MUSCATINE, Iowa–To help reduce the number of stray and feral cats in Muscatine County and to reduce crowding in regional animal shelters, It Takes a Village Animal Rescue and Resources publicly announced the Village Trap, Neuter, and Release program in October 2021.
“With our Village TNR program, we not only stop the breeding cycle of these cats, but we improve their life and health with vaccines, which also decreases the spread of disease within our local wildlife in the process,” shared It Takes a Village Founder Meagan Koehler. “A reduction in the stray and feral cat population helps to free up local government and animal control resources from being spent on nuisance feline calls as well as drastically easing the burden on local animal shelters and rescues” she added.
Trap, neuter, and release refers to the process of catching feral cats, spaying or neutering and vaccinating them, and then releasing them back out to their colony or another safe location.
For the program to succeed, It Takes a Village relies on many volunteers. Kim Curry serves as It Takes a Village’s TNR coordinator, working with people who have a cat colony on or near their property to arrange a time to pick up or humanely trap the animals (depending on how they get along with people), finding volunteers to help with the trapping process, and working with local farmers to acclimate the released animals as barn cats when appropriate. Bill Danner and Angela Mathis volunteer to drive the stray and feral cats to and from the Iowa Humane Alliance in Cedar Rapids for spaying, neutering, and vaccination.
So far, It Takes a village has successfully done TNR with 50 cats. A recent $1,400 grant from the Miccio Foundation in Iowa City allowed them to focus their efforts on a particularly large cat colony. However, they will need continued support to ensure the program thrives. If you would like to volunteer, especially as a grant writer, you may contact It Takes a Village via Facebook message. You may also donate to them via PayPal or Venmo, or by sending a check to It Takes a Village Animal Rescue and Resources, PO Box 634, Muscatine, IA 52761.
