You see them everywhere…cats that scurry around when you approach a dumpster. You may see a few near your home, especially at night, as they roam around in search of food. They’re feral cats, cats that may have been abandoned by their owners, or have not had any human socialization since they were born and have reverted to their wild state. The numbers of feral cats in this country has reached epic proportions; all because of people – people who were irresponsible animal owners. They are here, first and foremost, because people did not have their cats spayed or neutered. They are here because their owners allowed them to roam unaltered, and of course they have produced thousands of wild, unwanted, uncared for offspring. The statistics on the feral cat populations have become staggering, largely because too many people do not know or do not care about the proper way to care for their companion cats.
People trying to help feral cats face a big obstacle in that not everyone agrees with them on what should be done with them. Many people think they should be exterminated. In Wisconsin, a law was just enacted giving feral cats the same status as vermin – declaring them nuisance animals that can be shot on sight.
I am one of the “crusaders” in the feral cat crusade. I have personally trapped them, been involved in the ongoing care of some feral cat colonies, have done the “trap-neuter-return” system, and have also even been involved in the taming and adoption process for some of the ferals I have trapped. I have a few ferals as my pets. They continue to delight and fascinate me.
I am writing this article primarily to bring attention to what I believe are the two most important issues facing the plight of feral cats today. The first and most important issue is continued education of the public on this issue. It is up to us – the rescuers and animal and cat lovers to continue to get the message out to everyone – spay and neuter your pets! There is no more important thing you can do to combat animal overpopulation – end of story. This is how we got into this situation in the first place – by not spaying and neutering all pets- especially if they are allowed to roam.
The next biggest issue facing feral cats is what to do with them once they are caught in a trap and spayed or neutered. For those of you not too familiar with ferals, typically a humane trap is baited and set for them, with a plan already in place with a veterinarian who works with feral cats. The cat is then taken to the vet while still in the trap, anesthetized, and altered. The cat may then be released, but where do you release them? Technically, back into their colony, but then someone needs to be committed to taking care of them in the long run- feeding them, making sure they have some kind of shelter, and retrapping them after a year for continued rabies shots. They can be “eartipped” so that the caretaker recognizes them as a member of the colony. This can be a long term commitment and can be quite costly. Many rescuers already know this and are involved in cat caretaking, but to me – this is the biggest problem facing feral cat populations today. If the cats are at an office complex for example, do you move them? How do you move them? Because so many local government officials have problems dealing with feral cat issues, where to release them and continuing to care for them is a huge problem. Do we create sanctuaries just for feral cats? These are the questions we need to resolve. I hope you will join me in this crusade.
Please visit www.alleycatallies.org, the premier website on feral cat information and issues for more information.
Linda Hogan and her husband, Bob own Tall Tails Pet Sitting, Inc. in Decatur, GA., and live with 5 rescued dogs and a family of once feral (and now inside) cats.
