Feral Cats
December 19th, 2009 Posted in UncategorizedI feel Canadians live in the best country in the world. We have a great standard of living, compared to most countries. We’re civilized, democratic, and have access to amazing technology. Although there are problems with poverty and crime in Canada, we’re lucky to have things much better than third world countries. I think one could say the same thing about our neighbours to the south, in the U.S.A.
So why is it that we’re still euthanizing millions of dogs and cats in North America every year? Why are pets still being abandoned in unacceptably high numbers? And why are we having a problem with feral cats?
Many people really love their cats and take good care of them. They feed them, house them, spay and neuter them, and take them to the vet regularly.
Unfortunately, for every one of these cats, there are many more unlucky ones. No one knows for sure, but it’s estimated that the number of feral cats out there equals or even exceeds the number of owned cats.
Feral cats are not the same as “stray” cats. Strays used to be someone’s pet but have been abandoned. Strays will approach us and want to be petted. Feral cats are the offspring of un-neutered strays. Since they’re not used to humans, they’re afraid of us and can’t be tamed.
It’s been said that one female and one male cat can produce up to 420,000 offspring within 7 years. Since cats can have three to five litters per year and up to 10 kittens per litter, it’s an exponential population explosion when they’re not spayed or neutered.
The traditional approach to feral and stray cats has been to catch them and take them to local shelters. If they’re healthy and have the right personality, they might find a new home. Sadly, far more are put to death. There just aren’t enough homes for all these cats (nor dogs who end up at the pound).
Euthanasia is the number one cause of death of cats in Canada and the U.S. According to a National
Council on Pet Population Study and Policy Shelter Statistics survey, 72% of cats who end up in North American shelters are killed. Feral cats have it much worse, since they don’t make good pets and they’re usually unsuitable for adoption.
I don’t call that civilized, do you? It’s depressing, and costly to taxpayers.
Fortunately, there are organizations such as Grand River All Breed Rescue (www.grandriverallbreedrescue.ca), Toronto Cat Rescue, and Alley Cat Allies (www.alleycat.org) that are trying a different approach. Alley Cat Allies states “cats choose to reside in locations for two reasons: there’s a food source, intended or not, and shelter.” They feel that feral cats are better off outdoors than at an Animal Control pound. As an alternative to euthanasia, which doesn’t shrink cat colonies because new cats just move in once one is gone, rescuers catch feral cats and take them to a veterinarian to be spayed or neutered. They then release them back where they were trapped. The cats remain in the colony but are now unable to breed.
Volunteers then make sure these outdoor cats have food and shelter, and monitor their health.
Some people don’t think that the Trap-Neuter-Release (T-N-R) program is the best solution to feral cats. They feel these cats pose a health risk to humans and reduce songbird populations. Others think that T-N-R doesn’t make a realistic impact of the number of homeless cats. I’m not sure what the answer is, but I do know we have a horrible problem with unwanted pets and that something has to be done about it.
What can you do to help stray and feral cats? Support local rescue groups by donating funds to the cause. Spay and neuter your pet. And finally, if you need to relinquish your animal, don’t just abandon it. Have the decency to take it to a shelter, rather than leaving it freeze, starve, or add to the pet overpopulation problem.
