Cats are not sacred cows.
They are a domesticated species– one that doesn’t belong in the wild on this continent.
Check out the American Bird Conservancy’s page on feral cats for more information.
And the TNR Reality Check.
The one issue I have with their analysis is that I don’t think the majority of ferals can be rehomed. The only humane thing to do is euthanasia.
With dogs, horses, and other animals it might be possible to have a no-kill policy. With cats, it’s probably not feasible.
yes, i’d agree that most ferals are impossible to re-home.
keeping them in outdoor FENCED or screened-enclosure colonies or as indoor cat-colonies in ‘sanctuaries’ seems to me to be a waste of space and effort.
they don’t want to be around people – we are a huge stress for them.
necessary handling for husbandry is enormously upsetting.
there are a few cat-savvy folks who keep former-ferals as housecats, but they deal with the same issues: every vet-trip is a huge trauma, not safe for anyone, & definitely not fun.
even well-socialized pet cats can become dangerously cranky at the vet’s.
TNR only postpones the inevitable, & the ongoing damage to wildlife makes it an unethical choice, IMO. No colony that i have ever heard of, has simply aged-out and vanished. They are forever incorporating new recruits.
– terry
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF