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Seminole County TNVR
Trap
Neuter
Vaccinate
Return
Seminole County TNVR is a team of volunteers who TNVR (trap, neuter, vaccinate, return) community cats throughout Seminole County. Seminole County Animal Services (SCAS) refers callers to the group who call about community cats on their property or in their neighborhood. They not only TNVR the cats, but also provide education and resources to residents about community cats. The pilot program launched on November 1st, 2021 and the group received their first call on November 2nd and has continued receiving calls ever since. The volunteers work in different capacities including answering phone calls referred to them by SCAS, TNVR’ing the community cats, fostering cats and/or kittens, transporting to and from the vet, and holding the cats for recovery until they can be returned to their outdoor homes where they were trapped. In addition, the group has TNVR’d more than 2,500 cats since they began in 2021. They rely on donations and grant money to pay for the community cats’ vetting.
Seminole County TNVR’s goal is to TNVR community cats in Seminole County, save them from being euthanized and help adopt out socialized cats. This reduces the number of cats being euthanized but also controls the cat population humanely.
What is TNVR?
TNVR stands for Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return. Community cats are humanely trapped, neutered (or spayed) , vaccinated, ear tipped and returned to their environment where they were originally trapped. This provides a way for communities to coexist with cats. Anyone can TNVR and we are here to help.
Vaccinations such as rabies and FVRCP are what community cats receive when they are trapped. This will help to achieve herd immunity if enough animals are vaccinated. This controls the spread of diseases and keeps rabies from spreading. This in return provides protection for unvaccinated animals and protects the entire colony from disease. It is the best way to protect from transmitting rabies. Even a single dose of rabies can give multiple years of protection up to 7 years.
What is TNVR?
TNVR stands for Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate and Return. Community cats are humanely trapped, neutered (or spayed) , vaccinated, ear tipped and returned to their environment where they were originally trapped. This provides a way for communities to coexist with cats. Anyone can TNVR and we are here to help.
Vaccinations such as rabies and FVRCP are what community cats receive when they are trapped. This will help to achieve herd immunity if enough animals are vaccinated. This controls the spread of diseases and keeps rabies from spreading. This in return provides protection for unvaccinated animals and protects the entire colony from disease. It is the best way to protect from transmitting rabies. Even a single dose of rabies can give multiple years of protection up to 7 years.
Why does TNVR work- Euthanasia does not
Catching and killing cats has been continuing for decades in an attempt to reduce the number of community cats- This has no permanent impact on the population of outdoor cats. It is cruel, not supported by the public and wastes taxpayer’s money. Catch and kill is counterproductive. No new litters will be born to those who have been spayed and neutered and the population will stabilize. It is humane and improves the community cats’ lives by stopping the stress of mating behaviors.
The vacuum effect-
When cats have been removed from their outdoor habitat a territorial vacuum is created that will be then filled by other cats. This will only create a temporary decrease in the cat population and other cats will take their place. This is known as the Vacuum Effect because “nature abhors-a-vacuum;” when a space is emptied nature will fill it.
There is no long term benefit to this while TNVR is a better way to stabilize the cat population long term- it is humane and effective.