WHY YOU SHOULD Track and Register YOUR COLONY:

• It could save your cats' lives! When an eartipped cat is brought to the city's shelter, Laredo Animal Care Services will contact Best Friends for Life if the microchip is from our TNR program. We then attempt to locate the colony that the cat originated from and notify the caretaker. This job is made much easier if the colony is tracked in the database. If your colony is not track and we cannot find you, an alternative placement for your cat may not be found and euthanasia could be the outcome.

• The data is helpful in securing funding for TNR. Information in the database on the number of colonies and altered cats in specific zip codes will help Best Friends for Life receive a grant to alter 1,000 cats.

• Data can help prove TNR works. One of the metrics tracked by the database is changes in colony size over time. Your experience with your colony in this respect may support our advocacy of pro-TNR policies.

• Maintain a well-managed community-wide system. Despite its many successes over the years, TNR still has very vocal opponents who would like to see the practice end. By having a database with a high rate of participation by caretakers, we can show we are organized and run an effective, responsible program.

• Registered Colonies. Will be contacted first for wellness, microchip or spay/neuter clinics, or cat food donation drives.

So if you are managing a feral cat colony or have assisted others to TNR their cats, please take a few minutes to register and track the colonies. All personal information, including colony locations and caretaker identities and contact info, is held in strict confidence by Best Friends for Life. Only general data, such as the number of colonies in a zip code, is ever shared with others. Questions? Contact us at info@bestfriendsforlife.org

Register and Track your Cat Colony

THIS IS NOT A PERMIT FOR YOUR CAT COLONY!