The first line of this ridiculous position on TNR is that it's a "community-generated problem." Really??!! People dropping off unaltered cats and kittens out in the country to go live "happily ever after" on our farms and properties is "community generated?" I consider that to be irresponsible, selfish and repugnant. Do these same people ever think about coyotes, raccoons, bobcats, dogs, and very large aerial predators like hawks, owls and eagles? Nice fate for some of these cats. Oh, and we do have vehicular traffic, too.
The H$U$ has never liked feral cats and is gnashing their teeth at having to revise even one iota of its previous position on these cats as being "garbage cats" and all should be "euthanized." I put that word in quotes because it's very misused and abused by shelters and organizations. There is nothing "good" about these "deaths" that are done for convenience to rid a community of unsightly animals. In support of that opinion, you can read in that position paper this line:
While The HSUS strongly recommends that each community works toward the goal of non-lethal management, we realize that euthanasia may be considered as an interim solution where TNR cannot be implemented.What??!!! All the cat rescues up here by me (upstate NY) are willing and able to create and maintain colonies of cats, will trap for you and show you how to do it, always are in need of fosters and donations for vetting...doing the dirty work this organization wants nothing to do with because it will ultimately mean parting with funds.
The impact on wildlife to which they refer leaves many questions, like exactly what type of wildlife oh geniuses?? If you are referring to wild birds, those ridiculous numbers were imagined by the American Bird Conservancy and hold no credibility. What else can they take out - rabbits, moles, voles, mice, rats...hmmm all the things considered vermin by humans.
Once again, the H$U$ has proved itself to be one who speaks with forked tongue and hasn't really changed their position on feral cats over the last 30 years.
To learn more, and the truth, about feral cats, please start by visiting:
http://www.alleycat.org/page.aspx?pid=434
*NOTE* If you see cats living wild and happen to note that one of their ears is notched, it means that a group has already vetted them. This means that they've received shots, been tested for disease, and spayed or neutered. It's an identifying mark so they know what cats have been treated.
