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Graduate Position in Feral Cat study available
The University of Florida is preparing to start a study on the impact of intensive trap-neuter-return of stray and feral cats on the number of cats that end up at animal control. We have selected the area of Alachua County, Florida with the largest number of cat admissions to the shelter and will focus on sterilizing cats in that area for two years. We are recruiting for a Master's student to participate in the project who will analyze the data as the thesis for their degree. This individual must be highly motivated, be a great team-player, be comfortable working with various aspects of the community, and pay exquisite attention to detail. We anticipate that the student would arrive in Gainesville early in 2006 to help launch the project as a temporary employee, with the expectation that they would join the graduate school in the summer or fall, with graduation planned for spring of 2008. Tuition, fees, and a stipend will be paid. More information about admission to the graduate school can be found at http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/cvmadmissi...gs/msvms#Small Please contact me for more information about the program if you are interested. Please cross-post. A summary of the project follows. Maddie's Fund Taps Operation Catnip Model to Test Effectiveness of Trap-Neuter-Return Many shelters, including Alachua County Animal Services, report that a substantial number of the cats euthanized in their facilities are not adoptable because they are feral. Feral cat sterilization projects like Operation Catnip are frequently promoted as a method for reducing the homeless cat population and the resulting burden on animal control facilities. Operation Catnip volunteers can be very proud of their accomplishment of sterilizing more than 14,000 cats since 1998 and preventing the birth of more than 6,000 homeless kittens each year. That alone is a huge accomplishment for cat welfare. However, we suspect that since the effort is diluted over the entire county, the impact on cat overpopulation as reflected by the number of cat admissions to the animal shelter is minimal. Surprisingly, despite two decades of growth of trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs, no information exists about the effect of TNR on shelter admissions. That knowledge gap is about to be filled. Maddie's Fund has accepted a proposal to study the effect of intensive TNR on an area with historically high cat admissions to the shelter. The research team is composed of UF veterinarians Drs. Julie Levy and Natalie Isaza and shelter director Ray Sim. Together, the team has researched shelter statistics and identified a neighborhood in downtown Gainesville with disproportionately high cat admissions to the shelter. Over the past 6 years, zip code 32601 contributed 22% of the cat admissions to the animal shelter, even though it comprised only 8% of the county's human population and 0.5% of the county's land mass. Beginning in January and continuing for a two-year time frame, the team will concentrate on controlling the cat population in this zip code through increased TNR, adoption of friendly kittens, and complaint mediation. To reach the goal of sterilizing 55% of the stray cat population in the area, an additional 1,000 cats from this neighborhood must be sterilized each year. If successful, the shelter should witness a decrease in complaints about cats and fewer cat admissions from the area, particularly of kittens. Such an undertaking is a formidable task. It will require an increase in surgical capacity and trap inventory, and the coordinated efforts of a team of trappers, surgeons, community organizers, and data managers. In recognition of the immense challenge ahead, Maddie's Fund had agreed to fund the research project over two years, an unprecedented investment in understanding the complicated issue of feral cat control. Mary T. Pet Network, Inc. http://www.petnetwork.petfinder.org |
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Graduate Position in Feral Cat study available
Karen wrote:
The University of Florida is preparing to start a study on the impact of intensive trap-neuter-return of stray and feral cats on the number of cats that end up at animal control. We have selected the area of Alachua County, Florida with the largest number of cat admissions to the shelter and will focus on sterilizing cats in that area for two years. Wow, that's great! I hope they get results that are favorable for the ferals. Where is Alachua county, by the way? The counties I'm familiar with are Palm Beach, Volutia (sp?), and a few in between. Is it near any of those? Joyce |
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Graduate Position in Feral Cat study available
wrote:
Where is Alachua county, by the way? The counties I'm familiar with are Palm Beach, Volutia (sp?), and a few in between. Is it near any of those? Joyce According to Mapquest - www.mapquest.com - it is slightly north of Gainesville in the middle of the Florida peninsula, Jacksonville is on the coast a bit further north. Christine, posting from work |
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Graduate Position in Feral Cat study available
Volusia county is basically Daytona beach Gainesville is 2 hours away by
driving on hwy 40 "christal63" wrote in message oups.com... wrote: Where is Alachua county, by the way? The counties I'm familiar with are Palm Beach, Volutia (sp?), and a few in between. Is it near any of those? Joyce According to Mapquest - www.mapquest.com - it is slightly north of Gainesville in the middle of the Florida peninsula, Jacksonville is on the coast a bit further north. Christine, posting from work |
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