This is a little feral cat story; perhaps not untypical which is why I like it. The cat who has no name had been ear tipped and therefore had been managed by a volunteer doing TNR work. The ear tipping was barely visible because hair had grown over it. This is an interesting issue in itself. You can’t tell from a distance if a cat is feral or domestic especially if they are friendly.
This cat actually does not look feral. He looks clean, calm and exactly like a domestic cat would look out in the back yard.
Uprooted
But he was uprooted after spending five years of his life in someone’s yard. It looks like a big yard. The homeowner, a bird lover, wanted him removed. She called Animal Control who called a person involved in TNR programs for help. That was a nice touch.
The TNR person discussed the issue with the bird lover who was adamant that the cat had to be removed despite being told that once removed it was likely that another cat would replace him.
The cat was removed for vaccination, neutering and ear tipping but as mentioned they discovered he had already been through the process.
He was subsequently relocated to a colony some distance away. This is risky. Cats get used to their area as we know. And he may be rejected by the colony. He may even come back to his home range. That would put the cat among the pigeons.
Not Cat’s Problem
The cat lover was advised to make her yard cat-proof. The lady who tells the story (Penny?) rightly says that it is not the bird lover’s problem that the cat lived in her yard but neither is it the cat’s. The poor cat’s world has been turned upside down, uprooted from his home of five years as he is a homeless cat.
He should be adopted because he is friendly and eminently adoptable. He shouldn’t be living with a colony of feral cats. He’s probably a stray domestic cat.
The last point is that the person who cared for him and ensured he was neutered and vaccinated may be looking for him. They could not find the person. She should be notified in an ideal world.
Finally the story teller says that it is important to keep lines of communication open as it could have led to a better outcome from this sweet looking cat.
Source: Penny & The Kits on Facebook.
I have to wonder about someone who knew the cat for five years and still insisted ,even being a bird lover, that he be removed. Like most cat haters she doesn’t want to work with the issue just eradicate cats. All nature lovers need to understand that predation is natural. The success rate for catch and kill will go down as the prey learns how to avoid capture. Those same bird parents will teach some of this to their offspring.
The conclusions we can take from this event is that it could have been done better.
I’ve commented before I am not a dog person and yet I would go to bat for one that was abused as quickly as a cat or any other animal. This singular directed hatred at cats by many bird lovers is just that , cat hate. I don’t believe they are looking for solutions to make the life better for birds and TNR cats like this one. I’ve seen some interesting bird feeder photos where if one didn’t know better , cough cough, you would think the cat haters wanted the birds to be killed so they could hate cats more.
Poor puss, but his five years stray are testament to the power of neutering, returning and of course feeding. Unfit/poorly cats don’t generally hunt much. If indeed puds was actually huntinh. Not all cats hunt do they?
It’s a very interesting look at some of the issues around every stray or feral cat story.
Would also be a great class room project for 14 year old “How would you manage this?”
Nice thought about how it could have been better managed. The answer would have to look at some fundamental issues of society in America and indeed in other countries.
Ha!! Good reply. Straight Grade A for that!
I am trying to figure out why your comments are still being moderated because they don’t need to be. This is due to a computer program which is working automatically.