Letter from Hazleton admin

This is a classic from that age-old feral cat problem: how to deal with them. And there is an habitual disconnect between city administrators and community residents. Not infrequently cities want instant action when there are complaints about a perceived feral cat nuisance, which in this instance meant that authorities informed the residents in a letter that they had hired a contractor to remove ‘un-collared’ cats from the city limits. That sounded sinister because what was going to happen to the cats? Felecia Chasey-Buckman said that it freaked people out instantly. I can see that because those words mean death to cats.

Feral cat Hazleton. Screenshot.

And the local Humane Society clarified another matter. When you relocate and eliminate feral cats as intended in this instance you create a vacuum into which new feral cats migrate and breed. The problem goes away for five minutes and returns. This is a well known and well discussed consequence.

“Trapping cats and relocating them creates an opening in the ecosystem….Removing them and relocating them or potentially euthanizing them creates an opening in the ecosystem which causes them to breed more quickly.”

The best humane method, the Humane Society spokesman said is the tried and tested TNR.

It appears that the city administrators have changed their minds after being contacted by the Humane Society and will find a new strategy.

The video explains things further:

P.S. Hazleton is in the state of Iowa, USA.