Nairobi misses the mark in their cat registration legislation

The city of Nairobi, Kenya, is debating a new piece of legislation (a bill) called “The Nairobi City County Animal Control and Welfare Bill”. If it came into force, it would require cat owners in Nairobi to purchase an annual licence at a cost of 200 Kenyan shillings ($1.50 or £1.20 p). To obtain …

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How long does it take for a domestic cat to become feral?

Stray cat looking for a home

A true domestic cat, i.e. a cat that has been thoroughly socialised and who has lived with their caregiver, cannot become a true feral cat because they cannot lose that initial, early several weeks of socialisation before they are about 7-weeks-of-age. That will remain with them all their lives. The process is immutable. However, …

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What is the difference between RTF and TNR for cats?

Volunteer looks after a stray cat. This is a glamorised image created by DALLE-E 3.

Certainly! Let’s delve into the difference between RTF (Return to Field) and TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return) programs for cats. But first a charming picture created by another AI computer. In summary, TNR specifically targets feral cats, whereas RTF encompasses all cats and aims to prevent euthanasia while humanely managing the cat population. Both approaches play essential roles in cat welfare …

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Stray cats and dogs are well protected under Italian law

One of Rome's many stray cats and a member of a protected colony

It may surprise some people, as it has surprised me, that stray cats and dogs are given a lot of protection in Italy; far more than in most other countries. This probably shouldn’t surprise me because the stray cats – I’m loathe to call them feral cats because they appear to be semi-domesticated – …

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War machine Russia becomes uncivilised towards stray dogs and cats

Shelter dogs in the east of Russia being shipped west by train to save their lives.

In Putin’s big push to win the war in Ukraine he has increased the military budget to 30% of GDP. The average in the West is around 2%. In 2024, Russia is a war machine and a terrorist state. Most citizens of Russia are unaware of it except that they must be seeing substantially …

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Humane Animal Support Services. A discussion and one criticism.

HASS system can leave stray cats and dogs on the street in harsh weather

Nathan Winograd got me thinking about a program called Humane Animal Support Services (HASS). He doesn’t like the programme or at least one aspect of it. He says that under this program “regressive pounds” turn away animals that need a shelter. The program was created by Austin Pets Alive and “embraced” by Best Friends …

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Likely reason why well-cared for domestic cats leave the security of their home

Dr. John Bradshaw in his book Cat Sense tells us that surveys of domestic cat ownership in the UK confirm that many stray cats have got ‘lost’ (probably temporarily) having left a home in which they were cared for properly. They lived in nice homes with a good owner. This can happen in about …

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