The Toronto
Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return Coalition, was formed in May 2010 by nine community
groups working together to address the feral cat problem in Toronto. These
groups include: Toronto Animal Services, Toronto Humane Society, Toronto Feral
Cat Project, Animal Alliance, Toronto Cat Rescue, Annex Cat Rescue, Action
Volunteers for Animals, R.A.I.N (Representing Animals in Need), Urban Cat Relief
and the Ontario Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The overall
goal of the coalition is to implement strategic Trap Neuter Return programs
throughout Toronto, resulting in a reduction in the feral cat overpopulation in
the GTA and improvement in the welfare of homeless cats. This model of a
city-wide coalition approach to TNR is recognized as the most effective strategy
for managing feral cat populations (http://www.neighborhoodcats.org).
The formation
of a Coalition in Toronto has meant that caretakers are getting the assistance
they need to Trap, Neuter, Return colonies in their community. To better
support our community of caretakers, The TFCtnrC is seeking volunteers to help
with our mandate. We will provide training and mentorship for new
volunteers.
For more
detailed information on the trap-neuter-return process please
visit:
We need
people who would like to do any or all of the following:
- trap feral cats
- provide recovery space
- transport feral cats to veterinary clinics for sterilization and to recovery space after sterilization – usually on the same day
- transport feral cats from recovery space back to their colony
Training will
be provided (through
the Toronto Feral Cat Project) for those interested in learning to trap
feral cats and we would provide mentor trappers that you could join to continue
with your training. The ultimate goal would be to place you on a list where the
TFCtnrC could contact you to help with trapping of colony cats when needed.
A training session has been scheduled for Saturday June 9th
at the Toronto Humane Society (11 River Street, Toronto).
For those
interested in providing recovery space – the space would need to be temperature
controlled to provide a comfortable environment that traps/carriers could be
brought to for the cats to recover from sterilization surgery. Caretakers would
visit the space twice daily to care for the cats – give food/water and clean.
The cats would need to recover for a period of 1 to 7 days depending on the
cat. They would then be transported to be returned to their
colony.
The best
vehicles for transporting feral cats are vans as they can house the traps more
comfortably than a car, but we are happy to use whatever vehicle you have. You
would need to line your vehicle with a plastic tarp to keep it clean – the
TFCtnrC may be able to provide assistance with this.
If you
would like to volunteer for one of these positions, please let me
know!
On behalf of
the Coalition and the cats, THANK YOU for caring!
Lia and the AAC / AAEVPC
crew
P.S. You can view a video about the Coalition -
"Compassion in Action" by EK Park - by visiting http://vimeo.com/41095624
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