Feral Cat Explosion – What is our responsibility

Let me start with a relatively, or at least somewhat, easy topic.   I’m a dog person, always have been.  Matter of fact I’m allergic to cats so have never had one.  But, as usual, things change.  I had a very large dog, 95 pound Rottweiler/Shepherd mix named Buddy when I moved the townhouse that I live in now, I moved in 9 years ago.  When I moved in, within a very short time, I became aware of the large colony of feral cats that were roaming around our complex.  There were at least 10-15 of them wandering around and reproducing, the colony was growing at a crazy rate.   They were always in my yard, teasing my dog thru the window, and of course using the garden as a litter box.  I started doing some research on the problem and what could be done about it.  Needless to say I was very surprised about what I found.

Cats used to have 1 litter of kittens per year.  This has changed dramatically with the changes in the weather.  Now they are having 2-4 litters per year, and in each litter there are on average 4-6 kittens.   One of my friends that has had cats for years has had several that actually had 6-9 kittens per litter so the 4-6 is low.  And they can get pregnant as early as 4 month old.  One article that I read said within 7 years close to 500,000 feral kittens are born each year, and I’m sure that this number is way low.  When I looked at several of the SPCA website and others, the estimated population of feral cats in the us is about 40-70 million.  Can you image that many wild cats running around.   It is a major problem.  And it is one that we as humans are causing.

Here’s the problem.  People get animals thinking that they want the companionship.  What people don’t think about is what that is going to mean in their lives.  It is a huge responsibility.  It’s nice to have the love of an animal companion, but it is a lot of work, and can be quite expensive.  There is the cost of the purchase, then all the things needed ~ bowls, food, litter if a cat, flea meds, beds, treats, clothing if your that kind of owner, vet bills, and daily care to start with.  If one is a traveler then there is the need to have them tended when out of town, which means either a sitter or taking them to a facility that does this service.  This is just to start I’m sure there are other things that I’m forgetting in the moment.

So after adopting the pet and getting them home guess what, it doesn’t work for the human.  What do a lot of people do, they just dump them out on the street, into parks, along freeways, in all sorts of assorted areas.  And even worse, unfortunately it is done before they get spayed/fixed.  What happens, as animals are apt to do, they hook up with others and start producing.  Ergo, population explosion.  This is especially true with cats.  But it is also valid for other kinds of animals.  I live by a park where I used to walk my dog.  I’ve seen parrots, parakeets, ferrets, guinea pigs, rabbits and other assorted beings just dumped there.  It is especially bad with the rabbits after Easter.   I guess people think its cool to have an Easter Bunny until you get it home, then its off to the park to get rid of it.

Here is the reality.  The animals are bred for pets, they are not wild, there is no food chain where the population is kept under control.   It is cruel to both the animals and the people that are around.  So, what is to be done.   I’ve started in my little area with the cat colony.  You do a trap and release.  It takes some effort but I’m here to say that it works if you are willing to work at it, and there are many organizations that are there to help out.  In my area it is Community Concern for Cats ( they are awesome ), and the Feral Cat Foundation.  They will loan you the traps so there isn’t any cost there.  You trap the animals, meet up with the group, they take them and get them fixed.  You have to keep them inside for 3-4 days, then let them go.  They can live out their lives which are usually only 5 years with the wild ones.  It isn’t their fault that they’ve been abandoned and in my opinion wrong to murder innocent beings.  I’ve gotten my colony down to 1 that has stuck around with me after the release and I consider her my companion.  It’s taken 5 years but she is now friendly, lets us pet her to some extent, and is nice to have around.

So, moral to this fairly long story.  We as humans have a responsibility to the animals that we take into our lives.  If you do adopt one and care for it, blessings to you.  There are so many out there that need a home.  Don’t go to breeders if you can, go to the various organizations that are trying to get homes for the ones that are out there.  If you do adopt an animal and find that you just can’t handle it, be a responsible person.  Please don’t just dump them.  Get them to an organization that will find a new home.   Call the SPCA in your area, find out what rescue organizations that are around.  If you do have a problem with the feral cat population start doing the trap and release.  You can even get your neighbors involved and take turns, brings the community together too.  Lets do something about it rather than turning your back, abandoning innocent beings, and leaving the problem for someone else to tend to.   Meow.