Feral
Cats and TNR
A
feral cat can be a domestic cat that was lost or
abandoned and has reverted to a wild state, or a
cat that was born to a stray or feral mother and
has had little or no human contact. Adult feral
cats are usually impossible to tame and are not
suited to cohabiting with people. They live in family
groups called colonies that form near a source of
food and shelter. Feral cats can survive almost
anywhere and are found worldwide. It can be very
difficult to distinguish a feral from a stray from
afar but once trapped or watched for a period of
time you can generally tell because a stray cat
will eventually show it's tame side where as a true
feral will be very scared and either hide or even
become aggressive if forced into an unknown environment
(particularly indoors).
It
is in our nature to want to help make these cats
lives "easier," to make them warmer, cozier,
safer, and therefore happier. It is an admirable
trait, but not always appropriate. The impulse to
bring every feral cat "in from the cold"
reflects our human needs, but it is not the best
for the cat and is far from what the cat wants.
Feral cats have lived without direct human contact
other than, if they are fortunate, daily feeding
and monitoring by a caregiver. Their survival instincts
include a wariness of humans in general and a sharp
fear of confinement. A key component in a feral
cat's security is its ability to flee from perceived
danger. Even if you have fed a feral cat for a long
time and he has come to trust you in an outside
setting, he will lose that trust when confined and
it may never be regained. Being forced into a house
or other structure can be the most frightening experience
possible for a feral cat. He may appear over time
to acclimate, or at least stop hissing and cringing,
but he is never at ease and may never stop looking
for a way to escape. The stress of confinement can
harm the cat's physical and mental health.
Outside
is a feral cats home, they form strong bonds with
their colonies and their home territory, bonds that
define their daily existence. It can be difficult
to accept that, despite the strong human-animal
bond we share with our cats. But their animal-animal
bonds and animal-territory bonds are stronger and
more relevant to their well-being. They may be warm
indoors but they are happiest outdoors.
The
well-being of feral cats is most compromised by
behaviors associated with mating and giving birth
to endless litters of kittens. Spaying and neutering
significantly changes the picture. Male cats no
longer fight and roam. Female cats no longer bear
kittens. Vaccination and deworming ensures a higher
level of health. Feral cats in managed colonies
frequently live 10 years and longer.
The
only way to control the population of feral cats
is to implement a TNR program. Trap, Neuter, Return
(TNR) is the most humane and most effective way
to control feral cats. When feral cats are removed
(either killed or trapped and relocated to farms)
other cats move in and take advantage of the food
source and shelter that has been vacated.
According
to the Humane Society of The United States an unaltered
male cat and an unaltered female cat can, with their
offspring, theoretically number 420,000 in just
seven years.
The
only way to manage this overpopulation is through
TNR. If you would like more information go to www.alleycat.org.
For guidance and assistance with a TNR program in
your neighborhood in Las Vegas, contact SOS (Spay
Our Strays) 702-363-8616.
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Should
I Declaw My Cat?
What
is Declawing?
Declawing is a surgical procedure that involves
amputating the last joint of the cats’ toes.
Think of it as amputating the last joint of your
own finger. It is a very painful procedure with
potential secondary complications
Ask
Yourself These Questions Before Talking With Your
Veterinarian
1.
Can I guarantee that I can provide lifelong protection
for my cat? There are many different things that
can happen during you and your cat’s life.
2.
Can I guarantee that my cat will never have to defend
itself against anything?
3.
Can I guarantee that my cat will never escape and
become lost having to hunt to survive?
Cats
Need Their Claws
Their
claws allow them to establish footing for walking,
running, springing, climbing, and stretching.
Cats operate with their senses and if they lose
their claws, personality and disposition may completely
change. How would you feel if someone cut off your
fingertips?
What
Happens After Your Cat Gets Declawed?
They
stop using their litter pans and find a more suitable
place, somewhere soft. They have developed an aversion
to their litter box because of the pain associated
with scratching in the litter after a declawing
procedure.
Due
to removing their way to defend themselves, the
cat resorts to biting. Feeling defenseless without
their claws, they may become hostile to people and
to other cats.
You
will find that half of the cats declawed develop
one or both of these behaviors.
What
To Do Instead of Declawing Your Cat
1.
Understand your cat's need to scratch.
2.
Provide a scratching post for your cat. Sisal posts
are favored by cats.
3.
