Tina Hoskins is the Director of TNR operations for the rescue organization Dallas Pets Alive, located in Dallas, Texas. Even though she is new to animal rescue, Tina has had amazing results with her TNR efforts on the Katy Trail which is an abandoned railroad track that had once divided the downtown Dallas core. The Katy trail is now a popular, active path that runs through the Uptown and Oak Lawn areas of Dallas, Texas, following the path of the old Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad and has long been a home to several growing community cat colonies. Tina has spearheaded the TNR efforts along the trail and has made a significant impact on the lives of the resident community cats. Listen to her experiences since she got started and what TNR involves. To learn more about Tina and Dallas Pets Alive you can visit their website, http://dallaspetsalive.org/ or you can find them on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/DallasPetsAlive/. To listen to the full podcast you can find it here, https://www.animalrescueprofessionals.org/podcast/episode-12-tina-hoskins-director-tnr/

2. Tina Hoskins, Director of TNR operations, Dallas Pets Alive
● Stumbled upon feral cats running on the Katy Trail in Dallas,
Texas
Animal Rescue Professionals Association
● Tina went back with food and was amazed by the family of cats
● Tina called her pet sitter who knew what was going on in the
community, asked what to do he said to trap them which started it
all for her and learning about feral cats
● She saw a cat run across the trail and stopped thinking the
cat was lost, learning there were hundreds of them
● She learned she could trap, neuter and release them so it started
with 9 cats and increased to 90 cats she found over 6 months
*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

3. What did Tina tell us?
● How did the community respond
● Her approach to get started
● The outcome of helping the Katy Trail
● How it has evolved
● Recommendations for people interested in TNR
Animal Rescue Professionals Association*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

4. How did the community respond?
● After 6 months she created enough buzz about who
she was and what she was doing
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● People thought the cats were vermin and dirty,
putting signs up saying don’t feed the cats
● After being out of the country she heard more people
were doing what she was doing
● Told the community the idea isn’t to threaten but she
had to decide to go all in or fight against the people
who disagreed
● The people on the trail were supportive and worked with
her to find a way to keep helping the feral cats and
used a calm rational approach to get people on her side
*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

5. What was Tina’s approach to start?
● Started to realize how much there was to do and how many cats are in other
places
● Tina told the community she could help fix it, she started in one area and
wanted to expand as the trail people were supportive and wanted to follow her
ways
● Addressed the problems and issues with her feeding the cats, with food being
on the trail and disrupting the flow of the trail
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6. What was the outcome of helping the Katy Trail?
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● Started to gain respect by picking up trash so people thought she was picking up trash but she
was really doing it to help the cats and wanted to gain their support for both
● The cats were healthier and stable, less cats were joining the other litters
● Tina saw this as an example of what feral communities should look like, still a lot of work
to do
● She was approached by Dallas Pets Alive to start the cat TNR program for them as they
heard what she did on the katy trail
*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

7. How has it evolved since Tina started?
● Tina wondered if she could help Dallas Pets Alive as she didn't have the background and
experience except what she taught herself
● Started to educate people on the trail and thought how she could teach people on a larger
scale/spread the word
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● She had enough support and people behind her who told her all of her hard work was worth it to
keep going
● What she had done had worked and had hopes it would work in other feral cat communities
with the model she used
*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

8. What does Tina recommend to people interested in TNR?
● Contact Tina or Dallas Pets Alive
● Do research online
● Refer to Alley Cat Allies
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● Contact your local shelter and ask them if
they do TNR and how you can help
● Find educational videos on YouTube for TNR
*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

9. What does Tina say?
● It wasn’t just her doing the work, it was the vet who gave free spay/neuter services,
people on the trail supporting her and the city
● Tina says If you see a cat on the street, “where
there is one, there's some”
● Her goal is to get people to embrace the feral cat
community and be a part of the solution
Animal Rescue Professionals Association*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

10. Animal Rescue Professionals Association
Want to learn more?
Listen to the podcast with Tina Hoskins at
www.animalrescueprofessionals.org or on iTunes
*Photos courtesy of Katy Trail Cats and Dallas Pets Alive

11. Animal Rescue Professionals Association