The Impact of Return-to-Field and Targeted Trap-Neuter-Return on Feline Intake and Euthanasia at a Municipal Animal Shelter in Jefferson County, Kentucky.

Daniel D Spehar,Peter J Wolf

doi:10.3390/ani10081395

Abstract

Simple SummaryNearly three-quarters of a million cats and dogs were euthanized at animal shelters in the United States in 2018. This total represents a decline of more than 90% in such deaths at USA shelters since the early 1970s. The majority of animals euthanized in shelters today are free-roaming feral and stray cats. Two new approaches to the management of free-roaming cats—return-to-field (RTF) and targeted trap-neuter-return (TNR)—have grown in use over the past decade and have recently been associated with significant reductions in shelter euthanasia and intake. RTF programs are similar to TNR programs in that they entail the sterilization, vaccination, and return of cats; however, RTF programs are shelter based rather than community based. RTF programs provide live outcomes for community cats otherwise at high risk of euthanasia after shelter admission. The purpose of the present study was to examine changes in feline euthanasia and intake, as well as additional shelter metrics, at a municipal animal shelter in Jefferson County, KY, USA, after an RTF program was added to an ongoing community-based TNR program. The euthanasia of cats at Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS) declined by 94.1% and feline admissions dropped by 42.8% after a combined total of 24,697 cats were trapped, sterilized, vaccinated and returned over an eight-year period. The results of the present study are consistent with previous research and illustrate the amenability of RTF and TNR programs to customization based upon the needs and resources of a given community.The number of cats and dogs impounded and euthanized at animal shelters in the USA has declined dramatically in recent decades. The Humane Society of the United States reported that in 1973 an estimated 13.5 million cats and dogs were euthanized nationwide; according to Best Friends Animal Society, in 2018 that number had been reduced to approximately 733,000. A disproportionate number of animals euthanized at shelters today are free-roaming feral and stray cats, who most often face euthanasia due to their temperament or a lack of shelter space. Over the past decade, two new management tactics—return-to-field (RTF) and targeted trap-neuter-return (TNR)—have exhibited the capacity to contribute to significant reductions in feline euthanasia and intake. The present study examines changes in feline euthanasia and intake, as well as impacts on additional metrics, at a municipal animal shelter in Jefferson County, KY, USA, after an RTF program was added to an ongoing community-based TNR program. A combined total of 24,697 cats were trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and returned over 8 years as part of the concurrent RTF and TNR programs. Feline euthanasia at Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS) declined by 94.1% and feline intake dropped by 42.8%; the live-release rate (LRR) increased by 147.6% due primarily to reductions in both intake and euthanasia. The results of the present study corroborate prior research on the effectiveness of combining RTF and TNR and exemplify the flexibility available to communities in configuring such programs to align with their particular needs and resources.

Highlights

As recently as the 1970s, an estimated 90% of the cats and dogs entering USA animal shelters were euthanized [1,2]
A combined total of 24,697 cats were sterilized in Jefferson County between 2012 and 2019 as part of the Louisville Metro Animal Services (LMAS) RTF (4989) and the ACA TNR program (19,708); an additional 9610 cats residing outside of Jefferson County were sterilized as part of the ACA TNR program
Cats 6 months of age or less made up 22.4% (6525/29,318) of the sterilization surgeries performed under the entirety of the ACA program; such data were not tracked as part of the LMAS RTF program

Summary

Introduction

As recently as the 1970s, an estimated 90% of the cats and dogs entering USA animal shelters were euthanized [1,2]. Based upon its nationwide survey of shelters in 1973, The Humane Society of the United estimated that 13.5 million cats and dogs were being euthanized annually at such facilities, which amounted to approximately 64 animals per 1000 USA residents [3]. A growing number of shelters are instituting shelter-based neuter-return programs, commonly known as return-to-field (RTF), but sometimes referred to as shelter-neuter-return (SNR). These programs are intended to provide live outcomes for cats designated as “strays” upon shelter admission (either brought by residents or impounded by field services staff) [11]. A number of RTF programs, those implemented in combination with high-intensity, targeted TNR, have been effective at reducing both feline intake and euthanasia at municipal shelters [11,13,14]

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