Return-to-Field: How Shelters Save Community Cats, Part 1, with Bryan Kortis, National Programs Director, Neighborhood Cats

“I think it’s important to acknowledge that there’s a reason we’re trying to solve community cat over population because this is, ya know, not always a great situation for the cats. When it comes to return to field, we’re looking at animals coming into the shelter…they have good body condition scores, they appear quite healthy, and that lets you know that they’re figuring it out. That they’re surviving in their territory. And when you return them, they’re not facing any more or fewer risks than they faced before they came into the shelter and allowing them to continue to navigate that environment is better than ending their lives.”

Listen to Episode #552 Now

This episode is sponsored in part by Maddie’s Fund, Urban Cat League, and Tomahawk Live Trap.

Why do we think return-to-field is important and what does “field” even mean? You’re about to find out! This week we’re bringing you a special audio presentation of an advanced webinar we held late last year in partnership with the experts at Neighborhood Cats. The conversation will start this week with part one and part two will be available next week.

You see, it used to be that a feral cat had little chance of exiting a shelter alive after he entered.  But that’s no longer the case.  In recent years, more and more shelters have adopted Return-to-Field (RTF) programs. Instead of euthanizing healthy community cats (whether feral, friendly or otherwise), the shelter will spay or neuter, eartip and vaccinate, then return the cat back to where he was found.

Come along as Bryan talks about the policies behind RTF, the mechanics of implementing the program, current controversies over the RTF of friendly cats, and how to combine RTF with TNR in general to lower cat populations and create sustainability. These programs are a game changer for community cats and whether you work or volunteer in sheltering, TNR or community cat programs or just value the lives of our feline friends, you won’t want to miss a second of this show!

In this episode, you will hear:

• The definition of Return-to-Field
• How RTF leads to lower intake and euthanasia rates in shelters
• Examples of RTF programs/projects and how they worked 
• How these programs help improve moral and ease the stress of staff and volunteers
• Joyful stories about releasing cats in their environment
• How to educate the community about the benefits of RTF
• Managing misinformation, myths, and fear

Resources from this Episode

• Neighborhood Cats Website – https://www.neighborhoodcats.org
• Neighborhood Cats Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/neighborhoodcats/
• Neighborhood Cats Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/nbrhoodcats/
• The Everything TNR Playlist – https://communitycatspodcast.com/everythingtnr
• Visit TNR Workshops and Community Cat Care Training for more webinars like this – https://www.communitycatspodcast.com/community-cat-care-training-education/

Follow & Review

We’d love for you to follow us if you haven’t yet. Click that purple ‘+’ in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast.