FERAL CATS

New Braunfels Community Cat Coalition
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We are so excited to be bringing TNVR to New Braunfels through a free spay and neuter clinic for feral cats! Did you know that in previous years, when the Humane Society of the New Braunfels area received feral cats from the community or animal control they were euthanized? New Braunfels Community Cat Coalition was created in 2016 to combat this. Now, through efforts of both HSNBA and NBCCC, TNR is now solely under the roof of the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area. This is a great victory and something we have been working towards since the beginning of the creation of TNR in New Braunfels. Our community support has made this possible.

Each feral cat that goes through TNR clinic in New Braunfels is sterilized and vaccinated through our program. For those feral cats in New Braunfels that are unable to be returned to their original location, they are analyzed to see if they would fit into our working cat program.

Working Cats

HSNBA offers adoptions of feral cats who cannot be returned to their former location because it is unsafe. Therefore, our solution has been to adopt them out as “working cats”. These cats are perfect for hunting mice, spiders, snakes, and rats in locations such as:

  • Barns
  • Breweries
  • Wineries
  • Warehouses

You can give these feral cats a second chance at life.

HOW OUR RESERVATION SYSTEM WORKS

IMPORTANT! YOU MUST ALREADY HAVE THE CAT TRAPPED BEFORE RESERVING A SPOT!!!

Registration is available 3 days out from drop off day (Mondays, with the exception of Monday holidays, then dropoff is on Tuesdays) with a maximum of 2 cats.

As a reminder, our updated reservation system is for those that already have a feral cat in a trap (in their possession). If you have not already trapped the cat, then we strongly advise that you delete your reservation and re-reserve a slot after the cat is trapped.

It is our goal to reduce the euthanasia of feral cats in our community by providing a more humane and effective method to control the FERAL CAT population in our area. This is a unique and collaborative effort between HSNBA and NBCCC and made possible by the Comal County Veterinary Medical Association. Our veterinary support is tied to altering FERAL cats, not friendly pets. If we lose our veterinary support by doing owned friendly cats, everyone loses, especially the cats.

WHAT IS FERAL?

Feral is a behavior – feral cats are poorly socialized with humans and prefer not to be touched and handled, fleeing from unfamiliar humans, or striking out if threatened. Simply being born outside or living outside does NOT make a cat feral.

DROP OFF TIMES

All feral cats must arrive to HSNBA in a trap. We accept feral cats for clinic on MONDAYS from 10am to 4pm. Check in at the front desk of the Humane Society. For the safety of our staff and volunteers, we will not accept cats in anything but traps. One cat per trap please. HSNBA will contact you when the cats are ready to be picked up.

INELIGIBLE CATS

If it is determined that the cat(s) you bring to our clinic are NOT feral, they are not eligible for this program. They will instead be put through our adoption program where they may have to wait 2-3 weeks before getting fixed during which time, they may become ill, (especially if they have never been vaccinated). After they have been fixed, you will be called to adopt them back out for an adoption fee of $120. Other charges for care may apply as well.

If you are unsure if your trapped cat(s) is too friendly for our program, please consider using Hill Country Animal League instead. (http://hcaltx.org/spayneuter-clinic/services-fees/)

To learn more about editing or deleting your reservation slot, please visit https://www.nbcats.org/make-a-tnr-clinic-reservation/

NO SHOW POLICY

If you end up making a reservation and do not show up, then we have created a system. You will get:

  • One strike/warning (i.e. no cat, no reservation! It’s pretty simple.)
  • After 2 no shows, you will be under suspension for 30 days from using the TNR program (click here for other low cost spay/neuter resources)
  • After the suspension period, if there is one more no show for a reservation (which shouldn’t happen because the cat is already trapped, right?), then this is considered the third strike and you will not be able to use the NBCCC program anymore

Together we can end the euthanasia of cats in Central Texas!

What Is Feral?

Feral is a behavior – these cats are poorly socialized with humans and prefer not to be touched and handled, although they may become more friendly over time with consistent, compassionate care from a dedicated caretaker. A feral cat is very shy and aloof, and they usually do not let humans get very close before running away.

Ear Tipped Cat Lying in Grass

How Were Feral Cats Previously Treated in New Braunfels?

During the previous decades, when these cats were trapped and brought to the Humane Society of the New Braunfels Area by Animal Control or private citizens, there was no option for them but euthanasia. This method of “catch and kill” has been practiced for countless years resulting in the euthanasia of thousands of cats.

Despite this, our community was still overrun with homeless and feral “community” cats who have no identifiable owner but may have one or more caretakers feeding and caring for them. “Catch and Kill” simply does not work to reduce the population of feral cats in a community, as the rising numbers of ferals in New Braunfels and the surrounding area has proven “Catch and Kill” to be ineffective.

By removing feral cats from a particular area, it actually creates a vacuum effect, encouraging more cats to enter the area and reproduce at a higher rate. By trapping, neutering, vaccinating and returning the cat(s) to where they came from, their territorial nature prevents other cats from entering the area.

Enter NBCCC & TNR

Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) HAS proven to be an effective and humane method of controlling the population of feral cats in a community and now New Braunfels is ready to join the legions of cat lovers who simply will no longer stand for the senseless killing of these valuable feline members of our community.

WHAT DOES NBCCC DO?