Richmond Project Update

Richmond Cat Management Community Project

An update on our important Richmond community efforts.

ARTICLE BY: Noel Hunt, Ten Lives

In 2020 we launched a community project at Richmond due to the high number of cats and kittens being brought into Ten Lives from the area.

The pilot program aimed to provide a proactive and holistic approach, and to move beyond the shelter to tackle cat management.

Two years on, we are making very positive progress with what we now call ‘The Richmond Process.’

Richmond was identified as a hotspot for unwanted and stray cats based on intake data from prior years. Ten Lives had the benefit of being a key partner on the Bruny Island Project with others including federal and state government (DPIPWE), Kingborough Council, Bruny Island Farming, NRM South, conservation groups, business, and the general community. Ten Lives had also worked supporting Kingborough Council on projects at Baronia Beach and Blackmans Bay to protect penguin rookeries.

We mapped all of our cat intake data onto Google Maps. This highlighted that there were several areas in Southern Tasmania where we had a large, concentrated number of cats and kittens being brought into our care. We call these areas Hotspots.

We chose Richmond as our first area to use the research and knowledge we gained from Bruny as our experience told us that the Richmond people would be very supportive of programs that would improve their community, environment, and animal welfare.

This proved to be true on many levels. The way the community got behind Ten Lives as a self funded animal charity was amazing; not only to help with many aspects of the project but with raising funds as well! Look at the Richmond Open Garden fundraiser reported earlier in this Scratching Post.

Our holistic approach included significant community consultation including surveys, leaflet drops and simply walking the streets and talking to the locals to understand their views and concerns on cat management. Camera surveys with infrared cameras provided by DPIWE was another way we gathered data to get a baseline of the extent of the problem and opportunities to improve on our triple bottom line of helping people, the planet… and pussycats.

We needed to support a number of people that had particular challenges with too many cats by making sure that they could have some healthy, vaccinated, and desexed cats to take into their care.

We have been promoting microchipping, particularly before any trapping of feral and stray cats occurred, and we gave the community access to a free microchipping day at the Community Hall.

With the Richmond Process in its second year we engaged with the community once again. Alongside Landcare Tasmania we carried out two information sessions in July, one in Richmond and one in Campania. Ten Lives was one of 5 speakers addressing how to take better responsibility for cats in the community and the impact of feral cats have on agriculture and the environment.

The Richmond folks have been great. They have brought in unwanted litters and stray cats. A dedicated team of volunteers have carried out targeted trapping in problem areas that were identified by our own data and the camera surveys.

This has allowed us to do what we love doing best; finding homes for all the rehomable cats and kittens no matter how long or how much it costs us.

All of these activities look to have been effective, but key to the project success is education. Specific education and support were provided to members of the community to deal with the complex issue of feeding stray cats. This was well received.

Education is a vital aspect of the holistic approach to the Richmond Process. Ten Lives education team has provided access to our Edu.Cat Program to local schools. The aim is to make a generational change in the way the community take responsibility of cats, the community, and the environment.

With very encouraging results from the Richmond Process to date, we will look to all levels of government for greater involvement and support for Richmond, and the ongoing rollout of hotspot projects.

Over the summer we will continue to maintain activities to ensure we sustain the improvements that have been made. We will also consult with the community for their feedback on the achievements to date.

Working together we are making a difference.

Caught on camera: A stray cat sniffs around one of the traps set up as part of a targeted trapping program. Trapping is just one part of the holistic approach to The Richmond Process.
On the ground in Richmond: community consultation including surveys, leaflet drops and simply walking the streets and talking to the locals was an important aspect of the project.

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Ten Lives cares for thousands of cats every year. We rely on support from people just like you continue to provide care to cats in need.

What you can do to help…

Open your heart and home to become a foster carer.
Bring your skills to Ten Lives and become a volunteer.
Check out our current cats and kittens awaiting adoption.
Support us by making a donation to the centre.