Thursday, October 15, 2015

Blog the Change


Tomorrow is National Feral Cat Day so what an opportunity to talk about feral cats, community cats and TNR.

Our feral girl Allie....hard to believe we have been caring for her for over 3 years now after she had her kittens in a window well near our condo. Mom sees her more in the winter and less in the summer, but we know she is around. Our garage door stay open about 6 inches to give her access to food, water and shelter. Some would say we need to re-trap her and bring her inside. We say - she would HATE that. Why should we change her lifestyle based on our beliefs? Would we love to know she is safe all the time? Sure - but she wouldn't thrive inside....and to force her into those confines is unfair.

This is Katniss. She was dropped off near us and then caught and spayed, but wasn't being cared for at all. Luckily we have friends who care for a colony out of town and they agreed to take her. It took quite a bit of time and effort on mom's part to catch her (ferals get trap savvy pretty quickly) but she was caught and moved. We don't recommend this for all ferals - it is better to release them where they are familiar with their own territory. But for her safety, it was decided to move her. She adjusted (eventually) and can now be seen integrated into the colony.

You will find some articles that state that feral cats are "bad for the environment". What they don't tell you is that all their "science" is based on one article - and it is bad science. The World Animal Foundation just published an article that disputes the original information...something feral advocates have been doing for years.

You can find out more about ferals from several places - we recommend Alley Cat Allies and Vox Felina. Mom has argued with our condo association and did manage to get them to back off. One man wanted to bring in "someone" to "get rid off those cats". Mom explained that extermination doesn't fix the problem. And that the cost of bringing someone in to do that certainly didn't seem a good use of her condo fees. Granted, while they let the people inclined to help continue to do so, they haven't put forth any effort of their own to help. But at least they aren't impeding the process.

In short, look around you. There are cats out there living in your community. Some of them are truly feral - living with a certain fear of people. Some are community cats - left to fend for themselves by people who once said they would protect them. Both groups deserve support and respect. Educate yourself and your neighbors. Spay and Neuter!! TNR and ear tip.

21 comments:

  1. Excellent post! Well said! Two thumbs up

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  2. I love the tipped/cool image

    it is sad that people don't often really know the difference between a feral and a domesticated cat..

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  3. Great article. We have feral cats living in our garage that some condo owners want to get rid of. Luckily oour last board was intelligent and had them TNRed and told the haters that they would stay. Still, we’ve been forbidden from feeding them because there are skunks in our hood who eat the leftover cat food. People ‘round here are ignorant about feral cats.

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  4. Great post!
    Have a wonderful Thursday...

    Noodle and crew

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  5. There are plenty of people who complain about things, and almost none who do anything about it. This was a good article; I wish everyone could read it.

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  6. Thank you for taking care of these precious babies! Feral and community cats deserve as much love as indoor cats. I live where there are no feral cats (downtown), but I would love to get involved in helping feral and community cats outside my immediate neighborhood somehow.

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  7. What a great post! If smart humans don't step up and speak out for ferals, who will?

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  8. It's wonderful that Allie trusts you, to a point, and stays. It's good to know she's safe, even if she wont go 'in' Yay for you for caring for her! Good for Katniss too!

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  9. Thanks so much for joining the hop today and such a great post! I live in a very rural area and have long cared for ferals - including TNR. Those that are more tame, I find homes for them. Hurt the environment? What a load of you know what!

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  10. awesum message two day guys.......we keep an eye on R pals barry, snow, turtle, sauz J, coal shoot, little gray & snow cone.......& itz all wayz grate ta see em stroll bye.....lookin good....afturr we haznt seen em for a while ~~~~ ♥

    heerz two an ocean sunfish kinda week oh end ~~~ ♥♥♥

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  11. AWESOME!!!!! Just awesome post!
    Cammie!

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  13. Paws up! Feral cats are part of the community and it's our responsibility to live alongside them and help them when they need it just as we do other community members.

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  14. Weez so gwateful to all who help da ferals. We wish there wasn't any to help, but as long as ignorance exists...Gweat posty.

    Luv ya'

    Dezi and Lexi

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  15. Amen! We need to keep educating people about the benefits of TNR!

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  16. Thanks for posting this. Excellent post!

    Purrs xx
    Athena and Marie

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  17. This is an excellent post adding to our knowledge base. I enjoyed it and I was grateful as well to see it here.

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  18. Cats are GREAT for the environment! They help keep the rodent population down, which is so important! Sometimes the ignorance of people just boggles my mind.

    Thanks for everything you do for the ferals around you.

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  19. Such an important topic - and such vulnerable creatures, all relying on our understanding and compassion. You explain it so well, and provide great resources for more info.

    Thank you for blogging the change for animals!
    Kim Thomas
    Be the Change for Animals

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