Trapping Osama

Dang it, she doesn't answer her phone. I just sent out a few emails and some pleas for help. Is this all he said to you? Just that short reply?

That is exactly letter for letter what he wrote. His e-mail is posted in my in-box at I think 12:13pm (East Coast hours). Want me to forward it to you? Should I wait for now, or do you think I should write a preliminary reply that says I am in the process of getting in touch with someone who can help?

Laurie

Well, I decided to keep the ball rolling for Mr. Horsley. Here's my initial reply to his e-mail:

Thank you for listening. I am working on being in touch with someone in your area who can help. I should have a name and number shortly. ...And can we rename him "Samoa?" It uses all your letters, but is less of an insult to all those who were truly victimized by Osama bin Laden.

Thank you.

Laurie D. XXXXX

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Just wanted to keep you all posted!

Thanks Laurie, I have contacted everyone in my resource book. I will let you know when I hear back

I didn't get a reply from him, just the one from the paper.

Still excellent, Debby! Every letter helps, answer or no!!!!

Well, I got a personal reply from Mr. Horsley. Here it is:



Thanks, Christine. I'm always open to reconsidering all my positions. One position I used to hold, but don't anymore, is that cat lovers are all "kindred spirits." I happen to love most cats, including my own which are both spayed, but I don't love this tom cat who is a bully. It might not be his fault that he's a bully, but it is his problem. Quite a few readers (all from out of town--my column apparently got distributed in the Abandoned Cats Action Newsletter) urged me to trap the animal, have him spayed, and then release him back into the neighborhood. Are they kidding? -- David H.


I really don't know how to reply to this. To say he loves his cats, but not the feral tom? And asking if all concerned cat lovers (many of whom are on this forum, I'm sure) are kidding about releasing him? Ooooh, what I wish I could say to him.

Christy,

I'm speechless. He's sure defensive now. Wow. Right at the moment, I can't think of a thing to say to that. What's the point of an "internet arguement" ? Hopefully Hissy will be able to find someone who can help in this situation.

Although I'm not sure that the best advice IS to release the cat back into that neighborhood. The poor thing should probably be relocated to somewhere someone is taking care of a "released" colony. Who knows? There might be someone in the area willing to adopt this "bully." But one thing I know for sure, "Animal Control" that he called is NOT the way to go.

I guess one thing I failed to mention in my note to him is that TNR does not necessarily mean releasing the kitty back to where it was. It still needs care once it's been neutered and released.

Anyway, let me think about this.

One thing I know for sure: I'm praying for Samoa (renamed from Osama) tonight.

Laurie

I'm praying for Samoa too. This is the answer I have written, but haven't sent yet. I'd appreciate any feedback before I send it to him.

Mr. Horsley,

I agree that all cat owners are not “kindred spiritsâ€. Some consider their cats their children, while others consider them pets. Unfortunately, some consider cats disposable commodities. I recently read in a major womenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s magazine that cats as pets are “outâ€, while another animal was considered “inâ€. My cat is not my child, not my pet, and not some commodity I can throw away when she is not longer “hotâ€. I am her guardian, and as her guardian, I have certain responsibilities to her, as a living creature.

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d like to ask you, why has this tom cat become a bully? Is it because he has been attacked and abused and mistreated by humans? Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]d like to share a story with you, one you may not consider applicable to your situation but I think it is. In the neighborhood where my father lives, a family moved out several years ago, abandoning their tom cat. He caused a lot of problems with the “owned†cats in the neighborhood, and he was thought of as a problem. One day, a neighbor found this cat lying almost dead on their front step, badly injured by a dog or some other large animal who had ripped all of the skin off his back leg. The neighbors, looking past their predjudice, took the cat (now named AJ) to the vets. When he was healed (and neutered, by the way) they returned him to the neighborhood, the only home he had ever known. These neighbors, and many others including my father, decided to be responsible for AJ. And believe it or not, AJ has become part of the neighborhood. He wanders in and out of many houses in their development, eating and sleeping as he wants. He has become a loving cat (as I can personally attest to) and no longer is aggressive to other cats, or humans, in the neighborhood. I believe that AJ needed to be shown that he was loved, in order to become loving.

If this cat is such a problem in your neighborhood, there are other options besides having him trapped, taken in by the local pound, and probably killed because he is not adoptable. Besides Alley Cat Allies, which I mentioned in my initial email, there are many “no-kill†shelters that will take in feral cats. Many such organizations can be found by a simple search of the internet. These shelters try to re-socialize feral cats and adopt them out, but if they fail, they will keep the cats for the span of their natural lives. In this way, the cat can live (as I believe all living beings have the right to) without affecting humans. If you are having problems finding such organizations, I would suggest looking up the Best Friends Pet Sanctuary (which also has a website). They may be able to refer you to a no-kill rescue organization in your area.

