Findings from studies to be discussed suggest that mass sterilization and vaccination form a publicly-acceptable

Annually, 55,000 people die of rabies in Africa and Asia where canine rabies is endemic the world Health Organisation favors mass vaccination of dogs over wholesale culling. Vaccination of *street dogs* coupled with sterilization resulted in a progressive decline in both human and dog rabies in India. Dog rabies was eliminated from the U.S. via vaccination and dog control by 1960. The last cat-to-human rabies transmission occurred 30 years ago. The vast majority of US rabies occurs in wildlife (92%); the cat is the most common domestic species affected (5%). The uncontrolled reproduction of cats and their low rate of vaccination contribute to the risk of rabies infection of cats, which may serve as a link between wildlife rabies and humans. Following the model proposed by WHO for control of rabies in dogs, trap-neuter-return programs perform mass vaccination and sterilization of free-roaming cats. Feral cat TNR programs may be the largest providers of rabies vaccines in some communities. A single vaccine protects cats against severe challenge for more than 4 years. Feral cats vaccinated at the time of surgery develop adequate rabies titers within 8-12 weeks. TNR has been shown to result in substantial and sustained reductions of cat populations. Findings from studies to be discussed suggest that mass sterilization and vaccination form a publicly-acceptable and effective strategy for controlling both free-roaming cat populations and their negative impacts on public health and the environment. TNR should be included as a tool in development of effective public policy regarding cat control.