To the Editor:
In response to Cathy Smith:
Stop attacking the Bayonne Feral Cat Foundation and those who support them. Perhaps you could educate yourself about feral cats and the TNR process so maybe you, too, can be part of the solution because right now, you are part of the problem. It’s a shame that you have nothing but hatred in your heart toward these defenseless animals and those that are trying to so hard to help them.
It’s funny how you didn’t mention any of the organizations that approve of TNR, such as the ASPCA (http://www.aspca.org), the Human Society of the United States (http://www.hsus.org), and Alley Cat Allies (http://www.alleycat.org). Not to mention the hundreds of rescue groups across the United States.
Feral cats are the forgotten felines who deserve caretaking just as much as the cats that live inside a home. They are the offspring of domestic cats and are primarily the result of pet owners’ abandonment or failure to spay and neuter, allowing them to breed uncontrolled. They are elusive and do not trust humans. I can’t blame them, I don’t trust most humans. It’s because of humans that we have this problem.
Studies have proven that TNR is the single most successful method of stabilizing and maintaining feral cat colonies with the least possible cost to local governments and residents, while providing the best life for the animals themselves. Spaying/neutering feral cats stabilizes the population at manageable levels, eliminates annoying behaviors associated with mating, and is more effective and less costly than repeated attempts at extermination. Costs for repeatedly trapping and killing feral colonies are far higher than promoting stable, non-breeding colonies in the same location. Vacated areas are soon filled by other cats, which start the breeding process over again, also known as the vacuum effect.
Here are a few studies that helped when I was first doing research about TNR:
The Effects of Implementing a Feral Cat Spay/Neuter Program in a Florida County Animal Control Service – Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 5.
Body Condition of Feral Cats and the Effect of Neutering – Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 5, No. 3.
Effect of Neutering on Two Groups of Feral Cats. – The Veterinary Record 114.
Implementation of a Feral Cat Management Program on a University Campus. – Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science 5, No. 1.
Evaluation of the Effect of a Long-Term Trap-Neuter-Return and Adoption Program on a Free-Roaming Cat Population. – Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 222, No. 1.
As the practice of TNR advances throughout the U.S., an increasing number of municipalities are enacting ordinances to regulate local TNR programs. As per http://www.neighborhoodcats.org, more than 100 municipalities in New Jersey have turned to TNR as their preferred approach to feral cat management. TNR has grown increasingly popular in the state since 2004, when then Governor McGreevey’s Animal Welfare Task Force strongly recommended it.
The Bayonne Feral Cat Foundation exists solely for the purpose of decreasing the number of feral cats throughout the city of Bayonne through the humane effort of TNR. Did you know that a pair of breeding cats, which have two or more litters per year, can exponentially produce 420,000 offspring over a seven-year period? Hello – can we all say spay and neuter?
Admittedly, the problem is much bigger than the Bayonne Feral Cat Foundation, or any other group, can deal with single-handedly. They are, however, actually doing something to address the problem, and I would like to ask that you do not impede on their progress. I also ask that all pet owners please be responsible and spay and neuter your pets.
Thank you to everyone that supports the Bayonne Feral Cat Foundation. Remember, only an animal can give unconditional love.
SELINA KYLE