URGENT!
Feral Cats Being Killed Needlessly
FERAL CATS SHOULD NEVER BE TAKEN TO LOCAL SHELTERS.
Since Feral cats are not socialized they
can't be pets and so can't be adopted. since they are unadoptable, they
often won't even make it to the shelter but are killed in transport.
Even "No-Kill" shelters are unable to place feral cats so they will
often transfer these innocent cats and kittens to another facility that
will euthanize (read "kill") them. THERE IS ANOTHER WAY - READ ON:
What is the difference between a Stray and a Feral cat?
A Feral cat is an unsocialized cat. A Stray is a pet
who has been abandoned by his/her owner(s) or who has strayed from its
home and become lost. Stray cats can usually be re-socialized and
adopted. A feral cat isn't socialized to humans, hence, is unadoptable.
Did you know that Euthanizing stray and feral cats doesn't work?
Trapping and killing only temporarily reduces the number of feral
cats in a given area. Unsterilized survivors will continue to breed
rapidly and other cats will move into the thinned territory since ore
food an shelter opportunities will now exist for them. this is called
the "vacuum effect."
Why will new cats move into this territory now?
Because feral cats select their territories based on sources of
food and the availability of adequate shelter. If cats in the current
territory are removed - new cats will come in to take advantage of the
vacancies.
So what can be done? Is there a viable solution?
Yes! It's TNR or Trap - Neuter & Return. This has been proven to be the most effective and humane way to solve the "problem" of stray and feral cat colonies.
What, exactly, is TNR?
First, the cats within a colony are humanely trapped. Second, the cats
are sterilized (neutered) and vaccinated. Finally, strays and young
kittens are adopted into good homes while the adult feral cats are
eartipped for identification and returned to their colony.
Then what happens?
Because the adult feral cats are neutered - they can no longer reproduce
and so their numbers will gradually go down. TNR breaks the cycle of
reproduction and, hence, lowers cat populations.
But don't these cats pose a high risk of spreading rabies?
Absolutely not. Rabies in the U.S. is a disease found predominately in
wildlife. As Alley Cat allies has reported, "From 1990-2002, only 36
people died from rabies in this country, and not one of them contracted
the disease from a cat."
Okay, but aren't feral cats sickly and diseased?
Again, no. That's another myth. As Alley Cat Allies aptly puts it,
"Scientific studies show that feral cats in managed colonies generally
enjoy the same good health, fitness, and low occurrence of disease
enjoyed by pet cats."
That's great news. But what about those beautiful birds and other
wildlife that these cats prey on? Don't these cats cause massive
wildlife depletion?
This is another myth. Again, as quoted from Alley Cat Allies, "Numerous
studies by government and environmental groups indicate that the
overwhelming causes of wildlife depletion are destruction of habitat due
to human development, man-made structures, chemical pollution,
pesticides, and drought, not feral cats." So if you want to point a
finger - the finger points back to us humans.
Are there any other benefits to having a TNR program in my community?
Economically, it costs a lot to impound, house, kill and dispose of the
bodies of feral cats. TNS costs 1/3 to 1/2 less than "trap & kill"
procedures since it doesn't require continuous trapping and killing
which also becomes an upending budget expense.
Plus, trapping and killing stray and feral cats is generally not supported by the community.
Since TNR is a more effective, humane, popular and economical method of
solving the problem it should be the policy of every community. Also, it
has been shown that more people can be enlisted to help with trapping
cats, thus, lowering costs even further.
Sounds good. How can I help?
First, go to Alley Cat Allies at www.alleycat.org and educate yourself
about the options. Then educate your neighbors and use your voice to
insist that your community support and follow TNR
policy. LET'S STOP THE NEEDLESS KILLING - NOW!!!
REMEMBER: Feral cats aren't homeless - their home is just outdoors.