So what's the deal with feral cats? why is there so much fuss about them and why are they considered to be such a huge burden upon environment and resources worldwide?A feral creature is referred to as a wild, untamed, savage animal that has gone from a state of domestication to a wild presence. Feral cats are typically kittens of domestic cats that were left, disowned, discarded by their owners. Un-habituated to humans, they live in colonies in urban areas...in alleys, malls, garbage disposal areas etc. If they manage to stave off starvation and death from other predators like coyotes, foxes, dogs, they thrive and breed at a prodigious rate - producing over half a million offsprings in their lifespan. A burden on resources, millions are spent annually to control them.
There are two approaches commonly advocated to deal with this problem. One is merciless euthanasia of every captured feral. The other, which is more sensible and what I also advocate, is TNR i.e. Trap, Neuter and Return - this involves capturing the stray cats, neutering them and returning them to the area. This approach, apart from being more humane, is also more successful and cost-effective than repeated attempts at extermination since the area of killed cats is soon taken over by other ferals. During TNR, cats are also frequently immunized and one of their ears nicked to identify them as being inoculated and neutered.
Whilst feral cats have had devastating ecological influences on biodiversity of certain species like the extinction of huitas from the Caribbean and the Guadalupe Storm-petrel from Pacific Mexico, they are also believed to be of use in controlling over growth of populations of certain animal species. An example is their removal from Macquarie Island where the number of rats and rabbits grew exponentially and had harmful influences on local ecology including the native seabirds.
Debate is going to continue on feral cats and how to best deal with them, meanwhile the take home message for pet owners is to neuter their cats - not only to avoid having to deal with a litter of kittens every few months - but also for the health of the cats
Whereas general consensus is that feral cats can't be socialized beyond few weeks of age, I differ in view. Given compassionate care and food alongside a suitable environment, even ferals I believe will learn to love and trust you (as I have learned from personal experience). This is a picture of a feral female that attached closely to me and frequently used to come in my room through an open window, stayed and allowed herself to be petted!
2 comments:
Feral is not too fargone... I adopted a pair of several-month-old female kittens from a feral population. They were both spitting, clawing, biting, hissing, angry, confused little cats. After four months in a small enclosure with only myself and each other for interaction, they became relatively easy to handle. Shortly after being spayed and released to rid the barn of rodents, one of them disappeared, and the other became fiercely attached to me. When she discovered life inside my appartment, she decided this was what she was made for. Now I have a year-and-a-half old son, and she is his constant companion. She sleeps in his crib, sits near him while he plays, allows him to pet her, and tollerates him when he attacks her (by which I mean everything from very tight hugs to pulling her tail and sitting directly on her), and has NEVER retaliated in any way. If he gets too rough, she will simply vocalize her opinion (she is an alarmingly vocal cat) with a loud grumble or in rare cases a hiss, and calmy leave his vicinity, usually only by a couple of yards. Then he may approach her and try again, and the cycle continues. She'll have him trained in no time.
Intresting
Post a Comment