Trap-Neuter-Return Case Study: 55% Reduction in Outdoor Colony Cats Since 2007
When I first started TNR’ing cats in my yard in 2004 I had no idea how many outdoor cats there were. I did not know what a colony was and I did not even feed cats outside.
In 2007 I registered as a Colony Cat Caregiver in compliance with Cook County’s Managed Care of Feral Cats Ordinance. I kept track of the number of cats that I trapped and took to low-cost vet clinics to be spayed/neutered, vaccinated, ear tipped and micro-chipped to me for identification.
In 2008 I started reaching out to other feeders and caregivers in my area, and helped TNR their colonies as well. In all, I discovered eighteen other sites where cats were being fed. The cats here crossover into other colonies and feeding stations, but are more or less contained within this one city block because of the busy main streets that border on all sides.
153 cats here were TNR’d during this time. Out of that total, 70 TNR’d cats remain outside in managed colonies where they are provided with food and water, medical care, and shelter. The rest of the cats were either adopted out, admitted into no-kill shelters, died, euthanized because of terminal illness or injury, or disappeared from the area.
TNR works. How many more cats would be outside here if none of them were spayed/neutered?
Here’s a look at the nineteen colonies up close and when TNR started for each of them. The cats in my yard are called the James’ Gang Colony.
| Colony Name | TNR Start Date | Total Cats Spayed / Neutered | Colony Cats 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonita Colony | 3/1/2011 | 3 | 0 |
| Eleanor Rigby Colony | 12/17/2008 | 18 | 3 |
| Frontier Colony | 11/22/2009 | 11 | 2 |
| Garage Band Colony | 10/13/2009 | 8 | 6 |
| Ginger Colony | 7/15/2013 | 1 | 1 |
| James’ Gang Colony | 1/29/2007 | 21 | 5 |
| Jose and the Pussycats Colony | 4/5/2010 | 11 | 5 |
| La Vida Lydia Colony | 4/10/2012 | 1 | 3 |
| Little Sister Colony | 11/3/2010 | 11 | 8 |
| Major Tomcat Colony | 3/1/2012 | 4 | 6 |
| Marta Volta Colony | 7/1/2010 | 3 | 0 |
| Martino Awesome Colony | 11/24/2009 | 7 | 0 |
| Mother Colony | 12/1/2010 | 7 | 2 |
| Peacock Colony | 2/1/2012 | 3 | 0 |
| Ricky Martino Colony | 4/16/2010 | 6 | 6 |
| Rockstar Colony | 2/6/2012 | 8 | 3 |
| Stealth Colony | 3/26/2013 | 1 | 0 |
| Thompson Twins Colony | 12/1/2012 | 4 | 5 |
| V Colony | 10/27/2010 | 25 | 15 |
| Totals | 153 | 70 |
I am also working on TNR in areas that are further from me, which I call Satellite Colonies because they currently have one feeder and area that they stay in.
| Colony Name | TNR Start Date | Total Cats Spayed / Neutered | Colony Cats 2013 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cell Phones Colony | 7/1/2012 | 11 | 13 |
| Iron Works Colony | 10/15/2012 | 8 | 6 |
| Joyce Division Colony | 11/3/2010 | 10 | 5 |
| Totals | 29 | 24 |
I started this blog almost two years ago to chronicle the lives of these cats and show how TNR is working to reduce their overall population humanely and safely. The colony names are listed on the right and each have their own photos and stories. Almost all of the colony cat populations have been reduced. Colony management is ongoing and crucial to the success of TNR, otherwise the numbers will increase again when new unaltered cats show up to feed and breed.
Thank you all for your continued support! Please let me know if you have any suggestions on how together we can continue helping even more cats this year.