According to the No Kill Advocacy Center, the first step in creating a no kill community is establishing a good Trap/Neuter/Return program for free roaming cats.  There are 2 reasons for this.  First, the vast majority of animals brought to shelters are stray cats.  Some of these are feral and many are very scared.  Unenlightened shelters have policies of killing cats in traps who "appear feral" - which inevitably include numerous strays or owned cats who had the misfortune to walk into traps and are terrified by the experience.  Second, the babies of free roaming cats are often picked up by people and kept as pets.  There is a good chance that they will not be spayed or neutered and their offspring wind up in the shelter, fueling the overpopulation problem.
Here in the Valley free roaming cats who are caught in traps are taken to one of two locations.  The lucky ones are taken to the Center for Animal health & Welfare (formerly the NCSPCA) in Easton.  There they are evaluated, spayed or neutered and vaccinated.  The truly feral cats are returned to their colony.  If this is not possible, they are held at the shelter in a special open area until they can be relocated.  Scared friendlies and juveniles who can be socialized are either placed in special foster homes or put up for adoption.  The unlucky cats are taken to the Lehigh County Humane Society in Allentown.  Their policy is to kill cats that come in in traps immediately.  They could be frightened pets or young enough to be socialized.  It doesn't matter.  This is the information that is available.  The administration of the Lehigh County Humane Society refuses to speak to us or to complete the questionnaire sent to them.

For help with Trap/Neuter /Return in the Lehigh Valley area contact:

Martha Kahan (Northampton, Lehigh & Carbon Co.)
marthakahan@yahoo.com
610-737-7490
or
Phil Bell (Northampton, Carbon, & Monroe Co.)
610-393-0223


This little baby was born on the streets of Easton.  Thanks to the City of Easton TNR program, she and her litter mates are living in loving forever homes.  Their mommy will not have any more kittens, but she will be able to live her life in her natural environment.  That is what TNR is all about.

T/N/R (Trap/Neuter/Return) refers to the practice of catching free roaming cats in a humane trap, transporting them to a veterinarian where they are spayed or neutered and inoculated and then releasing them back into their natural environment.   During this process, T/N/R volunteers discover "scared friendlies" who can be placed in homes as well as youngsters who can be socialized and do not have to continue to live a life on the streets.  The cats who are returned to their environment are able to live out their lives without the problems associated with mating and raising babies. 
T/N/R has been practiced in Europe and Great Britain for over 30 years.  It is the method approved by the RSPCA in Britain for dealing with the free roaming cat problem.  T/N/R in America started when Alley Cat Allies was formed in 1990.  It began in Washington DC, but rapidly spread across the nation.  It is the only humane method for stopping the population growth of homeless cats.
The city of Easton joined this movement and was awarded a grant from PetSmart Charities to pay for the surgeries.  After one year of T/N/R the number of stray cats brought in from the city of Easton was reduced by 40%.
T/N/R programs work.  The state of New Hampshire instituted a state wide program which resulted in a 70% decrease in euthanasias in shelters.