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Dr. Scott Shalaway on why cats should be kept indoors.

post #1 of 6
7/27/09 at 11:59am
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http://www.wvgazette.com/Outdoors/Sc...y/200907250193
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post #2 of 6
7/27/09 at 12:06pm
I disagree with his position on TNR because the alternative would be euthanizing them 99% of the time because not everyone can (or should!) take on a feral cat. If we had enough TNR going, and got pet owners to spay or neuter (mostly spay), it would be a one-generation problem.

Other than that, good article.
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post #3 of 6
7/27/09 at 12:08pm
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Proponents of Trap, Neuter and Release programs that trap feral cats, neuter them, and then release them back into the wild should also take heed. Why bother with the expense of TNR programs only to provide tasty treats for coyotes? It's hardly a humane solution to the feral cat problem.
Darin Schroeder, vice president of Conservation Advocacy for the American Bird Conservancy, advises cat lovers, "Providing an all-you-can-eat buffet for coyotes is not a sensible solution, and we urge states and communities to reject this inhumane approach to controlling the feral cat problem and to require responsible care of pets and the removal of feral cats from the wild."
As somebody who took in an 8-year-old feral cat after his cat colony had been dissolved, I really disagree with the above. Some feral cats can be tamed, but many others cannot, and removing them from the wild only results in euthanasia, especially since there simply aren't enough homes to go around for shelter cats. How can this person think it's a "humane approach"?
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post #4 of 6
7/27/09 at 5:22pm
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Originally Posted by jcat View Post
As somebody who took in an 8-year-old feral cat after his cat colony had been dissolved, I really disagree with the above. Some feral cats can be tamed, but many others cannot, and removing them from the wild only results in euthanasia, especially since there simply aren't enough homes to go around for shelter cats. How can this person think it's a "humane approach"?
Which is more humane? Drugging them quickly and painlessly, or allowing them to be mauled by coyotes, wolves, or stray dogs?
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post #5 of 6
7/27/09 at 8:27pm
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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal View Post
Which is more humane? Drugging them quickly and painlessly, or allowing them to be mauled by coyotes, wolves, or stray dogs?
As someone who lives where there are not only a ton of coyotes, but also a ton of ferals I can tell you, it's very rare that a coyote gets a feral cat.
They prefer easier prey considering they are not true hunters, but scavengers.

House pets are much easier targets for them, mostly they are thriving here on house pets, roadkill and dead fish and whatever the large predators leave behind for them.
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post #6 of 6
7/27/09 at 9:17pm
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Originally Posted by Zane's Pal View Post
Which is more humane? Drugging them quickly and painlessly, or allowing them to be mauled by coyotes, wolves, or stray dogs?
So...what are you saying? That you advocate killing feral cats rather than TNR'ing them?
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