Like many males, this cat struggled because of his biological imperative, not a lifestyle choice. Domestic cats reach reproductive maturity around four months of age, and for community cats in unmanaged colonies, that constitutes a harsh introduction to adulthood. Driven to mate, males can roam two-to-three-square-mile territories in search of fertile females, risking life and limb. Threats abound, from automotive vehicles to wild and domestic canines and humans bent on cruelty. Competition for females is intense. Fights are common. Not everyone wins. But for this male, life changed when a local advocate stepped up this past summer and began a TNR project in his Shippensburg neighborhood. She trapped him in June, and it was clear he needed all the help he could get. Dirty. Undernourished. Scratched from fighting. And suffering from a polyp near his left nostril that compromised his breathing. His care began with the usual clinic services -- neuter, rabies and distemper vaccines, Revolution for parasites, and ear tip -- but it didn't end there. After his neuter, Dr. L removed the polyp and tech Siri provided a Convenia injection, a long-acting antibiotic, to aid in his recovery. He returned to his outdoor home a few days later and the "after" results say it all!

Before TNR. Struggling to survive, and failing.

After TNR. Robust, healthy, able to live a decent natural life.