I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t think Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m crazy, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m not kidding, and I donâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t belong to any rescue organization or a “Abandoned Cats Action Newsletterâ€. I am simply a person, who has had the great honor and blessing of sharing my life with a number of cats (including the one who shares my life now, who was a stray and who has shared my life for almost a year now). I just hurt when I hear of cats who have not had the chance to experience a positive, loving reaction from humans.

Christy,

Like you, I sit here and wonder what this Tom did to this man to deserve such lowly contempt? From the original article I read that this cat scratched a child (who had no business being close to the cat in the first place. He mentions that the tom routinely pounds the snot out of his two house kittens, well then, why is he letting them outside then? He mentions that the tom eats baby birds and garbage, a staple for most ferals who are not being maintained in fed colonies. But instead of using his postition on the paper to help this cat, he is obsessed with trapping the cat and getting rid of the problem. He fails to see, that he and his neighbors are the problem.

I have contacted 8 people that I know about. I have written the Feral Cat Coalition and Alley Cat Allies. Mr. Horsely is yet to answer my letter, and he probably won't. I am sure he classifies me as one of the "rude" ones as he does not understand my passion for ferals. I have Mr. Horsely's in my life daily which is probably why this one cat has captured up my heart. If I was within driving distance, I would already be at his door with my traps and sleeping bag. I am sure he thinks we are all lunatics and mores the pity for him.

Thanks for trying my friend.......

Well, after consideration, I said (bad word here) it. I sent my reply to Mr. Horsley, and gave my consent to have my letter published. If this makes me one of the rude, crazy people, I am honored to be included in that group. If I had the chance, I'd also run down there and rescue that poor cat from this misguided person. As I said in my letter, my Dad's neighborhood has adopted one feral male. I think one more would be welcomed there with opened arms.

Christy....I think your reply to Mr. Horsley was worded very well!! I am glad you went ahead and sent it!! I still haven't gotten a reply from him either, and I think if I was going to I would have by now...but at least he knows there are good people out there that don't feel the same way he does, and maybe he will learn to have a little more compassion from all of this. I feel so bad for that cat!!!!

I think the main thing with the R in the TNR (Trap-Neuter-Release) is that in urban environments, where there is an ecological niche for a feral male, it will inevitably be filled sooner or later.

That means that if Samoa is taken from there, in all likelihood another cat will take his place. If on the other hand, Samoa is neutered and placed back in his territory, he will still fill that specific niche and will still be the neighborhood cat. That means the chances of other ferals coming in will be lower as long as there are no new food sources.

That's why NTR is so effective - with time a stable population is created.

BTW - I find it hard to believe that Samoa is the only feral in the neighborhood - there are bound to me more. I bet they're just not dominant aggressive males so mr. horsely just doesn't see them...

My advice to him would be to get all the neighborhood's ferals neutered and released back where they live. Of course, feeding stations and proper care would be nice too.

Life with a stable and well taken care of colony of ferals in the neighborhood can be very comfortable. Less mice and vermins, no noise from fighting males, no attack cats on the prowl. Just content cats.

For people who are not true cat lovers and who are not familiar with the concept of taking care of ferals and of TNR, the idea of keeping the cat in the neighborhood sounds very strange. I think this is just another aspect where mr. horsely needs education more than anything else.

For too many years, the way to deal with feral cats was to exterminate them Experience has proved that this is not only cruel but also extremely ineffective. The only real solution, which also happens to be the humane one, is to trap, neuter and release them.

http://www.alleycat.org/ic_fs.html

Christy - I had to log off last night before you posted. GREAT letter. I'm SO glad you sent it. You remained level headed, addressed his insults, and yet most importantly, got him information to help the poor cat. No wonder you earned that PhD!! Way to go. Big Cheers from NJ!!!!!

Hissy, if you hear back from any of your contacts, please let me know! Thanks,

Laurie

Many people will probably receive this same e-mail, but wanted to keep everyone posted:

Ms. XXXXX:

Thanks for your response. We have gotten so many replies to this particular Horsley column, we've decided to turn them all over to him and let him respond in an upcoming column. Perhaps he'll quote from your letter.

Thanks,

Debbie Dudley

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I'm not holding my breath about his next column. Let's pray he does something constructive with it.

Laurie

I hope someone can give us the link to his new column when he finishes it. I really want to see what he will have to say for himself. I wonder if he has learned anything at all.

Don't worry Debby! We'll find it!

Laurie

Bet he is going to turn it into "those bleeding heart cat people are crazy" column. But I suppose time will tell. Laurie I have heard nothing from the many contacts I sent out on this cat's behalf. But I will let you know the minute I do.

Thanks to all of you for getting involved with this.

Thanks Hissy. In the meantime, I'm going to spend some time on the Net looking for something for him locally. You'd think he could do it himself, but, we're here to help, right?

I noticed something I find pretty interesting. Did anyone else notice that the only people here Mr. Horsely responded to personally are Dr. Christy and Vice-President Laurie? What does that say about him? (No insult directed to either of you - both of your letters were excellently written, no matter what titles you have. )