Operation Cat Nap set for July 26-28, 2002: AU main campus and AU Montgomery

Program returns neutered feral cats back to campus

AUBURN UNIVERSITY -- Students at Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine have formed a battle plan to combat the growing population of feral, or free roaming, cats on Auburn’s campuses. Its code name is Operation Cat Nap, a program in which cats are trapped, neutered, and then returned to where they were found.

This weekend, July 26-28, the program will be conducted on Auburn’s main campus and at Auburn University at Montgomery.

“After the cats are trapped, they are given a physical exam, tested for feline leukemia virus, vaccinated, treated for fleas and internal parasites, and surgically sterilized,” said Dr. Brenda Griffin of the veterinary college. “Finally, they are returned to the same location in which they were trapped.”

The participating Auburn veterinarians and students realize that many people might question the unusual procedure at first, before learning of its advantage over the traditional approach of euthanasia.

“Studies have shown that trap-neuter-return is a successful method of controlling the population of carefully monitored cat colonies,” Dr. Griffin said. “Over time, the colony size will decrease due to attrition. In addition to not being able to reproduce, neutered cats display fewer nuisance behaviors such as spraying and fighting.”

These unowned cats are the wild offspring of domestic cats and are the result of students and other pet owners abandoning or failing to spay or neuter their cats, allowing them to breed uncontrollably. 

To date, 103 cats have “graduated” the program that began in 2000 at the veterinary college and subsequently encompassed the entire AU main campus. Nineteen colonies have been identified, each of which has volunteer caretakers to provide food and water on a daily basis, keep records on the number of cats, and report any sick or injured animals.

“We believe this weekend will successfully complete the trapping of most, if not all, of the cats on main campus,” said Lisa Scebra, a second-year veterinary student. “We will also trap at AUM for the first time this weekend.”

Also volunteering are student leaders Michelle Goree, Whitney Lemarr, Alison Lovell and Kim Smith. They coordinate a larger team that helps in all aspects of the program, from trapping to performing the surgeries.

"This program is a collaborative effort among faculty, staff and students to take responsibility for the cats residing on the Auburn University campus and to raise awareness regarding the importance of responsible cat ownership and spaying and neutering,” Dr. Griffin added.

For more information: Dr. Brenda Griffin, (334) 844-5951.