"My parents and I discovered a stray/feral cat in the summer of 08 and have since been feeding him twice daily and have set him up with a shelter under a covered table against the house with a few comfy beds, a covered litter box that houses the deepest bed and a scratch pad (yes he is now very spoiled)."“We have since discovered that a few other neighbors also feed him twice daily. We have also been noticing a few other little hutches set up around here, although we do not know if he is the only (cat) in the area. We have built up a relationship with him to the point that he lets us pet him, even when eating, and often comes out and insists on being petted.”
“My question is how do we “winterize” him? He disappeared for a few days last winter -- we assumed to a garage but we don’t know – when it was bitter cold. But I’m still wondering if there is a better/healthier way for him. I live near my parents and considered bringing him to may apartment over night and bringing him back during the day – although I don’t want to traumatize him at all. If you have any ideas, or think this would be a healthy option, please let me know.”
What makes this story so unique is that it’s so common. I could easily have scripted the content from the many phone calls and e-mails we’ve received over the years. Although the media broadcasts stories for old-guard animal organizations on how short and miserable the lives of outdoor cats are, the people we hear from paint this very different view. Many outdoor cats – feral and stray – have someone – and many have more than one someone -- providing them with food and outdoor shelter. A special bonding develops between these cats and their caregivers.
Animal organizations would like us to believe that outdoor cats need rescuing – their donations depend on it. Nothing opens up purse strings more than anecdotes about emaciated cats being given to a shelter for loving care and placement in a good indoor home. That’s a simple concept – and who wouldn’t want to contribute money to such a humane cause? But the reality is more complex -- when outdoor cats are given to shelters for “protection and adoption” they all too often killed after being declared “unadoptable”. The majority of shelter adoptions are not of adult stray or feral cats, but of very young cats and kittens that are well socialized to people. Shelter euthanasia is the leading cause of death for stray and feral cats.
It’s more complex to grasp the concept that leaving cats in their outdoor homes is not only more humane but is also more effective -- provided it’s coupled with free -- or at least affordable -- spay/neuter. Because this concept is more complex, donations for cat spay/neuter are much harder to attain than for sheltering.
Without adequate funding, spay/neuter programs aren’t able to pro-actively work on the problem of cat overpopulation. But think of it. If there were free spay/neuter clinics, most caregivers would choose sterilization over relinquishment of the cats that come their way. No one likes to give a cat to a shelter. But, dealing with unsterilized cats – living outdoors or indoors – is doomed to failure. The ongoing litters, the fighting, spraying and yowling of intact cats – are more than even dedicated caregivers can handle long-term.
With free spay/neuter everyone wins – the caregiver keeps their cats, the cats gets three squares a day, and the community gets many fewer kittens to place each year. And those cats that are truly in need of rescue can be adopted out more effective by no-kill cat rescue groups with foster-home networks. So in 2010 if you truly want to help cats, put your money where it will do the most good – into solving the problem of cat overpopulation through pro-active spay/neuter – not trying to simply put a band aid on it.
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