Karen Mosser: How Stanford humanely solved its feral cat problem

Re “Where are Kaiser’s feral cats going?” (Letters, March 10): In 1989 Stanford University had a growing homeless cat population that reached an estimated 1,500. The initial solution proposed by the university was to trap all the cats and convey all animals lacking collars to the Santa Clara Animal Shelter to be killed.

A group of volunteers, with the assistance of Palo Alto Humane Society, developed a plan offering a humane alternative. The volunteers and the university decided on a Trap/Spay/Neuter/Release program. This group of volunteers, “The Feline Friends Network,” was one of the first organizations to promote this strategy; now it has become a national model.

Un-socialized cats are humanely trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated and released back onto campus, where they are fed and monitored by volunteers. Every effort is made to find the owners of any tame cats. Unclaimed tame strays and kittens are boarded until adoptive homes are found.

Implementation of TNR has resulted in a healthy cat population, which is not reproducing and is steadily declining through natural attrition (death of aged cats) and adoption into homes. This successful program has been recognized nationally as a model for the care and management of homeless cats. Let’s get with the “program” Kaiser!

This story was originally published March 11, 2015 at 5:34 PM with the headline "Karen Mosser: How Stanford humanely solved its feral cat problem."