Spray the cat with a water bottle if they scratch
an unacceptable area.
4.
Ask your veterinarian to clip your cat's claws and
show you how to trim them.
5.
If your cat is scratching furniture, make it unattractive
for your cat. Cats dislike citrus smell, so consider
a scented deterrent.
6.
Double-sided sticky tape can be placed on the unacceptable
scratching area.
7.
Consider Soft Paws as an alternative: www.softpaws.com
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Spay
and Neuter
Every
year, millions of cats are killed in our national
shelters. The vast majority of these cats have no
medical problems. They are completely healthy cats!
Why are we slaughtering healthy cats in the United
States? Our nation and our cats are suffering from
a tragic epidemic of feline overpopulation. Sweet,
adoptable cats cannot find homes because there are
too few homes and too many cats. These cats are
therefore killed. Feral cats (cats that are no longer
domesticated and live outside like wild animals)
cannot find homes. Overpopulation of outdoor cats
leads to fighting, spread of infectious feline diseases,
starvation and death.
In
addition to solving the overpopulation crisis, there
are numerous medical benefits to having female cats
spayed and male cats neutered. Spaying a female
cat can prevent deadly breast cancer, uterine cancer,
ovarian cancer, and pyometra (deadly pus-filled
uterus). Female cats that never have kittens tend
to live longer and healthier lives. They also tend
to make better pets.
When
a female cat comes into her first "heat"
cycle (estrus, the time when a female is ready to
get pregnant), her behavior becomes unpredictable.
She typically acts "crazy," in the form
of aggression, howling non-stop, urine-marking within
the house, rubbing on everything, and sticking her
rear end into the air. Until she gets pregnant,
she will remain in this state of "heat,"
although the behaviors can unpredictably come and
go. Un-spayed female cats will do whatever they
can to get out of the house. Despite best efforts
to keep them in, they eventually succeed in escaping.
Once out of the house, she will breed immediately.
If she is not injured or killed while outside, she
will return pregnant. Female cats that roam outside
are also likely to contract infectious diseases.
Male
cats that are not neutered will escape from the
house, roam, fight, and urinate on walls and furniture.
They come home with abscesses, lacerations, Feline
Leukemia Virus (FeLV), Feline Immunodeficiency Virus
(FIV, a.k.a. feline AIDS). Sometimes they do not
come home at all because they are hit by a car,
or killed by a dog, or poisoned while roaming and
looking for females with whom to breed. By neutering
a male cat, preferably before he reaches the age
of six months, these undesirable behaviors can be
avoided. Furthermore, neutering prevents testicular
cancer.
Free
kittens are cute and sweet, but they end up costing
a lot of unexpected money, especially if they get
sick. The best place to obtain a kitten is from
a rescue organization (or a shelter) that has already
spayed/neutered the kitten, fully vaccinated the
kitten, and guarantees the kitten’s health.
The modest adoption fee paid to the rescue organization
will end up saving the new owner between $150 to
more than $300 in medical fees. These rescue groups
also have great cats for adoption. They are very
sweet and do not destroy the house like a mischievous
kitten.
This
information is courtesy of Deborah Master, D.V.M.
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Household
Poisons and Other Dangers to Cats
Beware
these common household substances and hazards that
can seriously injure or even kill a cat or other
pet.
Tylenol
(acetaminophen) – Cats cannot properly metabolize
Tylenol. Its toxic effects inhibit red blood cells
from carrying oxygen (methemoglobinemia) and the
cat dies.
Aspirin
– In addition to the inability of cats to metabolize
it, aspirin causes kidney and liver damage and intestinal
ulcers (in dogs, too)
Onions
and onion powder – Can cause a fatal anemia.
Lilies
– Very toxic to cats! Eating any part of the
plant, even a small amount, causes kidney failure.
(Easter lilies, tiger lilies, Japanese (Oriental)
show lilies, rubrum lilies, day lilies, Lilium hybrids).
Antifreeze
(ethylene glycol) – Extremely toxic to all
animals. Even the smallest sip can kill a cat from
kidney failure.
Decon
and other rodenticides – By inhibiting Vitamin
K, they cause animals to die from fatal, spontaneous
internal bleeding.
Tinsel
– If swallowed can cause a "linear foreign
body" that requires surgery to fix. Can be
fatal, usually the cat will lose inches or feet
of bowel (intestines).
Power
Cords – Will electrocute your pet if he bites
a cord!
