by Charley Arrigo | Jul 3, 2017 | Blog, TNR |
Kitten season is in full swing, and stray and feral cats are birthing litters frequently in our community. Do you know what you should do if you find a stray kitten while out and about? Sometimes, even when we have the best intentions at heart, we don’t always know the right thing to do. To start, it’s important to remember that 9 times out of 10 if you see a baby kitten (a.k.a. bottle baby/nursing/6-8 weeks or younger) it hasn’t been left there alone, the mamma is likely in the middle of moving the kittens to safety or is off hunting and will be back shortly. The Dallas Pets Alive! Trap, Neuter, Spay, Release (TNR) Team has compiled a list of what to do, not to do, and how you can help. STOP — do not touch or move kittens. The exceptions to this are extreme danger (kitten is in the middle of the road with cars going by, dangling off the edge of a roof and will likely fall to it’s death, visible trauma or injury, etc.) or they have physically seen mamma dead. These examples are extreme but one must understand that the instinctual and although good hearted idea that stray kittens were left by a mother for humans to love and take in, could be damaging. Observe / watch from afar — mamma can only carry one baby at a time! So when she moves the litter she has to leave the others for a few minutes. But mamma ALWAYS has eyes on her babies. In this case, you may not be able to see her but she can totally see...
by Charley Arrigo | May 1, 2017 | Blog, News, TNR |
Known more for our city’s joggers, bikers, and nature enthusiasts, the gorgeous greenery of the Katy Trail is also home to one of Dallas’ largest feral cat colonies. The majority of these cats are not socialized enough for adoption and are forced to embrace everything that comes along with an outdoor climate. That said, the endearing felines along our iconic pathway need greater protection from their surrounding environment. To ensure this, shelters and feeding stations were strategically placed so cats will be safe away from joggers, bikers, dogs, and other pedestrians. It is our goal that these animals are provided greater refuge while living out the remainder of their lives in a stable, well-fed environment. Providing shelter is a crucial step in Dallas Pets Alive’s! Trap, Neuter, Spay, Release (TNR) program. Over the years, with many thanks owed to the ambition of our volunteers, as well as a healthy dose of vaccinations, Dallas Pets Alive’s TNR program has provided relief to hundreds of feral cats in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Led by the persistence of Director Tina Hoskins, along with her equally passionate team of feline-friendly volunteers, the feral cats are trapped, spayed or neutered, then released back into their colonies. In many ways, it’s a promise of a new lease on life for a feral cat. Recently, Tina personally delivered 12 shelters and feeding stations to this colony. Presently we are happy to say that nearly all of the feral cats on the Katy Trail have been vaccinated, spayed, or neutered! The TNR program and our family of volunteers has grown to manage roughly 75 stray cat colonies...
