As you have probably realized, I am a cat person. I have two cats, Lily (a Maine Coon) and Snowy (a Siamese), both were rescues from a local shelter. Having volunteered at the shelter I have seen many cats come and go and I have to say, the majority of stray cats are not ferals, they are left outside to fend for themselves when an owner moves and the new apartment wont allow pets, or they are unceremoniously dumped on the shelter doorstep after the shelter has told the owner that they are full and just can't take anymore. It's people that are the problem, not the animals.
I saw a mother and six newborn kittens left in a box duct taped shut, on the front steps of the shelter in 20 degree temps a few years ago. There was a bowl of dry kibble in the box with the mother and kittens. The poor things were so cold, if we hadn't found them when we did I'm afraid they would not have survived.
I can imagine that people dump cats around the zoo because of the other animals and the fact that food will be readily available. If a cat will show interest in a human and not immediately run in the other direction it is likely not a feral. Ferals will bolt away and not get anywhere near a human being. A stray cat or a cat that has been abandoned will show interest or even approach a human, they may be apprehensive, but they know that person usually equals food and comfort.
I am a huge advocate of getting pets (both cats and dogs) spayed and neutered. There are too many people that feel that sterilizing a pet ruins them. Not so, it's just the opposite. It makes them a better *pet*. You should know this with dogs, sterilize a male dog and they get less aggressive. The same thing holds for cats. Also with cats spaying and neutering extends their life span, it reduces the occurance of reproductive system cancers in female cats (which are very common) and urinary tract issues (such as crystals/blockages and UTI's) in male cats.
Many states, including Massachusetts have TNR - Trap/Neuter/Release programs for stray and feral cats. This is a good idea. Cats do have a place in the wild. They help to keep the rodent population in check. That is how cats got to this country, they were brought on board ships to keep the rodents under control and jumper ship so to speak when they hit the new world.
As for spreading disease, cats who go through the TNR programs are also tested and innoculated against the more prevalent cat diseases, FIV, FeLV, Rabies etc. If they test positive they are not usually rereleased, but rather kept in a shelter and an attempt is made to adopt them out to families with other cats who test positive. They are isolated from the general cat population and kept with only cats who also test positive. If the disease has progressed too far, they are euthanized. I would expect that wolves/coyotes, birds and mosquitos probably spread more disease than cats do in the wild.
Now being that I'm also a birder, I really have some mixed feelings about the fact that they also hunt birds, (the feral that lives under my porch got a mourning dove on my front lawn the other day... feathers everywhere.) But it is part of a cats nature to hunt and it is a part of the circle of life so I accept it.
My two cats are just too lazy to hunt, although any flies that get into my house do not stand a chance against my two great white hunters.
I don't like the idea of euthanizing a cat for no reason or because you just don't want it anymore. If a cat is ill with little chance of recovery then I feel it is the humane thing to do. Our previous two cats both ended up being euthanized. Midnight had a stroke (she was 18 YO) and ended up paralyzed with no chance of rehabilitation. and Keisha (she was 16YO) had just hours left and was in much pain from severe kidney disease. We had both cremated and they are in urns on a shelf in my curio cabinet. Maybe someday we will spread the ashes in a place that we feel is right, but for now they are still around. When I was a kid, we buried our pets in my mother's back yard. It was just the thing to do. Now I see no problem with cremation.
yeeps, didn't realize I was going on for so long...
no subject
I saw a mother and six newborn kittens left in a box duct taped shut, on the front steps of the shelter in 20 degree temps a few years ago. There was a bowl of dry kibble in the box with the mother and kittens. The poor things were so cold, if we hadn't found them when we did I'm afraid they would not have survived.
I can imagine that people dump cats around the zoo because of the other animals and the fact that food will be readily available. If a cat will show interest in a human and not immediately run in the other direction it is likely not a feral. Ferals will bolt away and not get anywhere near a human being. A stray cat or a cat that has been abandoned will show interest or even approach a human, they may be apprehensive, but they know that person usually equals food and comfort.
I am a huge advocate of getting pets (both cats and dogs) spayed and neutered. There are too many people that feel that sterilizing a pet ruins them. Not so, it's just the opposite. It makes them a better *pet*. You should know this with dogs, sterilize a male dog and they get less aggressive. The same thing holds for cats. Also with cats spaying and neutering extends their life span, it reduces the occurance of reproductive system cancers in female cats (which are very common) and urinary tract issues (such as crystals/blockages and UTI's) in male cats.
Many states, including Massachusetts have TNR - Trap/Neuter/Release programs for stray and feral cats. This is a good idea. Cats do have a place in the wild. They help to keep the rodent population in check. That is how cats got to this country, they were brought on board ships to keep the rodents under control and jumper ship so to speak when they hit the new world.
As for spreading disease, cats who go through the TNR programs are also tested and innoculated against the more prevalent cat diseases, FIV, FeLV, Rabies etc. If they test positive they are not usually rereleased, but rather kept in a shelter and an attempt is made to adopt them out to families with other cats who test positive. They are isolated from the general cat population and kept with only cats who also test positive. If the disease has progressed too far, they are euthanized.
I would expect that wolves/coyotes, birds and mosquitos probably spread more disease than cats do in the wild.
Now being that I'm also a birder, I really have some mixed feelings about the fact that they also hunt birds, (the feral that lives under my porch got a mourning dove on my front lawn the other day... feathers everywhere.) But it is part of a cats nature to hunt and it is a part of the circle of life so I accept it.
My two cats are just too lazy to hunt, although any flies that get into my house do not stand a chance against my two great white hunters.
I don't like the idea of euthanizing a cat for no reason or because you just don't want it anymore. If a cat is ill with little chance of recovery then I feel it is the humane thing to do. Our previous two cats both ended up being euthanized. Midnight had a stroke (she was 18 YO) and ended up paralyzed with no chance of rehabilitation. and Keisha (she was 16YO) had just hours left and was in much pain from severe kidney disease. We had both cremated and they are in urns on a shelf in my curio cabinet. Maybe someday we will spread the ashes in a place that we feel is right, but for now they are still around. When I was a kid, we buried our pets in my mother's back yard. It was just the thing to do. Now I see no problem with cremation.
yeeps, didn't realize I was going on for so long...