I find myself in the middle of an interesting argument.
I'm a pretty strong environmentalist and have a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Florida and 33 years of passion for all things nature. And I'm an advocate for animal rights as well--not a freak but someone with a deep concern for the welfare of our fellow creatures. Sometimes the two clash and I am left in a state of confusion that can't give birth to the right answer (for me).
Such is the case with the great feral cat debate. We have tons of them in SW Florida. The offspring of domesticated cats that were abandoned, they have never known a house or home. Wild, with wild instincts and savvy survival skills, they're left on the streets and often wouldn't come to a friendly extended human hand if it was offered.
Wildlife advocates, with data to back it up, claim that feral cats severely impact populations of ground nesting birds and other wildlife, regardless of whether they have plentiful food from dumps or thoughtful restaurant owners who may leave healthy scraps in the parking lots. Animal rights enthusiasts, armed with their own studies, claim there is no such proof of this impact, that the environmental impact studies are flawed, and that catch and release spay/neuter programs are making a big dent in the exponential populations of feral cat populations.
Now I'm a data gal. Frankly, I'd like to see a new study that's been commissioned by an independent party. Leaving emotion on both sides out of the equation, I want to know what's going on, and if, as I'm inclined to believe, feral cats are causing significant impact on bird populations and other wildlife, I think we can be solution-minded instead of finger-pointing. Either way, humans have the capacity to cause serious destruction but can also be very crafty in problem-solving. We're smart and creative. Let's take stock of our assets but first look at facts.
Do you have a feral cat issue in your part of the world? I can't stand to see any creature getting hurt by a human hand--whether it's an abandoned cat that is now hardly considered domestic, or whether it's a member of our traditional wildlife team. Either way, the harm is linked to our carelessness and we're ultimately responsible.
9 comments:
Oh we have a lot of them here in the Philippines. But the difference is our cats can be domesticated. Some homeowners are adopting the cats they find in the streets, have them vaccinated and treat them as pets. And it's a good way to kill all those rats.
Have a great day! xoxo
I'm a big believer of spay/neuter and I can't stand irresponsible pet owners. I hope an independent study could prove that the feral cats are not impacting the natural wildlife. Because if they are, I would have to side with the indigenous species.
We have some feral cat colonies around here. There is a no-kill shelter down the road that works hard to round them up, befriending them over long periods of time and bringing them to live in the shelter, which is actually just a house they all live in, complete with sunny window perches and scratching posts. We have nesting birds, too, but they all seem to be at the beach nature preserve, and cats don't seem to go to the beach. So I guess our area wouldn't be a good place to do your study :)
I'm originally from a small town which is now in the process of rounding up all the feral and spay/neuter and then release program. They're actually trying to et people to adopt them first. The irresponsibility of owners is how the problem started.
Cats have a special place in my heart. There are definitely solutions but humans usually wait till it's too late and mass euthanizing becomes part of the solution. Of course there must be an impact on birds; they're CATS...
I'm not aware of a feral cat problem where I live. I have both a cat and a very jealous parrot - I keep them apart for the cat's safety ;-)
I would think such a large population of feral cats would have to be having a negative effect on other wildlife. It's just a cat's nature to see anything that moves as prey and pounce on it. I've always done trap/neuter/release, but it's hard to get on top of the problem. Seems like a study that a university should be doing.
We have a couple of ferals in our home. We catch ferals and neuter them. We also take them in to a no-kill shelter, if they're not full. We're big animal lovers. But honestly, no-kill shelters, as humane as they are, are a big waste of resources. They keep and hold cats which consume food and medicine, yet don't contribute anything. They're rarely adoptable, as ferals. And I say this even though we volunteer at a thrift store run by our local no-kill shelter.
We live in such a wilderness area, we see firsthand the damage that feral cats (an invasive exotic species) can do to birds and reptiles and small mammals. We're all for euthanizing the ferals, really, though I can't bring myself to shoot them (yet). But we really do think they need to be exterminated quickly, so they don't suffer from disease or starvation, and so they don't kill off the native wildlife.
Just catching up here.I'm not aware of a feral cat problem in Minnesita. I imagine that between the fact that they are food for our plentiful coyotes and the fact that we have brutal winters here they've all moved down to Missouri.
I think of them as exotic ansinvasive species and just seeing how my neighbors meandering cat has kept my two acres free of rabbits and the plentiful (up the street) Minnesota gophers as well as a number of birds I have to believe they're very hard on the balance of nature.
Where I grew up in Pennsylvania the feral cats in the countryside were scruffy and infested with plentiful parasites.I have to think suffering along like that is worse than a merciful death.There are things worsen than death.
The whole issue sure puts a lot of people like Gropius and my daughter on the fence.
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