Perceptions of community cats and preferences for their management in Guelph, Ontario. Part II: A qualitative analysis.

Implementation of cat population management strategies that are effective and supported by the community requires knowledge of local contexts, public values, and preferences. From 2014 to 2015 the Guelph Cat Population Taskforce surveyed Guelph, Ontario residents to investigate attitudes and values concerning community cats and preferences for cat population management. Responses from 449 individuals were received through a combination of paper and online surveys. The results of a qualitative analysis of 7 open-ended survey questions are reported herein. Results indicate that community cat issues are largely attributed to perceptions of irresponsible pet ownership practices, highlighting the opportunity for public education. Participants identified the whole community as responsible for addressing the problem, suggesting the value of collaborative management approaches. This analysis also illuminated opportunities for combining well-supported strategies such as accessible or low-cost spay/neuter and trap-neuter-return (TNR) to implement a multifaceted approach. Overall, Guelph residents who responded to the survey gave a high priority to proactive, humane management of community cats.