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by Suzyn Barron, President of Warwick Valley Humane Society, Inc.
Did you know there are three schools of thought on the issue of feral cat overpopulation?
Thought one: feral (wild cats) should be exterminated because they wreak havoc on the natural wildlife in the area. According to the Audubon Society “There are an estimated 60 million feral cats in the U.S., and as many or more kitties kept as pets. The study reports that felines kill an estimated 480 million birds a year. Feral cats are opportunistic hunters, taking any small animal available including birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians.”
Thought two: People choose to feed feral cats because they feel bad for them, but also choose not to fix them because they believe they are under no obligation to do so. These are the people who create hoarding situations and allow these animals to suffer from sickness and injuries until death.
Thought three: The solution is Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR), the only method proven to be humane and effective in controlling population control by permanently reducing the number of cats in an area. The returned spayed/neutered colony guards its territory and discourages un-neutered cats from moving in, thus reducing the spread of diseases, removing the desire to fight or find a mate, become lazy about hunting wildlife and no longer cause a disruption to the neighborhood. The cats are ear-tipped during surgery whereby a ¼ inch is removed off the tip of the cat’s left ear. This is a universal sign of a neutered and vaccinated cat which prevents re-trapping and un-necessary confinement and surgery. It is the best method to let everyone know at a glance that a cat has gone through the TNR program. With the added benefit of a caregiver, the colony is fed regularly and “managed” meaning observed for any signs of illness or injury and for any un-neutered intruder.
TNR is not possible without the knowledge and know-how of an experienced volunteer willing to spend hours, days and even weeks fixing a colony. It can mean using various types of traps throughout the process. It means surveillance sometimes using a night vision camera. It means coordinating the capture with the vet appointment for surgery and arranging for temporary recovery with the shelter or another volunteer. Most importantly it requires property owner and neighborhood compliance with a set feeding schedule – the most difficult part of the project. As an example, one household had accumulated thirty plus cats giving them access to a garage for shelter and feeding them regularly. The cats became a neighborhood nuisance for years. Finally with property owner willingness to put an end to receiving multiple village violations, after many weeks of diligent trapping, our TNR expert has successfully completed the spaying and neutering of all of the cats at this location and rescuing 5 very pregnant females that gave birth at the shelter producing over 20 kittens!
Feral cats are a human problem, not a cat problem. Be part of the solution, not the problem.
If you Feed ‘em, FIX ‘em!
Pet of the Week:
Cat adoption applications are available at wvhumane.org or call 845-986-2473 for more information.
