As the contact person for one feral cat group, I get a lot of calls from people who are having trouble with feral feeders in their neighborhood. You know the story - their yards are trashed and have become cat boxes, it smells, is noisy, etc. Here is one composite example:
A homeowner (Bob) feeds 25 feral cats in his yard. A neighbor (Susan) is frustrated by the noise, smell, and destruction that the ferals create. She talks to Bob, but he continues to feed the cats. When Susan looks for advice about the problem, she is repeatedly told that she must use a lot of her own time, energy and money in order to change things for the better.
As shelters, cat-lovers, veterinarians and rescue groups, we generally approach people like Susan by way of our own tunnel-vision. We care about the health and safety of the cats and, while sympathetic, we don’t normally check out the issue from Susan’s side of the fence. For example, we may suggest that Susan:
- buy special mulch, chicken-wire and soil amendments to apply to her yard
- use coffee grounds on soil and plants
- wait several years for TNR to reduce the number of cats
- buy/rent cat traps & monitor them around the clock to catch cats in them
- transport trapped cats to a shelter
- get them spayed or neutered
- socialize the ferals if needed and then find a home for them
If I was Susan and was already angry and tired from the troubles caused by Bob and the ferals, I would not take kindly to being told that I was essentially responsible for fixing this problem I didn’t create. And with budget cuts and decreased donations, most city & county shelters and non-profit rescues simply can not afford to take in ferals.
Some people that are frustrated by the situation end up putting out poison for the cats, or taking them to the river to drown them. In their minds it is an easier, faster, cheaper and more effective solution to the problem.
I am seeking productive suggestions that can be given to people like Susan – ideas that help the problem from her point of view rather than just from ours. I would appreciate any thoughts you have. Please PM me for my contact information.