When employees at a tire shop in Farmington, New Mexico, discovered young cats had made themselves at home on their property, they faced a common challenge. While the feline presence offered a useful service – keeping mice away – their unchecked reproduction meant the shop could soon be overrun. The problem was clear: these were community cats needing intervention, a task often falling under the purview of Farmington, New Mexico animal control services or the local shelter.
A single call to the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter set a life-saving plan in motion. The goal: humanely trap the cats, provide vaccinations and spay/neuter surgeries, and then return them to their familiar outdoor environment. This initiative represents a significant shift from just over a year prior, before March 2020, when the shelter partnered with Best Friends to launch a comprehensive community cat program aimed at dramatically increasing save rates for Farmington’s feline population.
Supporting New Mexico Animal Shelters
Early last year, the Best Friends embed team identified five New Mexico shelters, including Farmington, in need of support to improve their cat save rates. In 2019, for instance, Farmington’s save rate for cats hovered around 52%. Many incoming cats were not socialized for traditional adoption, leading the shelter to consider a barn cat program, although finding suitable properties proved difficult.
With crucial grant funding from Best Friends, the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter was able to launch a community cat program. This program was designed to offer lifesaving solutions for all outdoor cats, regardless of their temperament, targeting approximately 800 cats annually. The grant specifically covered spay/neuter surgeries, essential training, and supplies for shelter staff. It also equipped the shelter’s animal control officers (ACOs) with resources to effectively communicate the benefits of trap-neuter-vaccinate-return (TNVR) to the Farmington community. TNVR is a humane process where a cat is trapped, spayed or neutered, vaccinated, and returned to its original location, allowing them to remain in their outdoor homes and freeing up shelter space. For those interested in preventing unwanted litters, exploring options like animal reproductive services near me is crucial.
Marla Browne, Best Friends national embed program manager, highlights the transformative nature of Farmington’s new TNVR approach. “Shelters are used to being the place where people can drop off animals in need of help,” she notes. “Now, through community-focused sheltering, they can take part in helping the animals in their community instead. And the reality is that most people do want to help. We just have to ask.” The partnership between Best Friends and local initiatives like those at the animal control farmington new mexico shelter is key to improving animal welfare outcomes.
Slowly Gaining Community Acceptance
Farmington Regional Animal Shelter staff preparing humane traps for community cats
Typically, the Best Friends embed program involves extensive in-person training. However, the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated a pivot to remote training for Farmington staff, forcing a creative approach.
Stacie Voss, the shelter’s animal welfare director, saw a silver lining in this change of plans. “It gave us a chance to start the program slowly and that gave us time to get the staff on board to make sure it was a success,” she explained. Implementing such a significant change in how outdoor cats are handled required careful communication, particularly with residents who might object to cats being returned to their neighborhoods. Stacie mentioned, “The shelter hasn’t done a lot publicly to talk about the program, so there have been more one-on-one conversations about the program.”
These personal conversations have been instrumental in the program’s success. Stacie reports that most outdoor cat caregivers are enthusiastic and often willing to collaborate with their neighbors. Even those who initially call to complain about cats on their property typically accept the shelter’s new TNVR policy after discussing it with staff and understanding its benefits.
A Program Benefiting Both Cats and People
When community members in Farmington request assistance with outdoor cats from the shelter team, they are provided with humane traps, purchased with Best Friends funds. After successfully trapping the cats, they can bring them to the shelter for spaying or neutering and vaccination. The shelter team also offers valuable guidance and support, especially for individuals new to the trapping process.
Shelter staff working remotely with a feline companion
The employees at the tire company received this exact type of assistance, leading them to trap five cats from their property. Suspecting a larger group resided in the shared parking lot, the shelter team set additional traps and successfully caught four more cats. All nine felines underwent spay/neuter surgery and vaccination before being humanely returned to the parking lot environment they called home. This hands-on approach is a cornerstone of effective animal control farmington new mexico efforts focused on humane population management.
Tabatha Rhodes, a community support specialist at the shelter, shared that the new TNVR program has positively impacted not just the cats, but also the morale of the shelter staff. The ability to set cats free, a stark contrast to previous limitations, has been incredibly rewarding. The program’s effect on Tabatha was particularly highlighted by a cat named Milo.
“I always had a hard time returning the friendly cats,” Tabatha admitted, expressing her initial worry about Milo, a friendly orange-and-white tabby who was returned after being processed. Her concern was alleviated when an ACO officer called about a trapped cat that sounded remarkably like Milo.
Indeed, it was Milo, this time sporting a pink collar. “Someone was taking care of him,” Tabatha realized. “It made me realize that just because a cat lives outdoors doesn’t mean they aren’t cared for.” This anecdotal evidence underscores the value of community support in successful animal welfare programs, including humane trapping and animal reproductive services near me access.
Helping Over a Thousand Cats in Eight Months
Milo, an orange and white tabby cat helped by the Farmington community cat program
Between January and August of 2021, the Farmington Regional Animal Shelter achieved lifesaving outcomes for an impressive 1,101 cats. Marla Browne of Best Friends commended this outstanding accomplishment, noting its particular significance given it occurred during a pandemic without direct in-person support from Best Friends staff. She attributed their success to “grit and determination,” stating, “They’re sustaining lifesaving programming, and this is only the beginning.”
This remarkable achievement by the Farmington shelter team, supported by Best Friends, demonstrates the powerful impact of community-focused animal welfare initiatives, proving that high save rates are attainable even under challenging circumstances.
Help Cats Where You Live
Cats are among the most vulnerable animals entering shelters. You can contribute to changing this reality in your own community.
Get involved by learning more about community cat programs and supporting local initiatives.
