Feral Cats

Feral Cats: Killing Is Not the Answer

Donna Ramseur

South University Online

In my small community of Clinton, SC, it is not out of the ordinary to see stray, abandoned, and feral cats dodge into the sewer openings along our streets.

"They live in the shadows-the alleyways, empty lots and condemned buildings-of almost every neighborhood...they are the abandoned, the lost and the wild-and they need our help" (ASPCA.org). I am referring to the feral cat. A feral cat is a cat that has been abandoned, lost, or born and raised on the street. Feral cats normally live in colonies. The life expectancy of a feral cat is less than two years. The risk of disease, malnutrition, injury from traffic and fighting shortens the lifespan of a feral cat. A house cat can live as long as fourteen to twenty years.

Since the decline of the economy, it appears that the feral cat situation in my community has only gotten worse. Many still support controlling the cat population using outdated methods, including lethal elimination or relocation. The ASPCA endorses Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) as the only proven and humane way of managing feral cat colonies. The small community of Clinton, South Carolina should support the ASPCA and endorse TNR as the only proven and humane way of managing feral cat colonies.

"Did you know that in seven years, one female cat and her offspring could produce 420,000 cats?"(Pethaven.com) In Clinton, SC, the human population was "8,091 in 2000 and 10,216 in 2009." (http://www.city-data.com/city/Clinton-South-Carolina.html, September 20, 2011) In nine years, the population increase of Clinton was 2125 people. It is safe to surmise that the cat population out produced the human population more than 200 to 1. This is a problem. There can never be enough homes to accommodate this number of cats. There must be population control.

Past methods of animal control such as eradication have been unable to stem the rise in population in feral cat colonies. Killing or relocating whole colonies only leads to new cats colonizing the vacated area and or survivors becoming more cautious of future traps. Eradication is so upsetting to some humans that they who value the lives of cats have been known to "collect" cats or hoard them, feeling that they are providing a safe and healthy environment for the cats. This is not the case.

According to the Animal Legal and Historic Center the common characteristics of animal hoarders are:

* Accumulation of a large number of animals

* Failure to acknowledge the deteriorating condition of the animal

* Failure to recognize the negative effect of the collection on his or her health and the well-being of the family

Hoarding can be a form of animal abuse. Cats suffer when a hoarder becomes overwhelmed with the physical and financial responsibilities associated with caring for the cats. These animals, relegated to a life of living in unsanitary, inhumane conditions, can become anti-social, malnourished and diseased. A hoarder may also face state animal cruelty charges. Diane Way had over 100 cats removed from her home. Her neighbors dubbed her "the neighbor from hell". (Thomas, 2011) She faces prosecution for cruelty to animals and causing or permitting unnecessary suffering to animals. This helps no one. There are ways to provide safe and legal help to feral cats. The new methods supported by the ASPCA and Humane Societies, such as TNR, show promise, but are struggling due to the lack of volunteer support. Volunteer if you want to help.

TNR is the method of humanely trapping feral cats, spay or neutering them, and then returning them back to their colony. TNR also provides a colony caretaker who is responsible for feeding, sheltering, and monitoring the health of the colony. The ASPCA says that "TNR has proven to be the least expensive, humane, and efficient way of stabilizing feral cat populations" (ASPCA.org). It is also the method with