TNR webinars by Neighborhood Cats!
Recorded sessions of PetSmart Charities series now online
November 21, 2009
The first four webinars in a five part series on feral cats and TNR, instructed by Bryan Kortis of Neighborhood Cats and presented by PetSmart Charities, are now available for viewing at your convenience. The recorded sessions include Feral Cats, TNR & the Law, Feral Cats & Academia: the Latest Research on TNR, Building a Community TNR Program 101 and Building a Community TNR Program - Advanced. In the near future, the fifth session will be available in recorded form as well - Fundraising for TNR Programs.
To view the recorded sessions, go to https://petsmartcharities.webex.com. In the lefthand menu, under Attend a Session, click on Recorded Sessions. Then do a search for the title of the webinar you're interested in. You'll need to register (it's free!) then download the Webex software if you haven't already. While you're there, check out the great collection of other webinars offered by PetSmart Charities on topics ranging from starting a spay/neuter clinic to fundraising to running a shelter.
Below are detailed descriptions of the TNR webinars. Each runs approximately an hour and a half:
- Feral Cats, TNR & the Law
| Working with free-roaming cats and implementing a community Trap-Neuter-Return program inevitably involves crossing paths with the legal system. Being aware of these laws will help you deal with them to the advantage of your program and the cats and caretakers you’re trying to help. On the other hand, not being aware of applicable laws could lead to serious repercussions and threaten the viability of your efforts. In this webinar, the third in our series on free-roaming cats, we’ll take a broad look at legal issues you need to know about. We’ll examine state laws which define the rights of cats and their guardians in general, local ordinances which mandate pet limits, licensing and other requirements surprisingly relevant to feral cat colonies, and public health regulations, plus we’ll discuss what to do about it if any of these are hostile to TNR. We’ll explain the Endangered Species Act and how it could impact your program as well as the Freedom of Information Act and how to use it to get data you need, but also defend against attempts to force your program to reveal confidential information like colony registrations. TNR ordinances will be examined to see which ones might work best for your community and we’ll discuss liability issues which often arise in working with feral cats. Don’t wait until a summons arrives! After this webinar, you’ll be better able to stay on the right side of the law.
Since Trap-Neuter-Return started growing in popularity in the United States in the 1990’s, a growing body of scientific work has been conducted in an attempt to evaluate its effectiveness. To be an effective advocate for feral cats, you need to know what these studies have uncovered. In this webinar, the fourth in our series on free-roaming cats and TNR, we’ll review the research, including the most recent cutting-edge studies. What were the results when 19,000 street dogs were TNR’ed and rabies vaccinated in Jaipur, India? How about a colony on the grounds of a zoo in Brazil? Dr. Julie Levy’s study of an eleven year TNR program on the grounds of the University of Central Florida is a landmark in the TNR field and equally significant is her latest research on targeting zip codes with TNR and the efficacy and duration of rabies vaccines. Opponents of TNR have conducted studies too, so we’ll take a look at them as well as research on methods of cat control other than TNR. After this webinar, you’ll know the facts and be able to use the work of academia to further your own work on behalf of the cats.
Trap-Neuter-Return is fast becoming the preferred approach to managing a community’s free-roaming cat population. The goal is to stop the reproduction of cats and gradually reducing their numbers while providing as humane care as possible. Operating on a community-wide level requires more though than skill at trapping and diligence in caretaking. While these are necessary, impacting the whole free-roaming cat population means defining your mission carefully and putting the pieces of a long-term program into place. This webinar will focus on start-up programs and the elements needed to build a foundation for future success. Topics will include defining goals, working with local government, selecting overall strategies that match your community’s resources and needs, developing adequate spay/neuter capacity and allocating it properly, trapping strategies, initial projects, equipment needs, training workshops, data collection and basic fundraising.
|
- Fundraising for TNR Programs
To be successful, a community Trap-Neuter-Return program needs to fix cats – lots of them! Equipment, a website and promotional material are needed as well and, in many cases, having full-time or part-time staff can make a big difference. But how do you pay for all this and more? In this webinar, the fifth in our five-part series on feral cats, we’ll explore fundraising methods with an emphasis on those most suited for TNR programs.
We’ll look at grants, including where to find them and how to create a proposal with the best chance of success. Learn how to start and grow a direct mail campaign and make TNR appeal to potential donors. Events can be another great way to raise money – as long as you avoid certain pitfalls. We’ll discuss municipal contracts for performing TNR, caretaker donations and co-pays, and structuring fees at high-volume spay/neuter clinics as ways to subsidize your work. Other creative ideas, including some from other webinar attendees, will also be presented.
Money is out there to help you help the cats – it’s just a matter of learning how to get it!
