Wednesday, October 26, 2016 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
15
Sisters resident assists with feral-cat trapping
By Jodi Schneider McNamee
Correspondent
Some 2 percent of the 30 to
40 million community (feral
and stray) cats in the United
States have been spayed or
neutered. Unneutered out-
door cats produce around 80
percent of the kittens born in
the U.S. every year. And these
cats are roaming the parks,
parking lots, backyards and
back roads of America.
That includes Sisters
Country.
The more folks under-
stand community cats and the
complicated issues related to
them, the more effectively
they can help them by reduc-
ing cat overpopulation. Local
residents can make a dif-
ference helping control the
community cat population by
Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
TNR is the humane and
effective approach for stray
and feral cats. It’s been
in practice in the U.S. for
decades. Scientific studies
show that Trap-Neuter-Return
improves the lives of feral
cats, improves their relation-
ships with the folks who live
near them and decreases the
size of colonies over time.
Community Cat Program
Volunteer Elaine Gilbert of
Sisters has been helping con-
trol the feral cat population
through TNR for 20 years.
“I started doing Trap-
Neuter-Return when I lived
in Napa, California,” Gilbert
said. “I used to drive by a
warehouse on my way home
from work and see kittens
everywhere. Then one day I
stopped, because I love cats,
to find out why there were so
many cats roaming around
the warehouse. The work-
man told me that they were
feeding a few feral cats that
hung around and they ended
up with kittens and just kept
reproducing. Nobody knew
where to take the cats to be
neutered and didn’t have the
money to get all the cats fixed
at that point.”
Gilbert did some research
and found a nonprofit spay/
neuter clinic in the Napa
Valley area that was devoted
to the rescue of feral cat and
kittens. They practiced TNR.
“An attorney had started
the clinic who felt passion-
ate for feral and stray cats. I
contacted her and they sup-
plied all the traps and I ended
up trapping out there for well
over a year,” Gilbert told The
Nugget.
In 2004 Gilbert moved to
Bend, and in 2005 she joined
forces as a volunteer with
Bend Spay & Neuter Project
(BSNP).
When Gilbert began her
volunteer work with BSNP,
it was still in its infancy and
they were working as a clinic
out of a garage.
It was about four years
earlier that Sara Dice, founder
of BSNP, began her crusade
to control the cat populations
with the help of Dr. Byron
Maas when they realized the
magnitude of the overpopula-
tion of cats in Central Oregon.
“I volunteered in the clinic
on Saturdays in the recovery
room,” said Gilbert. “I helped
cats recover after the surgery
by taking their temperature,
pulse and monitoring their
vital signs.”
Gilbert took a hiatus from
‘tis t o h n e …
seas
…for
Pumpkin
Pie!
her volunteer work because
she was working full time.
But a couple of years later
when she returned to BSNP
she asked to do the trapping.
“We trap, neuter and return
them to that location. It’s very
stressful for a feral cat to be
relocated. It’s a community
issue,” said Gilbert.
So the volunteers call it
The Community Cat Program.
“The Community Cat
Program has been provid-
ing free spay/neuter and vac-
cinations for outdoor and
stray cats throughout Central
Oregon for over 10 years,”
said Megan Gram, executive
director of BSNP.
She said that their vol-
unteers have trapped over
18,000 cats using TNR.
“The success of this pro-
gram is dependent upon the
kindness and generosity of
volunteers like Elaine Gilbert
who are willing to give so
much to help us control the
population of outdoor cats. It
is inspiring to see someone
who refuses to leave even
one kitten behind; her pas-
sion and dedication has made
a huge impact on the lives of
so many, both cats and their
caretakers, over the years,”
Gram added.
While TNR helps stabilize
the colony and keep the cats
healthier, there are times feral
colonies need to be removed
from the area where they’ve
chosen to make their home.
“When a cat or cats are in
a bad situation when we take
them out to be neutered, we
have a list of people who have
PHOTO BY JODI SCHNEIDER MCNAMEE
Cats that have been through the trap, neuter, return program are marked
by a clipped ear tip.
contacted us needing a barn
cat,” Gilbert said.
“The two reasons why we
would relocate a neutered
feral or stray cat is if they had
been in an unsafe situation
such as if someone was poi-
soning cats in that area. And if
the cats are in a very rural area
and nobody is feeding them,
then we will relocate them
because they will starve.”
Many residents in Sisters
Country live on acreage with
horses or other farm animals
and have a definite need for
barn cats.
“Recently I have become
the barn cat liaison that
checks out the barn homes
before placing a cat, just to
make sure the barn is secure
and to talk to the people about
our criteria for taking in a
Dine For
The Cause
Every Tuesday this
November, 10%
of the gross sales
from lunch & dinner
will be donated to
Furry Friends!
SOUP OF THE DAY
October 19th - October 25th
Wed ...............Cream of Broccoli Sat...............Chicken Noodle
Thurs ...........................Meatball Sun ............... Vegetable Beef
Fri .. Clam Chowder & Vegetable Mon ..........Mexican Chicken
Tues ..................Beef Noodle
Orders to go
welcome
Breakfast & lunch 6:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Br
Nightly dining until 10 p.m. (21 & over)
N
Connect with us
for great specials!
171 W. Cascade Ave., Sisters | 541-549-2631
Open Mon. - Sat., 11:30 a.m. to close
Located at Clearwater Gallery | 303 W. Hood Ave.
barn cat,” Gilbert said.
Each person looking for
a barn cat must be willing
to keep the cat closed in the
barn or shop etc. for three to
four weeks. After that initial
period with food, water, and
a litter box the cat gets used
to his area and knows that is
where he will live and be fed.
Once the new owner releases
the cat after that period, the
cat must have access to food,
water, and shelter.
If you know of any com-
munity cats that need to be
spayed/neutered to reduce
cat overpopulation, please
contact BSNP at 541-
617-1010. Leave a mes-
sage for Elaine Gilbert.
BSNP is looking for vol-
unteers in the clinic and to
help trap community cats.