Cat group says DON'T feed feral cats!

On Jul 24, 2:09*pm, tanadashoes wrote:
Sherry wrote:
On Jul 23, 10:54 am, "MaryL" -OUT-THE-LITTER
wrote:
"Sherry" wrote in message

....
On Jul 23, 8:46 am, Bobcat wrote:

Kitty City, a house-cat rescue and placement organization in New
Mexico, is advising NOT to feed feral cats. Here's a news article
about their policy.
http://www.alamogordonews.com/ci_15582613
I've sent the news source this comment:
"Many groups and individuals including myself and AlleyCat Allies
disagree strongly with your statement that it's not good to feed feral
cats. Instead they (and I) recommend a trap-neuter/spay-release
program, and feeding the unfortunate animals."
You may also want to write a comment to the newspaper. To reach Kitty
City directly, here's a link to its website.
http://www.kittycitynm.com/
IMHO, their logic is flawed. Even the HSUS has issued statementsthat
"feeding bans" don't work. If people, who are already feeding the cats
suddenly stop, the cats are not going to just go away. Everybody knows
how territorial a cat is. They will just stay, and go hungry. And
again, IMHO, that is just cruel.
You have the right idea. They have to know kind-hearted people are
going to feed hungry cats no matter WHAT kind of official
statement they make....so why not expand and offer people
training and access to traps as a *real* solution instead of
just saying "don't feed them."
I totally get that people who dump a bunch of food in their back
yards
and leave it are attracting them (and wildlife) *into the neighborhood
and
the neighbors are going to start complaining. So why don't they
educate people about *how* to feed them responsibly...since they're
going to
anyway?
Now, to be fair to them, I liked their lowcost spay/neuter and food
programs for low income people. And I wonder if they have an
ulterior motive for the feeding ban -- like maybe it'll help them
get cats trapped if they don't have so many other sources of food?
Just a thought.
I've always gotten the impression that you're someone of the
"If I feed it, I own it." mantra. Meaning you're taking real
responsibility
for the ones you feed. I wish everyone did. You do good work.

Sherry *--- off the soapbox now

===================
I make frequent donations to our local Alley Cat Allies group. *They have
several feeding stations scattered around town, with volunteers to care for
them. *Several businesses have permitted them to station feeding stations
behind their buildings. *However, this group also has a very active TNR
process. *They trap/neuter/release cats that are unadoptable (with a small
ear clip so volunteers will know at a glance if they have trapped an
already-neutered cat), and they also have a large number of foster homes for
cats and kittens that seem to be adoptable. *Combined with that, they have
an adopt-a-thon twice a month, and they were able to find homes for several
hundred cats and kittens last year. *I think they do a remarkable job.

MaryL- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Our humane society just got a $10k grant expressly for TNR. It's our
first attempt at an organized TNR program. I'm very pleased to see it
happening.
It takes special and dedicated people to deal with ferals.

Sherry

And our area is so barbaric that they are just starting to get a low
cost spay/neuter program going.

Pam S.- Hide quoted text -

Well, ours didn't do anything except warehouse and adopt out
animals at first. Sometimes I am just flat amazed we're still
in business at all, let alone offering low cost s/n and now trapping
ferals. Bast must have had a paw in it cuz Lord knows we didn't
know what we were doing.

Sherry