by Eileen Haag
Bastrop C.A.T.S. targets sterilizing as many cats as possible during the winter.
Why do we spend this time huddling outside in the cold, waiting for traps to be sprung instead of at home with our families, under cozy blankets, celebrating the holidays?
Because kitten season starts in early spring! And if we TNR female cats before they get pregnant, then that is fewer kittens added to community cat colonies.
Our data backs up this process:
In January of 2018-2023, 19 of the female cats we trapped were pregnant, 45 were in heat, and 3 were lactating.
In February of 2018-2023, 88 were pregnant, 44 in heat, and 2 were lactating.
In March of 2018-2023, 106 were pregnant, 35 in heat, and 6 were lactating.
In April 2018-2023, 93 were pregnant, 22 in heat, and 33 were lactating.
Here’s a graph for those of you data nerds:
Thank you to those of you who continue to be vigilant and watching for community cats to be trapped during the winter season.
If you’ve seen a stray and thought there is plenty of time before kitten season, wipe that from your mind and contact us soon so that we can get the cat on the wait list to get TNR’d!
The sooner we can TNR these females, the bigger the impact.