The following is a copy of an email, sent by
Pacific Animal Foundation in 2011, to the Mayor and Council of
every Municipality in
Dear Mayor and Councillors:
Council may recall receiving our first email
in July 2009, entitled "Feral Cats in
Your Community - What to do?" A
copy of that email is found at this link:
Pacific Animal Foundation - TNR Initiative - Email to all BC
Municipalities – Part I
We received numerous emails thanking us for
providing communities with reliable, factual information about feral
cats and the very successful practice called
Trap/Neuter/Return (or
"TNR").
Many Councillors were under the impression that the feral cats in their
communities were covered under their animal control contracts and were
surprised to find otherwise. A simple call or email to your animal
control provider to ask what happens to your community's feral cats will
advise you how feral cats are handled in your community.
The practice of TNR is gaining wide popularity around the world,
especially in the
Decades of trapping and killing feral cats has
not worked. The National Animal
Control Association in the
"Taking a Broader View
of Cats in the Community".
Quoting from that
article:
"The previous policy was really aimed at cleanup, and this (new policy)
is designed to be more community-minded . . . Before,
some agencies were simply holding the policy up and going, 'This is
proof [of] why we should do this, because this is the leading national
animal control agency, and their policy is [to] capture and potentially
euthanize.' And that is not the direction the communities are
going. That's not the direction that NACA's going. So we've
amended our policy to address that . . "
Our group can offer some
hard data to prove that TNR is effective and successful in our community.
|
District of
population – approx. 90,000 residents
Our municipality has miles of ocean coast line, railway grain
cars dropping grain along the waterfront tracks, lots of creeks
and waterways (all situations conducive to attracting rodents),
and a mild climate.
It could sustain a heavy feral population. |
Number of stray or feral
kittens surrendered to District Animal
Shelter
Year 2009 – 11 kittens
|
|
Why so few stray or feral kittens turned in to the District Animal Shelter in a
large, urban municipality ? |
.
. . because TNR has
been heavily practiced in this community for nearly 20 years.
It works! |
A recent scientific study, published in the
Journal of the American Veterinary
Medical Association, 2009, has found
that the vast majority of pet cats are neutered. It states,
however, that
"the most comprehensive research to date indicates that less than 3% of
the stray and feral cats are neutered."
The search results mean that, in order to reduce feline
overpopulation, the focus should be on programs aimed at neutering stray
and feral cats.
See "Vast Majority of Pet Cats Are Neutered" - Alley Cat Allies 2009
You may want to review
current policies with your animal control provider and discuss
implementing a TNR program for your community. If every
municipality would set aside some funds annually within their animal
control budget for TNR, then your community would see fewer feral
kittens either on the streets or surrendered to your local shelter.
See - "Research Data re: Feral Cats"
Cat licensing is not a new concept. As far back as the early and
mid-1990's, the idea was receiving attention. Several
jurisdictions in the
From
the
-
City eyes
scrapping dog,cat licences
-
Four articles below explain the
drawbacks to licensing legislation.
1) Why is CFA opposed to cat licensing?
3) The Dark Side of Mandatory Licensing and Neuter Laws; and
4) Cat Licensing: A License to Kill
Council should be aware of the
negative consequences of cat licensing legislation.
1) people may not seek
veterinary care for their animal fearing a fine or impoundment fee if
found to have no licence for their animal;
2) community feral cats, who
have no owners, risk being trapped and killed, resulting in increased
killing costs and numbers for a municipality. At the very least,
feral caregivers may not initiate Trap/Neuter/Return ("TNR") programs
for their local cats fearing impoundment and/or killing of the cats.
The cats then continue to reproduce which is counter-productive to
reducing the new litters of street kittens; and
3) in a large urban environment such as
If the major aim of cat licensing is to
reunite lost pets with owners, then likely technology will be that
answer. Licensing may only work if the cat is actually
found. It can't track a lost cat
but technology has moved forward at a tremendous pace and there are
several pet tracking devices already available in the marketplace.
A simple google search has turned up several. (see below)
It's likely only a matter of time before pet tracking devices are mass
marketed. RFID
chips are already used for microchipping dogs and cats for
identification purposes once an animal is found.
RFID
tracking chips embedded in collars (and ultimately the pet) will allow
us to track our pets. From a municipal point of view, instead of
licensing, it may be best to encourage pet owners to either microchip or
tattoo their animal to increase the return of lost pets.
Cat Tracking Devices
Mandatory legislation
often has negative, unintended consequences for the humans and animals
in our communities.
"Compounding
the problem is the fact that enforcement of ordinances such as pet limit
laws, cat licensing, mandatory spay/neuter, cat confinement, and
'nuisance' laws is often selective and complaint-based, leaving pet
owners and feral cat caregivers vulnerable to retaliation from
neighbours and others. Worse, legislation may be worded so that the
result of non-compliance is the impoundment and death of the animal.
Legislation can also be costly to enforce and divisive in the community,
with fewer positive results than are gained by offering free or low-cost
spay/neuter, a feral cat assistance program, and voluntary
identification programs."
See article - "Compassion is the Way" - by Nathan Winograd (Oct. 2002)
For instance, mandatory pet limit laws
and indoor cat confinement laws can have unexpected outcomes.
"Many
caregivers and rescue groups would have to respond to a pet limit law by
refusing to offer the care they were otherwise capable of giving."**
This would result in an increase of animals confined to shelters and
more animals killed.
Laws are currently in place in most
jurisdictions to act on any reported situation of concern or neglect for
animals through municipal bylaws.
"Remedies already exist
to cover health regulations, noise abatement, sanitation requirements,
and cruelty and neglect laws."
Similarly, if cats were mandated to be indoor-only, then the balance of
nature would be upset.
If any jurisdiction in
B.C. mandates indoor-only restrictions for cats, we will be dealing with
a very large and uncontrolled infestation of rodents in our communities.
In their efforts to "manage" species, humans have upset the balance of
nature on many occasions. The removal of natural predators such as
cougars, coyotes, bears and wolves on the
See link - "Soaring deer numbers hurting other species, UBC study
finds." (Vanc. Sun-
Indoor/outdoor owned and free-roaming feral
cats can actually help our communities.
"It is a proven fact
that cats are unmatched when it comes to controlling rat infestations.
The greening of any city must include using [Green] cats as a protocol
and removing 'pest control' poisons from our streets and businesses,
says Martin."
See link: LAPD enlists Feral Cats for Rat Patrol
Volunteer Rescue Groups
have a unique perspective. We are in the field daily AND, very
often, we go HOME with the animals in our care. Whether they are
stray or feral, many times the animals need foster care for a period of
hours, days or weeks. Our knowledge is gained from "hands-on,
24/7". Years of experience "in the trenches" on the streets has
provided our group and other volunteer rescue groups with knowledge of
what works and doesn't work when it comes to assisting both the humans
and the animals in our jurisdictions.
Our PAF Feral Cat Booklet may also be of some assistance.
We hope that the information contained in this email is of help to your
Council in making decisions for your community. Please feel free
to contact us if you have any questions.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Lana Simon,
Director