As one who works with a feral cat assistance program,
I am glad there are others on this list who are
interested in animal welfare.
We work with feral cat caretakers to pomote the T-N-R
(Trap-Neuter-Release) program. From what I've been
told by shelter workers, our program is making a
difference in the number of animals that come into the
shelters in the Houston area. Unfortunately there is
much more work to be done in order to educate the
general public about the situation. Many don't
understand that one abandoned unspayed female cat can
produce large numbers of kittens over a relatively
short amount of time. The offspring, lacking in human
contact, quickly become a feral colony. The main
problem is irresponsible humans who don't have their
pets spayed or neutered and consider animals to be an
insignificant part of life.
The other problem is kind hearted people who don't
want the cats to starve so they feed them but don't
see the need to have any of them spayed or neutered.
I have no answer for the first problem but the answer
to the second is education. This is what our group
strives to do. Educate the caretakers and help them
have the animals spayed/neutered as as to provent
additions to the feral colony.
Three years ago I inherited a feral colony from a
caretaker who died suddenly. At its peak, we trapped
17 cats over a 2 year period having them S/N. Tending
to these cats has been educationl, interesting and
rewarding. I look forward to feeding time. Like so
many other feral colony caretakers, I've rescued
several tame cats that were abandoned into this
colony. Some people are amazingly ignorant about
cats. Domestic cats have little hope of survival in a
feral colony. They have no idea of how to take cope
with being on their own. As far as I'm concerned,
abandoment of an animal is the ultimate of cruelty.
Time to step down off my soap box!
Geniedances
Re: Two Bookrings I've started...
Posted by: "Freya" [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Killertiel
Date: Tue Feb 20, 2007 4:21 pm ((PST))
I like the idea of a Promote Animal Adoption release.
Several years ago I was adopted by a pregnant stray
cat. I think about the thoughtless people who took her
in. Some other thoughtless person didn't get her cat
fixed, she had kittens, and then some people,
probably with kids, came to see them - "Mommy! Mommy!
Can we have one?" A few months later they move out,
and Mommy says, "Don't worry, Fluffy can take care of
herself, she's a cat!" They leave "Fluffy" some food
and water, and dump her, and of course she grows up an
alley cat, gets knocked up, but luckily finds me just
before she gives birth.
Thanks to PetSmart, and a cat-loving friend, all of
the little uns found good homes; mama kitty has been
spayed. Unfortunately, there are too many "Fluffys"
out there, and all too often they throw their litters
out in the wild, and those kittens grow up to be
feral.
- Fearless Freya of Arty Atlanta
See the books I have set free!
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