Scratchings-and-Sniffings

Posted by Animals at 5:48 PM Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Scratchings-and-Sniffings

A case of feral cats: helping our friends in the wild

Posted: 03 Aug 2009 08:39 AM PDT

CarmiePortraitSmall Our Sunday paper had an outstanding article on feral cats that I thought I would share here. First, to put things in perspective, let's discuss "feral cats."

Wikipedia has a good definition: "A feral cat is an unowned and untamed domestic cat. Feral cats are born in the wild or may be abandoned or lost pets that have reverted to a wild state."

I find the "may be abandoned or lost pets" part of the description so sad it brings tears to my eyes. How anyone could abandon their cat is beyond me. And, how anyone could not move heaven and earth to find their lost cat, is beyond me. (if they are moving heaven and earth and still don't find their pet, I would hope someone has adopted it - and let's not go to the other options). Unfortunately, too many feral cats are of the "abandoned" kind. Personally, I think it should be criminal.

The story in my local paper was encouraging. Several amazing women, referred to as "the Marlborough Road cat Ladies" have banded together to create something called "Habitat for Cats" which is dedicated to dealing with feral cats in a humane manner. Instead of trapping them and taking them in to be euthanized (an all to common practice across this great country of ours), these women are part of the Trap, Neuter and Release (TNR) program. You can read about the Humane Society's involvement in this program on their site. -Feral_cat_Virginia_crop

For Sheri Tehan, Robin Glenski, and Kristi Stockwell, the TNR program is the only way to manage feral cats in their area. Euthanasia is just not an option. Tehan is quoted saying, "When there's a vacuum in the neighborhood, others will move in." Hence, the population of feral cats does not decrease because several are caught and euthanized.

I applaud these courageous women. When I worked in the Cat Dr.'s office, years ago, we worked with a wonderful woman who was much like these women - she took in stray cats, and cared for them herself. Many were adopted out, others just lived with her.

Having more than 10 cats in your house may not be the solution, however. The TNR program seems to be having the right effect - the feral cats are neutered and released back into their habitat - and sometimes, they become friendly enough to hang around certain homes, and allow the humans there to actually interact (within reason) with them.

Would that all people would understand the responsibility of owning a pet - and of treating cats and dogs with respect. They're part of our world. They are not disposable. They cannot live on their own as successfully as some people think - we have domesticated them and it's up to us to keep them safe and healthy. Bless the folks like these three women who take the time, money, energy, and effort to get out and DO SOMETHING to help creatures in need.

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