Decatur, IL (WAND) – According to the National Feline Research Council, 32 million feral cats live across the country, with 76% of them living in urban areas. This issue affects many communities across central Illinois, making TNR programs a vital resource.

TNR, or trap-neuter-return, allows a cat to be spayed or neutered, vaccinated, given an ear tip, and returned to where they were originally trapped. It is one of the only effective methods of pet population control. Euthanasia is not an effective method.

Yoga4Cats, a local cat rescue, has its own TNR program. Founder Jeanette Skaluba said this issue isn’t new, but it has gotten worse.

“We’ve always had a lot of overpopulation of cats and dogs. But it’s just gotten that much worse in recent years,” Skaluba said.

A combination of factors has led to overpopulation. Additionally, TNR programs are closing due to COVID, increasing pet care costs and limited access to care.

cWhen stray cats are left to overpopulate in the wild, infant mortality increases.

Stray cats are also considered an invasive species and decimate local populations of rodents and birds.

“If we are controlling these populations through humane means, over time, we’re going to see reduced numbers of cats in these areas. And obviously, less predation on our native wildlife species,” said Dr. Laura Frazier, director of pet population control and community medicine at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

UIUC also has a TNR program, as well as a low-cost spay-neuter program. The Veterinary Teaching Hospital has dedicated programs to train students on TNR, helping combat the vet shortage.

“Not only are we fixing the problem now, we’re fixing it in the future by creating a new generation of veterinarians that is very skilled surgically,” Frazier said.

Yoga4Cats also has a low-cost spay-neuter program called Emmy’s Cause. People can apply to qualify for a $50 copay for services that normally cost $500.