Volunteers in Phoenix work to care for feral cat populations through Trap, Neuter, Return efforts

Volunteers in Phoenix work tirelessly to care for feral cats

In the bustling city of Phoenix, a group of dedicated volunteers are quietly tending to a population often overlooked: feral cats. Jennifer Nitrio, a volunteer with Kind to Nature, has been filling food dishes for these feline friends for a quarter-century.

With an estimated 250,000 feral cats roaming the streets of Maricopa County, the need for care is staggering. Nitrio and other volunteers practice Trap, Neuter, Return (TNR), a humane approach aimed at stabilizing and improving the health of feral cat populations.

“Our goal is always to get a single colony completely. You never want to leave one or two out there because if you’ve left a breeding pair or even two males, they’re going to go out and find females elsewhere,” Nitrio said.

Volunteers like Anna Zhundrikova from Saving One Life are also advocating for TNR as a humane solution to managing feral cat populations. Even municipalities like Tempe are joining the effort, working with residents to find effective solutions to manage cats in their community.

Despite not getting paid for their work, volunteers like Nitrio find fulfillment in the gratitude of the animals they care for. “It bankrupts me to see their little faces. You know you’re doing good for animals that can’t advocate for themselves,” she said.

One night in February, as Nitrio drove up to an open alley in Tempe, dozens of cats flooded to her car, knowing she was there to feed them. While some approached her for affection, most kept their distance. But Nitrio knows she’s making a difference in their lives.

“I’d like to think that they have some level of gratitude, that they know they’re loved and cared for,” she said.