We have been very fortunate so far trying to make a difference in our communities. The numbers speak for themselves: 713 spayed and neutered cats in Stockton, Lodi, Escalon and even in Modesto...
But when I look at that number, I feel very tired. The amount of planning, trapping, logistics, educating, gathering paperwork, reports ... it's just overwhelming. I ask myself, will I have enough energy and strength to do what SOKS—the volunteers and I—were able to do last year? Have our actions made any difference?
Despite a high number of spayed and neutered cats, we have not yet seen a decrease in the feral population in Stockton. So, do we stop? No. We do not.
And then, we also have to deal with misinformation. Recently I watched a very interesting Youtube video by Jackson Galaxy about misunderstandings surrounding Trap-Neuter-Return (here is the link). I wish everyone would watch it and took it to heart.
SOKS is committed to continuing our Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) efforts—a proven and humane way of reducing feline population.
I believe the problem of homeless cats would be solved in our community if people continued doing TNR and had the support of the City of Stockton for the next eight years. We can see, as it was shown in the video mentioned above, that we can change the statistics. It has already happened in other American cities!
To be proactive, I am creating a list of people and businesses who we can ask for help. Our local animal shelter would love to do more TNR, too.
Our challenge is not money but the lack of veterinarians who could perform spay and neuter procedures all day long.
Meanwhile, I am also spending my time writing emails to a local school district who is concerned that we are in their parking lot trapping cats in the evening. I write and make multiple calls asking them to allow me to help them with the feral cat problem. These are the cats which are procreating on their property. If we do not do something soon, they will have even more cats! We can avoid it if SOKS volunteers are allowed to take action.
So this is how my 2025 has started.
So far this year, we have fixed 80 cats. I look forward to coming together with Stockton communities to help slow the growth of this out-of-control problem. I believe that TNR is the only scientifically proven method to do so. Please watch the video mentioned above and/or contact SOKS with questions.
Comments