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New management plan for campus cats
4th May 2009
UNSW is home to a large number of free-living ("feral") cats. There have been various approaches over the years towards management of the campus cat population, including a program of trapping and extermination in 2008. This trapping program proved costly and relatively ineffective.
After discussions and consultation, the university has agreed to trial a program of cat management based on the "trap-neuter-return" (TNR) model that has been used successfully at other university campuses in Australia and overseas. The program will be run by members of the Campus Cat Coalition (CCC), a collective of staff, students and community volunteers, in consultation with UNSW Facilities Management and the Eastern Suburbs branch of the Animal Welfare League NSW.
The specific aims of the program include:
- A comprehensive audit of campus cats, and establishment of a cat register
- A program of desexing to eliminate breeding of unwanted kittens, based on the TNR model
- Maintaining the health of resident cats through daily feeding, and a program of vaccination and flea/worm control
- Gradual reduction of cat numbers by rehoming/adoption of socialised cats
The cat management program will be reviewed against agreed targets at the end of 2009. Already the program has achieved great success, with desexing of all but one of the breeding female cats on the campus, and a reduction in cat numbers by over 30% in the last year.
You can find out more about the cat management program and the work of the CCC at www.campuscats.org.au.