, should the only solution offered be to collect and subsequently euthanize these cats without having them altered and returned we have another problem. Understand that for anyone wanting to have a porch full of cats to feed in the morning, it is not difficult to find more cats and the cycle continues with no end in sight. TNR allows the colony sponsor to care for the cats in a responsible manner while ensuring that they stop multiplying. 

Let me be clear. The safest place for any cat is indoors, as life on the streets is a rough life. Traffic leads to a high mortality rate for outdoor cats including feral cats. Beyond the traffic concerns there are other animals to contend with in the wild and an 8-pound cat is no match for a 30-pound coyote when they are chasing the same rat or squirrel. Cars and coyotes are also not the only dangers for outdoor cats. So be kind, If you can keep the cat inside do that. It is the right thing and the safe thing to do for the cat and the community. This program is in place as a tool to combat the overpopulation of free-roaming cats and provide a humane alternative to euthanasia that the community at large can support. So, the burning question then becomes does TNR actually work to reduce the overpopulation? Let me explain how this works for all of us. 

Each Colony Caretaker/Sponsor must register their colony and adhere to the guidelines set forth in the Galveston Municipal Code. We have a convenient form linked to our shelter database to allow for online registration. The form can be found here: Feral Colony Caretaker Form these applications are reviewed and once registered we can work to ensure the colony is in compliance and that the entire colony is altered and no longer equipped to reproduce while also vaccinating these cats. 

Since the program's inception in 2015, hundreds of colonies have been registered, and over 4500 cats have been spayed/neutered before being returned to their colonies. Additionally, many of the younger and friendlier cats and kittens have been rescued and placed in loving homes. 

The main goal of the program is to reduce the annual intake of feral cats at GIHS as well as those running the streets. The live release rates at the GIHS have steadily increased over the years that this program has been in existence and our yearly intake has taken a nosedive, as shown by the following statistics: