1/9/2011 6:02:59 AM #

You wish for the "God of Small Things" in one of your poems.  On January 9, 2011, in your column in the Pocono Record (Pennsylvania), you say you are re-thinking the advisability of the practice of Trap-Neuter-Return.  You give an example of two feral cats you re-homed in your basement and seem to recommend similar actions as the answer.  Good sir, I cannot believe how naive you are when you assume this is an answer to problems of millions of feral cats starving and persecuted and ALWAYS immediately killed in most "shelters," even in ones with Humane in their title.  The God of Small Things, if there is one, would insist on giving these creatures a gaming chance for life.  Please become better informed on this issue.  One starting point is the Alley Cat Allies organization (alleycats.org).  I'm grateful for your column, but we are all subject to certain gaps in understanding and I hope you will come to see you may have one on this issue.

Noreen Ayres

1/14/2011 7:58:22 PM #

I agree with Noreen about TNR. I refuse to discriminate against an animal because of where it was born or where it lives.

There are many animals who DO currently need a new home, but ferals generally do not. They DO need advocates. Their health improves when they're spayed or neutered and the people and wildlife in the area benefit because the population stabilizes. Suggesting people turn ferals into basement cats will lead some to decide they must also be declawed because they can't be handled to trim their nails (yes, I spoke to a local woman by phone who actually did this! I told her that our vet didn't tell us that the operation is extremely painful, nor that it involves the amputation of the cats' toes at the last knuckle.).

Alley Cat Allies are very interested in monitoring the welfare of feral cat colonies and provide data from more than 100,000 cats showing they are healthier and live longer than previously thought.

I'm interested in the welfare of native wildlife too, but feral cats in my location appear to be concentrated in the city where there are few endangered species. Removing feral cats would likely mean moving them to rural areas where they could potentially have a negative impact on species at risk. The cats would also be more in danger of being killed by other animals. Moving cats to the country could place an unfair and unwelcome burden on rural people, though some TNR ferals can be placed in barn cat colonies for pesticide-free rodent control.

Truly feral cats are like wild animals, not pets. I would not consider it appropriate to capture starlings and make them live in cages, even though they are not a native species here.

Please learn more about TNR and the successful ways to help feral cats.

Chris in Ontario, Canada