colonies. Colony cats share a common
food source and territory and may
include not only ferals, but also stray
cats who have lost their homes or were
released by their humans who no
longer wanted them. While feral cats
are not considered “wildlife,” some
exhibit wild behavior and should be
handled with care. It’s important to
know that feral cats rely on humans
for their survival. Whether it be a
caregiver who feeds them each day,
or a dumpster behind a restaurant or
grocery store, hunting alone is not
enough to get by. an animal population is permanently
removed from its home range. Sooner
or later, the empty habitat attracts
other members of the species from
neighboring areas, who move in to
take advantage of the same resources
that attracted the first group (like
shelter and food). Killing or removing
the original population does nothing
to eliminate these resources; it only
creates a “vacuum” that will inevitably
draw in other animals living nearby.”
As a die hard CCL (crazy cat lady),
community cats break my heart a
little bit because I believe that all
cats deserve a loving, indoor home.
However, it’s important to remember
that while some feral cats can
sometimes be converted into loving
pets who crave human interaction,
some are happiest when left outdoors
and cared for from afar. Feral cats can
also pose a nuisance issue since they
will often relieve themselves in flower
beds, on cars, or take up residence
under homes. So how can we help
these animals and, more importantly,
how can we control the number of
feral cats in our community? Did you know that two cats can
create 80 million (yes, you read that
right) offspring in ten years? TNR
efforts stabilize feral cat populations
by humanely trapping, neutering,
vaccinating, and returning them to
their colonies so that no more kittens
will be born, thus controlling the
number of cats in an area. Neutering
cats also relieves the stress and
annoyance (have you ever heard a
female cat in heat? Not pleasant!)
of mating, pregnancy, and finding
But there is a better way - T-N-R, or
trap-neuter-return.
a safe place to give birth for female
cats. Basically, TNR not only helps
the cats, but it makes getting along
with humans much easier.
So, how can we help? Orange
County Animal Services (OCAS)
has a division called CARE Feline
TNR. They offer appointments at a
very low cost and the appointments
include: spay/neuter, rabies vaccine,
and other vaccines so that they
are healthy community members.
Humane traps can be borrowed from
OCAS; once the cat(s) is trapped,
they go for their “spa day”. After a
day or two (depending on if the cat
is male or female...females take a
little longer to recover) of recovery,
they can be released back into their
community, fed by their caregiver,
and live the remainder of their lives
without reproducing and adding to
the problem.
For more information on the TNR
process, visit: ocnetpets.com/
ProgramsServices/TrapNeuterReturn
or call 407.836.3111.
The knee-jerk reaction for some
(usually those who are not feline
fans) is to trap and get rid of (i.e. kill)
the feral cats in their area. However,
research has shown that this practice
is not only cruel, but pointless. Catch
and kill does not permanently clear an
area of cats. According to Alleycat.org,
“Evidence indicates that removing
feral cat populations only opens up
the habitat to an influx of new cats,
either from neighboring territories
or born from survivors. Each time
cats are removed, the population
will rebound through a natural
phenomenon known as the “vacuum
effect,” drawing the community into
a costly, endless cycle of trapping and
killing. Well-documented among
biologists, the vacuum effect describes
what happens when even a portion of
For additonal information visit: www.alleycatspetservice.com
MARCH 2019
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WINTER GARDEN MAGAZINE |
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