A lot of people protest about people feeding feral cats. They often consider them to be crazy. There is a divide in society. But it is wholly unrealistic to insist that people stop feeding feral cats. Some local authorities have created or want to create laws which makes it a crime to feed feral cats. This is absurd.
This is because many kind and tender-hearted people cannot stand by and see animals suffer. They are compelled to act. It is instinctive and part of the human psyche and it is one of the better aspects of human behaviour. Why stop people being decent and kind?
It is unreasonable and not in the power of people in authority to try and stop kind-hearted people responding to animal suffering. Especially when feeding feral cats is very often accompanied by trap-neuter-release (TNR) programs designed to humanely reduce feral cat numbers.
Feral cat feeders are both being kind to animals, who were put in a precarious position by irresponsible humans, and simultaneously carrying out a public service. Leave them alone or help them but don’t criticise them.
If people want to criticise and complain about feeding feral cats they should redirect their anger or annoyance at the law makers, the politicians and councillors and at cat owners who are simply unequipped to provide adequate care for their cat or cats.
All energies should be channeled towards reducing the number of abandoned cats and to ensure all domestic cats are spayed and neutered. This means setting up educational programs and supporting charities who provide discount neutering services or even supporting vets in general. It may mean instigating local laws to restrict cat ownership but this is not the best way forward. It is best to educate and let cat owners self-regulate.
Focus needs to be on the source of the problem and not at the other end of the problem. The good people who feed feral cats are picking up the pieces left by the bad people.
When local authorities try and punish animal advocates who feed feral cats the usual response by the residents of the area is to reject it. The broad mass of citizens see the real issues, which I have stated above.
I live in a city called Tamara Florida- they have a code of enforcement which basically states that it is a violation of the city to feed any out door cats. Because of a I’ll natured person who lives in a unit attached to my unit my complex known as Banyan Lakes has taken on the same code. They are in the process of sending out cease and desist letters to all residents in the complex. Not to feed outdoor cats. This goes against the county ordinances but apparently the city trumps the county. The problem is two fold. Some of us have spent numerous amounts of $ to spay and neuter these animals and there food source is being taken away from them. What will happen to these animals – apparently no one cares but a handful of us willing to take a stand. The property mgmt team doesn’t even want a vote from the community -a 4 person board has made the decision
Thank a lot, Bob, for sharing your experiences on this important topic. I will study your comment and see if it encourages me to write further on this.
Feeders add to the ever-growing cat problem. It is now well-known in TNR circles that if you can’t afford to, or don’t want to, sterilize TNR cats, all you have to do is trap them and take a pair of scissors to one of their ears. A simple snip on an ear, no more harmful than they’d get in one of their cat-fights, and now your outdoor cats are safe from being euthanized by authorities because they look just like any other sterilized TNR cat. Free cats to feed that give you more free cats to feed!
You have no idea what you are promoting. You are making the problem thousands of times worse so even more thousands of cats will have to be destroyed eventually. You’re so helpful, aren’t you.
You are missing the point. I am not really looking at the wider issues. I am addressing the emotional motivators of decent people who want to help vulnerable animals. There is nothing wrong in that so don’t stop it. Stop the production of unwanted cats. Also you state that cat feeders are pretending that cats are TNRed when they are not. Are you saying that this happens a lot? If so provide some proof.
For just one example of hundreds that I’ve spotted in discussions from one TNR practitioner to all other TNR practitioners. They don’t talk about this as openly in public discussions as they do in emails and in private. How do I know? I’ve received lots of their emails, I’m on many TNR practitioners’ mailing-lists, their suggesting that everyone just clip a cat’s ear instead of wasting all that time and money getting them sterilized. The outcome they want is the exact same, to stop any and all cats from being euthanized, so why bother with costly sterilizations.
Read Chris Cook’s comment here.
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=295067530554567&id=110911218963121
There’s no fake ear tipping, Jim. Unless I were equipped with a sedation gun, I wouldn’t be able to perform that procedure on a true feral. And, I would feel very foolish and sorry if I even made an attempt.
You are banned again Woody.
Too many people have the attitude that if you don’t feed them, they will go away. They never stop to consider HOW the cats will go away. Too many will die from starvation rather than wander in search of food. The domestic cat doesn’t understand the abandonment and haven’t learned to leave “home” in search of plentiful hunting. So sad.
Yes, thank you Cat’s Meow. Good observation.
Well said
Hits the nail right smack on the head!
Quote: “Feral cat feeders are both being kind to animals, who were put in a precarious position by irresponsible humans, and simultaneously carrying out a public service. Leave them alone or help them but don’t criticise them.”
I agree totally on this, Michael. Feral and stray cats need our compassion and help, not our contempt. Those who feed feral cats have hearts of gold. 🐾💜💜