Humane Care For Feral Cats

Logo for Elgin Alley Cats.

It started out in Elgin, Texas. A group of people with a love for cats got together and formed ELGIN ALLEY CATS. This organization came together when there were no shelters for companion animals in the area.

Part of the group's function was educational. Many of us who work with animals are aware of the issue of stray animals. The focus was on cats, so many of them just around, without human owners. Most urban and suburban areas become involved with what to do about these stray animals, which are also termed feral.



When you get down to what is involved, it becomes an issue of numbers. For the longest time stray cats weren't spayed/neutered and did not receive shots, at least not until rescue groups became involved and started TNR, meaning trapping, neutering (also vaccinating), and returning. It is the humane way and it also helps to reduce numbers. For, a cat that can't have babies won't be adding to the cat population.

Consider this, over a period of seven years, a cat and her/his kittens can produce 420,000 offspring. That's quite a number in just a small, localized area. Granted, feral cats don't live as long as indoor cats, but still, that is a high number for a small area to absorb. But when cats are TNR'd, that number is drastically reduced. Yes, humans maintain these smaller cat colonies, but the fact that this colony cannot reproduce keeps the numbers down and of a reasonable size. If an entire city or county engages in this type of population control, and there are enough people to house all of the cats in an area, there will no longer be a problem with strays.

Now, Jody Krankel and her team at Elgin Alley Cats started doing all of the recommended actions to reduce the local cat population. They found an organization in Austin that helped them cover the costs of spay-neuter surgeries. They distributed brochures, educated the public, advertised, held yard sales, and even adopted out cats. Jody commented, "We are all cat lovers. Some of our members have adopted some of the feral cats."

Team members involved with TNR in Elgin.

Now, of all things, Elgin has a new organization, COMPANION CONNECTION, which rehomes animals from local shelters. They house animals in a shelter and consider themselves to be a rescue. They don't accept surrenders, but do help those considering surrender to keep their furry friends. And, yes, they continue to promote TNR, just like Elgin Alley Cats did. Oh, and Jody Krankel works for this group, too.

One of the cats receiving care at Companion Connection.

Thanks to this article from Pollination Project: https://thepollinationproject.org/grants-awarded/jody-krankel-elgin-alley-cats//; and the above links.

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