Demand Trap-Neuter-Return remain policy in Washington, D.C.

In 2008 Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) became official policy in the District of Columbia. Today, DC Animal Control Code §8-1802 directs the city’s animal control agency, the Washington Humane Society (WHS), to promote both reducing euthanasia of healthy, adoptable animals as well as “The utilization of trap, spay or neuter, and return practices as a means of controlling the feral cat population; provided, that all efforts shall be made to adopt out a trapped, tamable kitten.”

In the process of Trap-Neuter-Return cats are caught by humane traps, spayed/neutered, vaccinated, and returned to the trapping site. Kittens and cats who are friendly or can be socialized are placed into an adoption program. TNR stabilizes outdoor cat populations at manageable levels, eliminates “annoying” mating behaviors like yowling and spraying, and provides for a healthier population of cats through vaccinations for rabies and distemper and through the provision of fresh food and water each day. It is also a humane policy, whereby no healthy animal is euthanized for living in the wrong location, or for simply living.

The District’s Department of Energy and Environment (DDOE) recently released its Draft 2015 District of Columbia Wildlife Action Plan, and in the plan surprisingly calls to “revisit” the city’s TNR policy. Curiously, the department chose not to consult WHS about its own program while drafting the new plan, and instead sought input from the American Bird Conservancy, a group known to oppose TNR in any form.

The DDOE's plan makes unspecified claims of cats doing “damage” to other wildlife populations and also calls for promoting “cats indoors” programs, which coincidentally is the name of one of ABC’s top initiatives.

Instead of listening to ABC, who provide no evidence that cats are having a negative impact on the District’s wildlife or habitats, the DDOE should look to the Washington Humane Society for guidance. WHS notes that its release rate for healthy cats has increased nearly 80% since adopting TNR. They’ve also experienced a 71% drop in euthanasia of healthy cats at their shelters, and since 2011 have seen a 17% decrease in community cat intake.

The numbers don’t lie: fewer healthy cats are being killed unnecessarily, more are going back to their outdoor homes, and fewer community cats are being brought to the shelter, signaling a significant potential drop in the overall number of feral cats living outdoors.

The WHS program is also entirely funded by charitable donations, thus lifting any burden to the taxpayer. The Best Friends Animal Society has estimated it would cost local governments 16 billion dollars to employ a catch-and-kill plan, the typical alternative to TNR, for every community cat in the U.S., as opposed to 9 billion to support TNR programs. A study by the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs from 2013 found that catch-and-kill methods cost 4.5 to 9 times more than Trap-Neuter-Return.

There is no reason to “revisit” a policy that is meeting its goals while placing no strain on municipal resources. Please join us in demanding Director Wells remove language calling to “revisit” the District’s TNR policy and to leave the program at WHS in place.