The trap-neuter-return (TNR) method of feral cat control creates a backdrop for authors to examine our changing societal ethics toward the killing of animals. They explain a shift from an anthropocentric ethic to a zoocentric ethic which is, in part, the result of a growing body of research demonstrating cognition, emotion,and sentience in animals. This prospective can help animal health pros become more familiar with what often seems to be an attitudinal metamorphosis in human society.
Source: Frontiers in Veterinary Science, January 9, 2019. Link.
The momentum we’re witnessing in the no-kill movement generally, and TNR in particular, reflect a profound shift away from an anthropocentric utilitarian ethical framework toward a zoocentric virtue-based ethical framework that recognizes the intrinsic value of animals beyond any instrumental value to humans and our moral obligation to treat them with compassion.