Cats or rats?
By Barbara Cole

Feral cats are cats that have never been touched by human hands. They are born in the wild and live in the wild. A stray cat is one that once was owned by someone but was discarded or ran away.

An animal control officer in Virginia told a blind resident of Richardson County. "Stop feeding the cats and bag any dead bodies in your yard." The resident fed 25 cats. She was threatened with a citation and 30 days in jail because the cats she was feeding had never been in her home.

Other states have drafted laws allowing feral cat caregivers to feed cats and participate in the trap, spay/neuter, return or release program. This law also clarifies these caregivers are not "keepers" or "hoarders;" therefore, they are not the "owners" of the cats.

Myths and facts about feral cats

Myth: Feral cats are unhealthy and carry infectious diseases that threaten owned cats and each other.

Fact: Feral cats are generally in good health. The incidence of disease in feral cat colonies is no higher than among owned cats.

Myth: Community Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) programs won't work because volunteers are not available and are not reliable in the long - term.

Fact: As many as one in five households feed stray and feral cats. Feral cat caretakers develop strong and long- lasting bonds with cats they care for.

Myth: Feral cats cannot be eliminated using nonlethal methods.

Fact: An established, long- term TNR program can reduce feral cat populations in both the short and long terms

Studies on feral cats show three very important points:

1. Cats are opportunistic feeders, eating what is most easily available.

2. Cats are rodent specialists.

3. Cats prey on a population without destroying it. If this were not so we would no longer have mice or rats. How can you help

Find out about your local animal control structure. Check the local government's website or call the city or county elected representative. If animal control is contracted to a nonprofit organization, funding might be determined by a written contract and supplemented by grants from foundations and donations from the public. Government agencies and for- profit contractors sometimes have counterpart nonprofit entities so they can apply and qualify for grants and donations.

Five easy steps for helping outdoor cats:

1 Determine whether the cat in your neighborhood is stray or feral. If feral…

2. Get advice, support, and equipment for doing trap- neuter- return through the feral cat "grassroots network in your area.

3. Line up a vet or spay/neuter clinic to perform spay- neuter surgery free or cheap

4. Trap the cats. It's easier than you think.

5. Return the cats and provide simple long term care.

What would YOU prefer in your neighborhood -- Cats or rats and mice?

Contact: Charlene Campbell,

JCampb4244@aol.com,

239-772-5399