Animals Asia’s Cat and Dog Welfare Director for China, Irene Feng explains why Trap, Neuter, Release is the country’s best chance to humanely control stray cat populations.

Problems associated with stray cats exist in many communities across China. When populations get out of control, they can prompt complaints about noise, smell and hygiene.

While many people in Chinese communities care for stray cats and contribute significant time and money, they can’t stop the escalation of conflict between people and animals as populations increase.

The best form of population control will always be ensuring that large stray populations don't appear in the first place, through educating the public not to abandon their animals and persuading government to implement appropriate animal management solutions.

To this end we work productively with government and animal welfare groups on public education programmes, but the issue remains that there are still too many strays in the community who need our help.

That’s why Animals Asia supports and promotes a policy of Trap, Neuter, Release – known as TNR.

WHAT IS TNR?

De-sexing strays is globally recognised as the most humane and effective method of controlling populations.

TNR involves neutering, vaccinating and deworming stray cats before releasing them back into communities. The programme creates stable, clean populations of stray cats that don't come into conflict with neighbouring human communities.

Quite simply, we know that TNR works because results are monitored in stray populations around the world. By maintaining stable populations, the practice allows small stray cat populations to become a welcome part of the communities in which they live.

HOW WE PROMOTE TNR

As a vastly superior alternative to culling, Animals Asia actively supports TNR throughout China.

We directly support a number of local groups via our TNR Training and Funding programme. Providing direct assistance where resources allow – while hopefully also setting a good example for government programmes to follow.

Since 2012, the fund has provided finance and training for 11 grassroots organisations in nine Chinese cities allowing them to carry out vital TNR, vaccination and adoption programmes for the country's stray cats.

In 2012, we also launched the first China Cat Management Symposium, bringing together experts and cat protection groups from across the country to discuss and promote TNR for strays.

Authorities are also coming round to TNR.  In east China’s Hangzhou city, the local government spent nearly $50,000 developing a local TNR programme, with public tendering among the local veterinary clinics beginning at the end of 2014.

We hope that the cruel practice of culling will become a thing of the past as the advantages of TNR become more obvious and attractive to the authorities, to Chinese animal lovers and to NGOs dedicated to ensuring enhanced animal welfare for their communities’ stray cats.

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