Here is an idea which comes from Singapore. Singapore has a very efficient cat charity called the Cat Welfare Society (CWS). Most of their staff are volunteers. They have “mediators”. This is the first time I have seen mediators being used in situations regarding cat rescue and other instances of dispute or problems of any kind regarding domestic or community cats.
So what do cat mediators do in Singapore? This is an example. A resident in Singapore is frightened of cats. A community cat (a stray cat) wanders into her home and she becomes fearful. She can either call a CWS mediator or a cat trapper hired by the authorities. Perhaps in the USA the person might call Animal Control. Sometimes people take direct action which may include harming the cat.
There are generally two outcomes when a stray or feral cat becomes a nuisance. They can be dealt with humanely or they can be harmed or killed. A mediator of the type employed by CWS would find a solution which suits all parties including the cat. The cat’s welfare is part of the solution.
The objective is to find an outcome which resolves the matter without resorting to harming the cat and a mediator is a nice alternative. They would certainly be useful in a neighbour dispute regarding domestic cats wandering onto someone else’s property. This sort of dispute is by far the most common and it can become nasty. Often the outcome is that the cat is harmed and the cat’s owner is extremely upset. Mediators can also educate.
I like the idea of a mediator whose role is to deal with issues regarding community nuisance cats.
Source for idea: Straits Times article. And see Singapore’s CWS.
