Comments on: Feral Cat Trap-Neuter-Return Program Ignites Controversy Among Vets

By: Angie

Angie — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 04:21:25 +0000

Five years ago I became an uneducated caregiver to 3 cats that a neighbor abandoned because they did not tame themselves while living in her house – kittens from her unaltered pet cat that she allowed to roam outside at will, otherwise her indoor cat. Not able to ignore them or allow them to starve or freeze to death I mustered along doing what I thought was right. Two years ago after being instructed by my vet to Trap and euthanize, which I might add she did not plan to do but wanted the local shelter to do, I stumbled upon a well educated TNR advocate. Last year I managed to TNR five cats 3 feral & 2 strays, these were born to my abandon neighbors cat who has since disappeared, 100% of my colony and of the 9 kittens they had produced one was killed by the neighbors boxer, one was taken to the local shelter, I tamed and placed three in wonderful families that love them dearly and kept four that I tamed for myself. All told out of 14 I took 10 to be spayed or neutered and none of those were administered pain meds after coming home – none of them showed any sign of pain, slowing down or needing it either. None of these 10 cats has ever treated me any differently because of what I did to them or acted as if they were terrified of me for the pain I inflicted. You would think if it was such an unbearable pain the ferals would have never come back due to fear of what I would do next, but they do, to sleep in the shelter I put out or to eat the food I supply. Although 2 of them keep their distance, one wants petted occasionally, but of them they will eat the cat treats that I toss in their direction. My colony is stable at 3 currently while my tame indoor cat population is at 5. TNR is the right thing to do. 26 states support state funded Spay/Neuter and include ferals – are all of those people wrong or uncaring. I’m not saying it is painless, but I believe the short lived pain of a skilled surgery is far less than the pain they could endure in a cat fight or due to pyometra which can be common occurances in the life of a free roaming unaltered cat.

By: BirdAdvocate

BirdAdvocate — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:45:06 +0000

The feral cat issue is an environmental issue, not an animal welfare one. They are a domestic pet species and as such should never be abandoned into our ecology to predate on our natural fauna.

By: Betty

Betty — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:55:41 +0000

Vet’s on the way

By: Betty

Betty — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 20:50:57 +0000

I’ve just had 5 returned to the barn to start their new spayed/neutered life. It’s day 5 and they won’t budge on food and water. I could understand a few days to settle in but wouldn’t dehydration start soon ?

By: beenie

beenie — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 19:33:42 +0000

Like some of the others that have commented, I have never had a vet give any of my cats pain meds after spay/neuter surgery. I have 10 cats, and all are “fixed”. Not sure I understand how spaying and neutering doesnt put a dent in feral cat colony populations?
Why not use tax dollars to fund adequate care for these animals? Personally I would be happy to pay a little more in taxes if it meant stray animals would receive better care.

By: Mickie

Mickie — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 15:10:39 +0000

No vet has ever given my pets take home pain meds. They get a shot at the vet’s after surgery and that is it. Even when you request pain meds. That being said none of my animals have suffered greatly. Remember animals tend to have a higher pain tolerance than we do. Even I can go home after surgery and not take pains meds… I just have a high tolerance (and a drawer full of pain meds).

We had a neighborhood feral that wandered the periphery of our yards. I had no idea if it was male or female until she showed up in my yard (go figure) with three female kittens (all tri-colored). It took me 6 months to move them and have them feel comfortable eating on my porch. I trapped 3 (one has disappeared) all at the same time and had them spayed. I kept them in my garage for 10 days (Mom bit my boyfriend) then let them loose. Within a day they were back on my porch.

The vet gave me ear mite medication for Mom. Ha. I told him to keep it. Over time I was able to use Revolution on the 2 kittens but never Mom.

She is gone now and it makes me sad but making her a pet wasn’t an option.

By: kpm

kpm — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 03:15:47 +0000

I’m fully supportive of culling and sterilizing. Regretfully, we don’t follow these practices with humans. Sex offenders, murderers… PLEASE!

I appreciate that some of the comments here are very honest, but let’s ‘all’ take a dose of reality. These practices are for OUR human benefit, and not nearly so much the cats’. It’s a means of managing a problem we haven’t found a better solution to. If it were truly done in the cats’ best interests then it would involve integrating, placement and ongoing care, not tossing them back out into a life-limiting reality.

By: Sus

Sus — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 18:32:58 +0000

Most groups that do TNR are completely aware of the need for post surgery care. Males are usually less affected by pain, their surgery is much smaller compared to the removal of the ovaries in females. Hence, Male cats are usually released after a day or two of observation and pain medication. Female cats we sometimes keep for up to a week to administer pain meds and antibiotics through their food, and to ensure that the wound is healing properly and no infections develop. We have had ferals with bad injuries that after healing still were able to be released and are doing just fine. TNR is proven to reduce feral numbers. What causes the resurgence of numbers are the lovingly unneutered and unspayed outdoor pets of blissfully ignorant people. Their cats and toms roam and reproduce happily, leaving heaps of unaltered kittens who in a few months start reproducing themselves. TNR Groups are fighting a losing battle when it comes to educating people about spaying and neutering, and about the part we all play in the lives and management of feral pets. Trapping and killing them by the thousands does not make a dent in the feral pet population. Nor does it serve humanity or our environment. Consider that feral cats have over the decades become a necessary and inegral part of wildlife and are a virtual disease police, catching and killing ill or older and slower prey, and reducing rodent numbers. Past feral cat removal projects have proven detrimental when after the last cat was gone, rats, mice and other so called pests took over the space… Now what… kill them all too until all animal life is gone from this planet???

By: GraVarg

GraVarg — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 06:13:45 +0000

Ok, maybe it sounds harsh but culling feral cat numbers is the only feasible way to get their populations down. Its done with other animals, why not with cats? Especially considering the domestic cat is an invasive species that preys upon local wildlife. Just because they happen to be people’s pets doesn’t exclude them from being managed as wildlife, because a feral cat is essentially a “wild” cat. I may sound like I hate cats but I really don’t! I worked at an animal shelter for many years and cats that came in where either adoptable (pets) or unadoptable (feral). The feral cats were put to sleep and there were still plenty of freindly cats that found homes.

By: rattitude

rattitude — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 21:09:29 +0000

Protocols exist for wildlife that are held and transported between location. I would assume similar housing, feeding and sedation could be adapted for feral cats?