In partnership with the City of Aiken, the SPCA Albrecht Center for Animal Welfare has begun a Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR) operation that is expected to save money and dramatically reduce the population of feral and abandoned cats within the City. SPCA President Barbara Nelson said TNR “is both more humane and less expensive” than the traditional control method that led to euthanizing most of the animals captured around Aiken. The cost to the city was $82 and will now be $60, because the animals will not have to be housed more than one night, and the number of animals trapped will significantly be reduced over time.
Euthanizing captured cats does not reduce populations because the colonies of wild cats simply accept a new individual. Sterilizing all of the members of a colony over time will eventually eliminate that colony. Nelson asks the public to call the City’s Animal Control department at (803) 642-7620 or the SPCA at (803) 648-6863 to report the location of cat colonies so that they can be captured, neutered, vaccinated against rabies and released.
