According to the Stray Cat Alliance web site ,there are an estimated 4 million feral cats in Los Angeles county alone. Irresponsible pet owners who abandon their animals expecting them to fend for themselves, or those who simply don’t get their cats spayed or neutered are at the root of the problem. Add to it unchecked breeding (a single female cat and her offspring can result in the birth of hundreds of thousands of feral cats in less than a decade), and you begin to scratch the surface of what can only be described as an epidemic.
A common misconception is that feral cats are a different species from your domestic “house cat”, while in fact, there is no difference whatsoever. Feral or stray cats have simply been forced into a dangerous, shadowy and stressful existence by thoughtless humans. They tend to congregate around food sources and shelter, whether the dumpster of a local market, crawl space of a building, or under a shrub in the yard of your neighbor who sets out a single plate of food now and then. Local shelters and humane societies are overwhelmed with calls from uninformed residents requesting the cats removal, as though they are vermin or bothersome pests.
Kittens born to feral mothers can, with intervention and handling by humans, be tamed in a matter of days or weeks, going on to live normal lives as domesticated house cats. In contrast, those who mature into adult cats while living as homeless cast-offs will retain their wild attributes and may require human assistance for the rest of their natural lives in order to survive. A small brigade of local cat lovers and animal advocates step up to the plate and commit to this task. These volunteers feed, monitor, and see to the individual and collective veterinary needs of feral cats living in tight-knit social groups known as colonies. In an effort to stem the seemingly endless tide of unwanted litters of street kitties, TNR - Trap/Neuter/Return - is an ongoing activity undertaken by these volunteers. According to experts in the field, trapping feral cats humanely, having them surgically sterilized, then returning them to their original location is the only effective and humane method of controlling their population. TNR helps stabilize a colony and keeps it from growing.
Those not acquainted with the issue are aghast at the suggestion that a cat be returned to life on the streets. Yet, according to studies, removing or relocating individual cats or entire colonies never works because it creates a vacuum, attracting even more cats to the area. Additionally, adult ferals, unlike their kitten counterparts, have few adoption options, so great is their fear of humans. Life on the street, though imperfect, is often the only reasonable life-choice available to them.
For those who want to learn more about feral cats, have questions, or wish to become involved in their caretaking, visit the links on the sidebar for organizations that offer education, training, support, traps and even financial assistance towards spay/neuter and other medical needs.
A common misconception is that feral cats are a different species from your domestic “house cat”, while in fact, there is no difference whatsoever. Feral or stray cats have simply been forced into a dangerous, shadowy and stressful existence by thoughtless humans. They tend to congregate around food sources and shelter, whether the dumpster of a local market, crawl space of a building, or under a shrub in the yard of your neighbor who sets out a single plate of food now and then. Local shelters and humane societies are overwhelmed with calls from uninformed residents requesting the cats removal, as though they are vermin or bothersome pests.
Kittens born to feral mothers can, with intervention and handling by humans, be tamed in a matter of days or weeks, going on to live normal lives as domesticated house cats. In contrast, those who mature into adult cats while living as homeless cast-offs will retain their wild attributes and may require human assistance for the rest of their natural lives in order to survive. A small brigade of local cat lovers and animal advocates step up to the plate and commit to this task. These volunteers feed, monitor, and see to the individual and collective veterinary needs of feral cats living in tight-knit social groups known as colonies. In an effort to stem the seemingly endless tide of unwanted litters of street kitties, TNR - Trap/Neuter/Return - is an ongoing activity undertaken by these volunteers. According to experts in the field, trapping feral cats humanely, having them surgically sterilized, then returning them to their original location is the only effective and humane method of controlling their population. TNR helps stabilize a colony and keeps it from growing.
Those not acquainted with the issue are aghast at the suggestion that a cat be returned to life on the streets. Yet, according to studies, removing or relocating individual cats or entire colonies never works because it creates a vacuum, attracting even more cats to the area. Additionally, adult ferals, unlike their kitten counterparts, have few adoption options, so great is their fear of humans. Life on the street, though imperfect, is often the only reasonable life-choice available to them.
For those who want to learn more about feral cats, have questions, or wish to become involved in their caretaking, visit the links on the sidebar for organizations that offer education, training, support, traps and even financial assistance towards spay/neuter and other medical needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment