Comment on article "Tom and Kittie kill ...."
Posted By Anneke Brits on Jan 11, 2011
I am involved in an organisation caring exclusively for ferals cats, and having made extensive use of TNR for many years. I would like to make the following points in reply to the article on feral cats:
• We have found the TNR (trap, neuter, release) policy to be extremely effective, which is why it is also officially endorsed many animal-care societies. Although it is true that not every individual cat in a colony is trapped, we have always managed to stabilise the numbers of every colony where we have continued to trap consistently. We have also found that the numbers eventually decline, since the cats in such colonies begin to die of natural causes. It is also effective because our aim is never to wipe out any colony, for the following reason:
Feral cats keep rodents and even snakes at bay. As with most things, balance is the key, and when ferals are removed entirely, rodents and snakes tend to multiply to dangerous levels.
• TNR does not require vast amounts of money, since almost all feral sterilisations are undertaken by volunteers with the help of far-sighted vets who perform the sterilisations at a fraction of their normal prices as a community service.
• Although cats DO kill birds, it has been found that large numbers are also killed by dogs and even by cars. (I have four tame cats at home, and I cannot remember when last any of them killed a bird – certainly not in the past year.) Also keep in mind that, just as there are many more cats in urban areas than in the wild, there are also many more times the bird numbers, because of the high numbers of trees and other food sources found in gardens, parks etc.
• Because many feral cats are fed by cat lovers (our organisation feeds around 900 in the streets every day), their potential impact on the environment is reduced even further.
• Feral cats do not necessarily carry diseases. It has been found that a pedigreed cat is just as likely to carry any of the feline diseases as a feral cat. And none of these are any threat at all to humans. Apart from a rare condition that a pregnant women can catch if handling a cat's droppings with her bare hands, humans can catch nothing more dangerous than ringworm from a cat.
• And as for cats threatening the survival of hundreds of native bird, reptile and mammal species – I am not aware of a single indigenous species whose survival is threatened by cats. It is not the feline that is ravaging the earth and decimating the habitats of thousands of species, but that other species whose numbers have truly become out of control – humankind.
Anneke Brits (for CatPals, South Africa)
Tom and Kitty Kill Hundreds of Millions Every Year In US Alone
New Video Casts Doubt On Effectiveness Of Sterilizing Feral Cats To Reduce Huge Toll On Wild Birds
Comment on article "Tom and Kittie kill ...."
• We have found the TNR (trap, neuter, release) policy to be extremely effective, which is why it is also officially endorsed many animal-care societies. Although it is true that not every individual cat in a colony is trapped, we have always managed to stabilise the numbers of every colony where we have continued to trap consistently. We have also found that the numbers eventually decline, since the cats in such colonies begin to die of natural causes. It is also effective because our aim is never to wipe out any colony, for the following reason:
Feral cats keep rodents and even snakes at bay. As with most things, balance is the key, and when ferals are removed entirely, rodents and snakes tend to multiply to dangerous levels.
• TNR does not require vast amounts of money, since almost all feral sterilisations are undertaken by volunteers with the help of far-sighted vets who perform the sterilisations at a fraction of their normal prices as a community service.
• Although cats DO kill birds, it has been found that large numbers are also killed by dogs and even by cars. (I have four tame cats at home, and I cannot remember when last any of them killed a bird – certainly not in the past year.) Also keep in mind that, just as there are many more cats in urban areas than in the wild, there are also many more times the bird numbers, because of the high numbers of trees and other food sources found in gardens, parks etc.
• Because many feral cats are fed by cat lovers (our organisation feeds around 900 in the streets every day), their potential impact on the environment is reduced even further.
• Feral cats do not necessarily carry diseases. It has been found that a pedigreed cat is just as likely to carry any of the feline diseases as a feral cat. And none of these are any threat at all to humans. Apart from a rare condition that a pregnant women can catch if handling a cat's droppings with her bare hands, humans can catch nothing more dangerous than ringworm from a cat.
• And as for cats threatening the survival of hundreds of native bird, reptile and mammal species – I am not aware of a single indigenous species whose survival is threatened by cats. It is not the feline that is ravaging the earth and decimating the habitats of thousands of species, but that other species whose numbers have truly become out of control – humankind.
Anneke Brits (for CatPals, South Africa)
new are wildlife
Regards.
http://www.collect-art.com/
Leave your comment
never send spam. Read our privacy policy for details...