Our Feral Brothers and Sisters Are Counting on You!

Somali cat, cat, tile bathroom, cat hunting flies, pretty cat


Here I am, relaxing in my human’s bathroom after a day of hunting tasty sky raisins (known as flies to less imaginative humans). I’m lucky. I hunt for sport and the occasional living treat. I don’t need to do it to survive (a good thing, my human says — she does not think I’m very good at it!). My feral counterparts, however, need to hunt, to scrounge around in trashcans, and if they are very, very lucky, rely on a caring human who visits with food. In the notes Sparkle left me, she told me to be grateful for having a good home and a privileged background… and to always be willing to lend a paw to kitties who are less fortunate, especially feral cats.


I’m sure that all of my blog readers are supporters of feral cats in one way or another. Some of you may even have colonies that you support. When humans think about helping ferals, it’s the cats who always come first: practicing TNR (Trap-Neuter-Return), vaccinating the cats before taking them back to their colonies, and feeding and caring for them. That is really important, but there are other important things that need to be done that don’t involve the cats at all. And if these things aren’t done, it can make life for feral cats more difficult or, in some cases, impossible. So let me tell you about them.


Humans need to be educated about feral cats. A lot of them think ferals are dirty, diseased creatures who are responsible for decimating bird populations. The truth is that a managed colony of feral cats is just as healthy as most outdoor owned cats. They’ve been vaccinated along with being spayed and neutered, and the caretaker keeps a watchful eye on them for illness. Cats are not big carriers of rabies. In fact the last time there was a recorded cat-to-human rabies transmission was 1975. What about toxoplasmosis? Humans are more likely to get that from handling raw food — meat, fruits or vegetables — or by gardening then they are by coming into contact with feral cats.


white cat, feral cat, help feral cats, caring for feral cats


What about all the birds feral cats are killing? That number pales in comparison to the birds that have perished because of humans encroaching on their habitat. Humans need to look at their part in harming bird species before they start blaming cats. And cats are more likely to hunt creatures close to the ground, such as mice, moles and rats — you know, the kind of pests that humans don’t like to have around. These ground-dwelling animals are actually much more easily caught — trust me, I know! I’ve been trying to catch flies all day, and those flying things make the hunt way more difficult.


But in addition to educating people who aren’t huge fans of cats, cat lovers also need to learn some things too. Did you know that the worst thing you can do when you see a stray cat is to feed her, and just keep on feeding her without trying to catch her and spay her? If she’s friendly, she may be someone’s pet who is lost, and she should be checked for a microchip and word sent out so her former humans can step up, if they are looking for her. If she is feral and wary of human contact, efforts must be made to trap her so she can have the full spa treatment (spay, vaccinations and a checkup while in recovery). Otherwise, she’ll start having kittens, perpetuating an unending cycle of feral cats. She could also become sick from diseases that the vaccinations would prevent. Caring for an outdoor cat is a responsibility and all the steps must be there for it to be beneficial.


What else needs to be done for feral cats? Humans who understand the value of TNR must teach their city councils and local leaders that this is the best, most humane way to deal with feral cats. These leaders need to learn that managed colonies are the opposite of harmful and that TNR programs in other cities have been great successes. To arm yourself with the most up-to-date knowledge, visit Alley Cat Allies — and start spreading the word!


I bet you thought ferals were a cat problem. Nope, it’s clearly a human problem, and that is where a lot of effort needs to go! Always remember that when you want to help kitties.



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Published on October 15, 2015 00:10
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