Triple R Pets volunteer Pamela Caddick says more people are coming out to learn how to care for neighborhood feral cats.

“I know that in just the two years that I’ve been doing this, the number of people attending the workshops has definitely increased,” Caddick said. “That means more caretakers are interested in TNRing their colonies.”

Caddick will lead Triple R Pets’ Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) workshop on Saturday, July 18, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Homewood Public Library, 17917 Dixie Highway. The program will cover humane trapping, low-cost spay-and-neuter services, and care for managed feral cat colonies.

The workshop guides participants through every step of the trap-neuter-return process, including demonstrations using humane traps so attendees can learn how each part works before trying it themselves. Participants will also learn about low-cost spay-and-neuter services, returning cats to where they were found, and caring for managed colonies.

“They will leave knowing how to set a trap, how to train the cat to go into the trap, how to make an appointment at a low-cost clinic,” Caddick said. “By the time you leave that seminar, you should be successful.”

Caddick has volunteered with Triple R Pets for about 10 years. She first became involved after caring for a feral cat colony of her own.

“Our ultimate goal is really to have no feral cats,” she said. “By stopping reproduction, eventually the cats will disappear. There will just be cats as pets.”

Triple R Pets is one of five organizations recognized under Cook County’s ordinance for managed feral cat colonies. The organization connects caretakers with discounted spay-and-neuter services. 

Cats also receive vaccinations, a microchip, and an ear tip, a small mark on the left ear that helps identify cats that have already been spayed or neutered. Caddick recalled a cat microchipped through Triple R Pets that was reunited with its owner years later after being found in Florida, a recovery she said wouldn’t have been possible without the microchip.

Caring for her own colony has shown Caddick how much of a difference consistent care can make. She said some of the cats she cares for are now 10 and 11 years old after receiving regular food, shelter, and veterinary care.

“Because they’re taken care of,” she said, “they live longer, healthier, happier lives.”