Homeless Cats In America

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3.4 million cats enter shelters annually in America, over 1.4 million of these cats are euthanized. Most of the cats that are put into shelters are strays or cats that communities cannot take care of anymore (“Shelter Intake and Surrender – Animal Homelessness”). Shelters and communities become overrun with cats, in most cases these cats have not been spayed or neutered. An average litter for a cat is three to five cats, due to this, cats can multiple in size quickly. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals supports Trap-Neuter-Release and Spaying and Neutering in order to stabilize homeless cat populations in the United States.
According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, there are two types of homeless cats: Community cats and Strays.
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Cats within this category tend to reside in groups called colonies, however, because the cats are not spayed or neutered, they procreate and end up with numerous litters of kittens. Various colonies have caretakers, whom provide shelter, food, and spay and neuter services to protect the community from attempting to eradicate the colony. Caretakers are not common because of how much time and dedication required to help the colony in its entirety. The cats themselves also hinder a caretaker from starting to watch over a colony because of how they distance their selves from human life. Due to the overpopulation, fights, and nuisances they cause some communities will capture and eradicate the whole colony regardless of the options of spay and neuter. Some of the eradication techniques include: lethal injection or relocation. A community cat’s lifespans reach up to two years in the wild, if taken care