Feral Cat Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) Program
On November 29, 2010, Priest River Animal Rescue Volunteer, Barbi Johnson, attended a Grant Awards Banquet hosted by Intermountain Community Bank to receive a grant from an anonymous donor to begin a Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) program for feral cats in the Priest River, Idaho area. In the photograph, left to right are; Curt Hecker - IMCB President and CEO, Barbi Johnson - Priest River Animal Rescue Grant Writer, and Dale N. Schuman - IMCB Senior Vice President.
Priest River Animal Rescue's TNR program will provide at no cost; spay/neuter, vaccinations and topical treatment for parasites to twenty-three feral cats or community cats per year. See definitions below.
We live in an area where there is a huge stray cat problem. Most people are not aware that one cat and her offspring can multiply to 420,000 in just seven years! Some people feel that because it is a "barn cat" or "feral cat", why bother getting it fixed? Spaying and neutering wil keep thousands of kittens from dying from disease, hunger, coyotes and cars. So even if "the cat" is not that important, please have a heart and save it from having more unwanted kittens.
If you are interested in signing up for Priest River Animal Rescue's TNR program, you must be a resident of Western Bonner County, Idaho or Eastern Pend O'Reille County, Washington. Call the shelter telephone number at 208-448-0699 and ask to be put on the TNR waiting list. As grant money becomes available, a Volunteer with Priest River Animal Rescue will contact you to schedule the transport for the cat(s) you are caring for. This program is on a first come - first serve basis. This program is strictly limited to feral cats or community cats, not companion cats.
DEFINITIONS:
Feral Cat: Cats not socialized to people. They range from cats who have never had human contact to semi-tame cats who were once pets. Often living in loose associations known as "colonies," they become well-adapted to their territory and survive in alleyways, parking lots, vacant lots, backyards, and a host of other locations - urban, suburban and rural.
Community Cat: Cats more socialized to people, that actually can be pet. These stray cats, rely on the generosity of good samaritans for their food and shelter, though no medical care is provided. Community cats adapt to the conditions they are forced to survive in.
Photograph below is of Gary delivering his feral cats for our first TNR day. Priest River Animal Rescue, with a grant administered by Intermountain Community Bank and a partnership with Spokane Humane, were able to spay/neuter twenty three cats from the Priest River area on March 16th, 2011. Gary has been the guardian of a colony of eight cats for the past four years. Gary said "I enjoy watching the cats in my colony and they each have their own personality. I was so surprised how clean they are!"
Please see the links at right for further information about feral cats and caring for your colony: