Help Needed to Control Feral Cats in Wagener
By Valerie Sliker, courtesy Wagener Monthly
Wagener’s Trap, Neuter & Return (TNR) volunteer program, a part of Aiken County’s and the nationwide TNR program, is seeking long-term volunteers to assist a couple of days per month with trapping and transporting feral cats in and around Wagener. The cats, with the feeder’s or owner’s permission, are generally unapproachable and have to be humanely trapped before being transported to and from a facility that will spay or neuter the cats. After recovery, the cats are released at the same location where they were trapped.
TNR aims to humanely control feral cat overpopulation and shelter overpopulation. Trap and Remove programs have been unsuccessful because the vacant space with some type of food and shelter for feral cats remains and more unsterilized cats quickly repopulate the area. Trap, Neuter and Return has been proven successful by preventing cat reproduction.
If you are feeding outdoor cats, you need to have them spayed or neutered or you will soon have many more outdoor cats. Outdoor cats tend to become feral and unapproachable. This overpopulation has become a problem for the town of Wagener and Aiken County. Kathy Rawls has been working with TNR and community volunteers to address this problem in a humane way.
Dottie Gantt and Vicki Wright began this program in the Wagener area a few years ago. Health problems prevent them for working as much as they have in the past. Connie Jeffcoat has also helped a lot. Dr. Kathy Bissell and Dr. Charlie Timmerman have also donated time or transportation.