neighbor won't let me TNR his barn colony

My neighbor has a colony of about six cats behind his barn and keeps feeding them, but he refuses to let anyone near them for spaying. I keep seeing newborns.

I don't want to start a fight with him but I also don't want the population to explode. What is the best way to convince a neighbor to let me TNR his feral colony without causing a huge argument?

Oh Brian, that sounds so stressful. I know how hard it is to deal with neighbors when it comes to animals. I lost my Bella recently and I'm still trying to process it, but I remember when I had to talk to my vet about her kidney issues. It's a lot of emotion involved.

Maybe you could try approaching him with empathy? Ask if he's had any issues with the cats getting into his property. I think people respond better when you ask about their concerns first rather than just pushing the TNR agenda. Good luck, I'm rooting for you.

Hello Brian. I am sorry to hear about the situation with your neighbor. I have a new rescue named Bob and I know how important it is to keep colonies managed. Perhaps you could look into the talking to a feral cat owner thread? I found some helpful tips there about communication. It is very polite to ask for their perspective first. I hope it goes well for you.

haha this is tough. my maine coon Gizmo is food aggressive so i know how territorial cats can be. i would not push it too hard. maybe offer to take care of the feeding? sometimes people just don't know how to manage the numbers. check out local resources for feral cat tnr to see if there is a group nearby that can mediate. they are usually good at this stuff. 🐱

From a data perspective, unmanaged colonies grow exponentially. If you have 6 cats and 2 litters per year, you will have over 100 cats in 5 years. This is a property issue. You might want to check legal standing of feral cat owners to see if you have any rights regarding nuisance animals. It is not about being mean, it is about the math.

Just be careful. If you go in there without permission you are trespassing. My bengal Tiger is destructive but he knows his boundaries. If you want to try, look at trapping feral cats behind a barn but only if he agrees. I would offer to pay for the vaccines and neuter bills. That usually softens people up. Keep it simple.

Thanks for the input. I think I will try the empathy angle first. If that doesn't work I might look into the legal stuff. I just want to stop the noise and the new kittens. I posted an update in a follow up thread.