TNR Handbook - Neighborhood Cats

The Neighborhood Cats TNR Handbook
6. Work to change municipal laws and animal control policies
In some municipalities, there are laws which effectively outlaw TNR, such as bans on
feeding any animal outdoors, or limits on the number of animals a resident can “own”
with “ownership” defined as feeding. In other locales, animal control may have a policy
of trying to trap and remove any free-roaming cat they spot, neutered or not. To openly
practice TNR in such communities, these kinds of stringently hostile laws and policies
must be addressed.
Effective advocacy of TNR on this level requires a certain amount of expertise. If
you are just starting out and are relatively new to TNR, consult with more experienced
activists before meeting with the town council or the head of animal control. See if there
is a feral cat organization or program locally or nearby with the knowledge of how best to
present TNR in this context. Or for advice, contact Neighborhood Cats
(headcat@neighborhoodcats.org) or Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org).
• Poisoning threats
Occasionally when a feral cat colony is unmanaged and in crisis, a threat to poison is
made. In many jurisdictions, poisoning is animal cruelty and a crime, even a felony with
a possible prison sentence. Check your state’s laws by calling your local SPCA or animal
control agency. Find out if poisoning is an offense and what the penalties are.
People who threaten or actually attempt to poison are usually ignorant of the fact that
this conduct is a serious offense. One way to deter them is to let them know. Make up a
“Poison” poster similar to the one on page 102. Print out copies on bright neon pink
paper and post them around the neighborhood in question, leaving a few extra copies in
front of the suspect’s residence or place of work.
It’s extremely unlikely anyone will ever be arrested, let alone convicted, as a result of
information gained from the flyer. So you can rest easy about having to pay the reward.
But the flyer nonetheless has two important effects – it alerts the would-be poisoner that
he would be committing a crime and it also lets him know others are watching. Not
many of this type of person will care enough about getting rid of the cats to risk going to
jail.
The Poison Poster should only be used if there is a reasonable suspicion of possible
poisoning. It should not be used simply because you’re afraid someone is so angry, he
might try it. Something concrete like an articulated threat or the mysterious death of a cat
should be the threshold. Otherwise, you could be needlessly planting the idea.
• Fleas
One reason someone may give for wanting to rid an area of feral cats is fleas. The
problem can become severe, especially if the cats’ shelter is in an area favorable to the
insects, such as the crawl space beneath buildings. At a workplace, employees may
complain of flea bites and repeated attempts to fumigate may fail. The theory then goes –
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