In our “From the Field” series we share reflections and field notes from our staff members who work hands-on, every day, to protect and improve the lives of cats.
Hello all!
My name is Daniel Lopez, and I’m part of Alley Cat Allies’ National Cat Help Desk. The Help Desk is the point of contact for individuals, organizations, and officials for information about Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) and community cats. We’re a team of passionate people who are here to help you with all of your cat questions. When we’re not offering our expertise over the phone or through email, we’re out in the field protecting cats. I want to share one of those experiences with you.
Winter is over, spring has sprung, and summer is on its way. But when kitten season comes around, it can sometimes feel like the year’s work so far had little impact. So many kittens are born during this time of year, and it can be overwhelming for even the most experienced cat advocate. It’s understand-able that we can get frustrated, but it doesn’t mean we’ve failed.
The dream team! Alley Cat Allies staff members Molly, Daniel, and Kayla
heading out to set humane box traps for Trap-Neuter-Return.
A couple of months ago, my Help Desk colleagues and I embarked on our last trapping session before this year’s kitten season was in full swing. It was incredibly early in the morning, so it was dark, cold, and damp outside as we headed to an apartment complex in Prince George’s County, Maryland. The plan was to trap the local community cats for spay/neuter and vaccination, and then return them to their outdoor home. The cats’ caregivers had been asked to withhold the cats’ food for one day. Hungry cats more readily go for the treats inside our humane traps, which makes the process quicker and easier.
As soon as we drove in, we saw the cats hanging out around the buildingsthey were waiting for us! We went out and split up to set our traps, making sure to put them where the cats were usually fed. Only nine cats in the colony had yet to go through TNR, so we were all looking forward to finally finishing up the last of the group. We put some tasty sardines inside each trap, then took up watch in our separate cars to wait for the magic to happen.
Hours passed and none of us heard a sound. No rattle, or snap of a trap’s door closing. No sign of any cats getting in the traps. Needless to say it was frustrating. The cold wasn’t helping, but I didn’t dare turn on my car’s heater in case the sound would scare away any of the cats.
As the sun began to rise, we sent texts between us to ask about each other’s luck. I was sad, as I didn’t get a single cat in the three traps that I’d set. I replayed the process in my mind, making sure I hadn’t missed a step or allowed my presence to alarm the cats. I was entirely sure that I had followed all the TNR steps to a T. So why didn’t I trap a cat? Why did I even get out of bed so ridiculously early on a cold morning for nothing? I kept asking myself those kinds of questions and felt worse and worse about my luck. I wasn’t the only one.
Doodle, one of the cats trapped, back from the clinic and sporting a new eartip.
In the end, we had only trapped three cats out of the nine we were expecting. I’m not going to lie; morale was low. We were all sleepy, cold, and hungry.
It wasn’t until we arrived at the spay/neuter clinic with the cats that we were able to stop and think about the reality of what we were doing. We were giving three community cats vaccinations against rabies. We were improving those cats’ lives with spay/neuter and a veterinary check. We were positively impacting the apartment complex community by preventing future litters of kittens and stabilizing the cat population. These are amazing accomplishments, and we had reason to be proud.
The real goal is saving cats’ lives, whether we trap three cats or 300. Any amount of TNR helps address the community cat population, protects cats from being killed in shelters, and helps people and cats peacefully coexist. These things are beneficial to everyonenot just us cat people. And with help from our Feral Friends Network and other dedicated advocates, we’re taking TNR to more communities around the nation.
Daniel, returning Doodle to his outdoor home and back to his feline family.
A couple days after our trapping session, we brought the three cats–Pringle, Doodle, and Frito–back to the apartment complex for release. We were satisfied because we knew they were returning to their home and loving caregivers as healthy as possible. As soon as we opened the traps, the cats darted out to their favorite hideouts. We hung around to watch for a moment and saw them start to greet their buddies. They all had matching eartipsa sign of a job well done, even if the work wasn’t over.
We may have only trapped three cats that cold morning, but it still made a difference. And so does all of the work you do, big or small. Protecting cats is often a long battle with small victories, but it’s well worth it.
So to everyone out there caring for cats, take it from me: Hang in there. You’re doing great!
Daniel López Breña
Outreach and National Cat Help Desk Specialist, Alley Cat Allies