Many people who are concerned about wildlife reject TNR because “it doesn’t get rid of all the cats,” which they fear are “causing” the extinction of bird species on Kauai. There are many things wrong with these statements. In prior articles, we’ve discussed that cats are not “causing” the bird declines. Yes, they kill birds, but they are a third or fourth order impact. And, getting rid of all the cats in our towns and neighborhoods is probably not a good idea since runaway rat populations would probably result.
But it turns out that the biggest flaw in this thinking is the implied “truth” that getting rid of cats is effective and works to solve the problem. Real data from Kauai shows this isn’t true at all. TNR is working much better. This article presents the data and explains howTNR of about 5500 cats in the last decade has worked more effectively to reduce cat populations than trapping, removing (and killing) 23,000 cats in the same time period.
TNR continues to expand as people all around the island decide to take responsibility for cat issues they see where they live, work, or play. We hope all who read this will do that to. Contact us if you need help or advice. We will do all that our finances allow and will provide as much support as our volunteers can in order to help you take action.