[BCNnet] Feral cats and trap-neuter-release programs

[BFisher928 at aol.com]

The article pasted below (which I learned of thanks to Bill Mueller of the 
Wisconsin Bird Conservation Initiative) is to me very useful and informative. 
The position expressed by the American Veterinary Medical Assoc. could be very 
useful if you hear about the promotion of trap-neuter-release programs. I think 
it goes even further on the issue of TNR programs than does the American Bird 
Conservancy's Keep Cats Indoors program
Wisconsin's Conservation Council is currently examining the question of 
whether cats can be shot by hunters. As I'm sure you can imagine, this proposal has 
produced some hot debate.
Regards
Bob Fisher

Wisconsin State Journal Guest column, March 19, 2005

 
If there is one thing that everyone
can agree upon regarding
Wisconsin's feral cats problem,
it's that it is a highly charged and
emotional issue.
We need an open dialogue about
what to do with outdoor freeroaming
and feral cats. To begin
this dialogue, we need to understand
the facts behind the issue
and what the state of knowledge is
about cats.
According to a recent forum in
the Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association, the
AVMA's Committee on Environmental
Issues has concluded the
following:
Free-roaming (outdoor) cats are
an exotic species in all habitats in
which they live. That is, cats are not
native to the ecosystems, such as
the ones here in Wisconsin.
Free-roaming cats have significant
and well-documented effects
on wildlife populations and can
exert substantial detrimental predatory
effects on wildlife.
Maintenance of free-roaming cat
colonies does not eliminate predation
on wildlife, and these colonies
do not solve the problem of cat
overpopulation, suffering and disease
transmission.
Based upon these points the
AVMA committee recommends:
The humane elimination of
feral cat colonies through capture
(not trapping and releasing).
The passage and enforcement
of ordinances prohibiting public
feeding of free-roaming cats and
people from releasing cats into the
wild.
Keeping cats indoors, in outdoor
enclosures or on a leash.
Programs to neuter or spay
cats.
The development of ordinances
to require spaying or neutering
of cats over 6 months old,
unless the owner purchases an annual
intact permit, breeders permit
or both; to require all cats to be licensed
and vaccinated against rabies;
to discourage cats from freely
roaming outdoors.
Keeping farm cat numbers
small and using alternative methods
of rodent control in agriculture.
Opposing ordinances that legalize
maintenance of cat colonies
through programs such as trap neuter-
release.
Besides the AVMA, other professional
scientific societies have researched
free-roaming cats and
come to nearly identical conclusions.
One of the hallmarks of science
is repeatability, and the
findings about outdoor cats have
been repeatedly demonstrated.
So, where does this leave us with
the issue of feral cats in Wisconsin?
First, we need to increase education
and awareness. It has repeatedly
been demonstrated that
outdoor cats are very detrimental
to wildlife (mammals, birds, reptiles
and amphibians), live far
shorter lives than indoor cats, pose
health risks, and have lower qualities
of life.
Second, we need to encourage
responsible pet ownership by requiring
that cats be kept indoors
and licensed, and we need to encourage
neutering and spaying. A
simple analogy of responsible pet
ownership is the case of dogs. We
as a society do not tolerate free ranging
outdoor dogs, but instead
require them to be on leashes, licensed
and vaccinated.
Third, we need to promote humane
removal of feral cats from the
landscapes of Wisconsin.
While the proposal put forward
through the Conservation Congress,
which could lead to the
hunting of feral cats, may be considered
inhumane to some, so too
is trap-neuter-release, which has
also been called "trap-neuter-reabandon"
by vets and has been
shown to be an ineffective tool. On
the other hand, one humane approach
is trapping and then either
adoption or placement in a cat
sanctuary.
Christopher Lepczyk, a certified ecologist, is a
postdoctoral fellow in the Department
of Forest Ecology and Management at
UW-Madison.
 

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