What You Need to Know About the Feral Cats in Lubbock

Anyone who has lived in Lubbock for more than 30 minutes is well aware of the abundant cat presence wandering the streets and alleyways. They may be cute and fluffy, but why does the city seemingly let them do their own thing in our yards and on our property?

"Community Cats" in Lubbock

According to the City of Lubbock website, free-roaming cats that live outdoors within the community are called "community cats". Many are born in the "wild" within the city and residents are encouraged to treat them as part of wildlife.

The city also asks that you don't feed them as they will find their own food and water source, just like any other wild animal.

Get this, Lubbock citizens can legally trap and remove cats that wander onto their property, but this is discouraged since nearby cats are known to take the place of those that are removed.

The best practice, according to the city, is to catch wild cats and have them neutered and vaccinated before releasing them back into the wild.

I'm sorry, I just had to include this photo. What are they doing to that cat and why is it in a medieval torturing device??

Trap-Neuter-Return

This practice is known as NTR, or Trap-Neuter-Return. The reason we no longer abide by the "catch and kill" mentality is all thanks to a phenomenon called the "vacuum effect".

This is, as stated earlier, when cat populations rebound from catching and killing. Their numbers go back to their original size or even more, defeating the whole purpose of trying to minimize populations.

How to Get Involved

The City of Lubbock website includes ways that you can get involved in humanely reducing the population of wild cats. They also include resources and videos on setting traps and safely relocating these animals.

Of course, you could always just go out and find one for a pet... I'd get it checked at a vet first, though.