Clinic Chronicles: 129 Cats in One Week.
The Injuries We Could Not Ignore
The first week of August brought 129 cats and kittens to Street Cat Hub for TNR. Each received spay or neuter surgery. Several also arrived with medical problems that had gone untreated because no one knew they needed help.
Six cats needed an eye removed. A kitten named Pine-Sol came in with a broken leg that had healed badly.
This is what we find when free-roaming cats finally come through our doors.
Six Cats Had Been Living With Pain Nobody Could See
On August 5, our veterinary team performed six enucleations. This surgery removes an eye that is badly damaged, infected, or causing pain.
Six eye removals in one day is hard to process.
It means six community cats had been living outdoors with painful eyes. We do not know how long they had been hurt. Free-roaming cats often avoid people, and they cannot tell us where they hurt. Many injuries remain hidden until a cat is trapped and brought in for TNR.
These six cats came to Street Cat Hub for spay or neuter surgery. Their examinations showed they needed additional medical care.
Removing the damaged eyes ended their pain and gave them a chance to heal. They left surgery without the painful eyes they had carried into our clinic.
Pine-Sol Had Been Living With a Leg That Healed Wrong
Pine-Sol arrived at Street Cat Hub that same day.
This kitten had a broken leg that had already healed in the wrong position. We do not know what caused the injury or how long Pine-Sol had been trying to walk that way.
We know Pine-Sol is no longer outside without help. Our clinic team completed an examination, and people are now making decisions about the care this kitten needs.
Many injured community cats never get that chance. Unless someone notices them and requests TNR services, they may continue living with injuries no one can see.
Pine-Sol reached Street Cat Hub because someone paid attention and took action.
TNR Has Improved Outcomes for Albuquerque Cats
No reliable count exists for the number of free-roaming cats living in Albuquerque or across New Mexico. The records we do have show the size of the need and the effect of organized TNR programs.
Between April 2012 and March 2015, an Albuquerque community cat program trapped, sterilized, vaccinated, and returned or adopted 11,746 cats. During that three-year period:
Feline shelter intake declined by 37.6%.
Feline euthanasia declined by 84.1%.
The feline live-release rate increased by 47.7%.
These findings come from a 2018 study by Daniel D. Spehar and Peter J. Wolf. The study measured the combined results of targeted TNR, return-to-field work, shelter programs, nonprofit partners, caregivers, and residents. Read the published Albuquerque study through PubMed.
More recent City records show that Albuquerque Animal Welfare euthanized 266 cats in fiscal year 2020 and 245 cats in fiscal year 2021. That was a decline of about 8% in one year. The City stopped listing cat euthanasia separately in later budget reports, so comparable cat-only figures are not available for 2022 through 2025. These numbers appear on page 77 of the City of Albuquerque Fiscal Year 2023 Proposed Budget.
Street Cat Hub is part of Albuquerque's continued work to prevent unwanted litters and reduce the number of free-roaming cats entering local shelters. The City directs residents who need help with community cats to Street Cat Hub on its Stray Neighborhood Cats resource page.
More Than 800 Surgeries in One Month
Street Cat Hub's service records show how much work remains.
We provide services to as many as 60 to 80 cats in one day and complete more than 7,000 spay and neuter surgeries for free-roaming cats in a year.
During the first month of this fiscal year, Street Cat Hub completed more than 800 surgeries.
That means more than 800 cats will not produce another litter. It also gave our staff more than 800 opportunities to examine cats who may not have received care anywhere else.
Our website reports that Street Cat Hub has completed more than 60,000 spay and neuter surgeries since 2014. View Street Cat Hub's published service total.
Other Injured Cats Are Still Outside
We did not know about the six damaged eyes until those cats reached our clinic. We did not know about Pine-Sol's leg until this kitten came through our doors.
Other cats are outside with injuries we cannot see. You can help us reach them.
Donate: Your gift supports Street Cat Hub's work wherever the need is greatest. Donations help pay for spay and neuter surgeries, medical care, vaccinations, clinic supplies, TNR services, and daily operations. Donate to Street Cat Hub.
Volunteer: Help with trapping, transportation, clinic support, outreach, or other work that allows us to serve more cats. Apply to volunteer.
Request TNR services: If free-roaming cats live near your home, workplace, or neighborhood, please submit a request. Acting now can prevent future litters and bring an injured cat to the attention of our team. Request TNR services.
Pine-Sol reached Street Cat Hub because someone acted. Six cats no longer have to live with painful eyes because TNR brought them into our clinic.
Please donate, volunteer, or request TNR services today. Your support helps Street Cat Hub provide spay and neuter surgery, medical care, and other services for free-roaming cats throughout Albuquerque and New Mexico.
Donations made in response to this story support Street Cat Hub's overall mission and are not restricted to Pine-Sol, the six cats featured here, or any single animal, treatment, or program.
Sources
Spehar, Daniel D., and Peter J. Wolf. "The Impact of an Integrated Program of Return-to-Field and Targeted Trap-Neuter-Return on Feline Intake and Euthanasia at a Municipal Animal Shelter." Animals, 2018. PubMed record.
City of Albuquerque. Fiscal Year 2023 Proposed Budget, Animal Welfare performance measures, page 77. City budget report.
Street Cat Hub. Current daily, monthly, weekly, and annual totals come from Street Cat Hub service records.
Street Cat Hub. More than 60,000 spay and neuter surgeries completed since 2014. Street Cat Hub website.