ANSC 250 1st Edition Lecture 13 Outline of Last Lecture I. What is Humane Education?II. Humane Education at the Champaign County Humane Society (CCHS)III. Humane Investigations Outline of Current Lecture I. DefinitionsII. Controlling cat populations III. Cat reproductionIV. Successful programs V. Why is this so controversial? Current LectureI. Some Definitions A. A feral cat is a cat that cannot be handled, is unsocialized with humans and is not suitable for placement in a home as a companion animal. B. Free-roaming Cats include;i. Feral catsii. Lost and/or abandoned catsiii. Owned cats allowed to roamC. Free-roaming cats live in groups called "Community Cats" (community cats = most important source of cat population- 80 mil compared to 20 mil of pet cats)D. These cats meet a carrying capacity based on available resources. (they live in colonies) E. Removing cats without removing resources will not reduce the population long-term because survivors repopulate and due to the Vacuum effect. (cats from neighboring communities will know that there is food available there)II. Controlling Cat PopulationsA. List some reasons from class on the importance of controlling these populations.i. Waste ii. Affects other species b/c cats are predatoryiii. Concerned about the cats welfareiv. Public safety- cats may carry diseases B. Do nothing/wait and see management strategy is historically unsuccessful and is not a humane option. (public pressure on local authorities to take action) These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.C. Destroy on site is not a humane option due to the Vacuum effect. (long-term success unlikely; PR?)D. Trap, remove, and euthanize is not a humane option for the same reason as above. (long-term success unikely w/o an intense campaign to target all resident cats and all newcomers; PR?) E. Trap and relocate is limited due to the availability of suitable new homes and is not considered a humane option. (long-term success is unlikely; overcrowded shelters) F. Non-surgical contraception is not an available option. (vaccine/other method is block fertility; R&D needed) G. Trap, Neuter, and Return (TNR) involves (most humane; stabilizes population; then decreases over time from attrition-> will just slowly die from natural causes) i. Humane trappingii. Spay/neuteriii. Vaccination against rabiesiv. Ear-tipping for identificationv. Cats being returned to original colony H. The long-term goal for TNR is fewer cats with a population decrease through attrition (natural causes). This is a effective and humane option.III. Cat ReproductionA. Cats can begin their reproductive (estrous) cycle as early as 4-5 months.B. Cats are seasonal polyestrous. (breeding season dictated by light) C. Cats are induced ovulators. D. Cat gestation lasts an average of 63 days- (5 months) and average litter size is 4-5 kittens. IV. Successful ProgramsA. Targeted sterilizations are most effective. This includes;i. Large proportions of females sterilizedii. Concentrated effortsiii. sterilizationiv. Adoption of tame cats and kittensB. Shelter Neuter Return (SNR) is also successful and includes;i. “Return to Field”ii. “Feral Freedom”C. Is TNR endorsed by a majority of veterinary and animal welfare organizations?i. Yes! V. Why is this so controversial?A. One solution does not fit all situations - ecosystems are complex! B. Emotion-based vs. data-driven decisionsC. Sometimes not many dataD. Inconsistent legal