HPH -Free Spay & Neuter for Feral Cats

[Greta]

quote:

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Originally posted by PaulW

Catching and killing could be the best solution in a Nene area, I don't know.

Trap-neuter-release is even better when you get cat lovers to feed them as well (like at the Keaau dump), less chance they'll attack native birds.

Putting a bell on them is a good idea, I hope they've considered that.

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Bells don't work, and feeding doesn't stop them from killing birds as evidenced by the many well fed pet cats who kill birds.

[Obie]

quote:

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Originally posted by PaulW

Spaying an animal and returning it to where you found it is not dumping.
It's the best current solution to an undeniable problem.

Even the Humane Society, which knows a lot more about these matters than most, supports it:
http://www.hsus.org/pets/issues_affectin...tions.html

If I had my way I'd remove all cats from Hawaii, but that's easier said than done.

If anyone can think of a better solution, let's hear it!

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Coyotes !!

For the coqui--garter snakes !!

[MarkP]

This was pretty convincing to me.
http://biology.usgs.gov/pierc/Fact_Sheet...l_cats.pdf
Note that in some instances the cats relied quite heavily on birds, as much as on mice and far more than on rats. Also note that the study was based not on speculation but on analysis of actual stomach contents (Leg bands? A whole beak? Dang!)

For the record, I don't think that we currently practice catch and kill. I think that we practice catch some and kill even less because cats are only removed when someone makes a particular stink about them. For those who ask whether what we are doing now is working, the answer is of course not. There is hardly a token effort to address the problem. Compared to that letting people feed the cats as long as they are constrained to do so in a way that doesn't make things worse, if that can be said of TNR programs, is not so bad.

[JWFITZ]

Well, some areas practice T&E. No one takes any joy in that. They take less joy in it when they're dealing with other people's fantasies.

So back to the original question: where do you expect to dump all those cats? There aren't any in my area, at least currently. I'd like to hear a real answer of where.

We ARE entitled to to know who and where you're going to dump those cats.

The only answer for sensible people is to take the issue to the courts, really, because a reasonable discussion is obviously precluded in spite of all evidence.

[PaulW]

Who and where? They and there!

I would've thought TNR would simply bring the cats back to where they were trapped and release them there.
The whole idea is to replace the population of fertile cats with infertile ones.

There's no reasonable discussion from the cat haters, I agree with you there. If a plan doesn't involve
killing cats then they don't want to hear about it, even if it's a logical alternative to the current
policy, which obviously isn't working.

[oink]

quote:

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Originally posted by PaulW: There's no reasonable discussion from the cat haters......If a plan doesn't involve
killing cats then they don't want to hear about it......the current
policy, which obviously isn't working

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I would say the opposite. There is no reasonable discussion from cat freaks. They don't want to consider anything short of perpetuating cat colonies in the wild. TNR will never eliminate feral cats. I love my cat (indoor) but I don't want feral cats running loose killing the wildlife. I've seen it in my own lot. The current policy appears to be one of no real policy. Lets try a real determined feral cat extermination program for a few years and see the results. If it doesn't have very positive results the cats will repopulate soon enough and you can have it your way.


Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[PaulW]

Yep, it's never worked before, but let's spend some of that surplus and try it one more time!
And if we try really hard this time and wipe out every single feral cat in Hawaii, then it should be at least a year or two until they start repopulating from the domestic cat population.

I'm not a cat lover, I think their presence in Hawaii (domestic or feral) is an abomination, but I doubt you'd find a cat lover who is in favor of "perpetuating cat colonies in the wild".

[oink]

It's never been really tried before. Enforce lease laws for cats. Require tattoos and chips. Fine owners with cats found off their property. Place a bounty on unchipped and untattood cats. In this economy $2 a cat should do until the population is reduced to the point that it's no longer easy money at $2.

Pua`a
S. FL
Big Islander to be.

[MarkP]

We have no current policy. Some cats occasionally wind up at the humane society when they finally make themselves enough of a pest that not even city dwellers who have no day to day appreciation for vulnerable wildlife or livestock can tolerate them. A fair number of these prove to be un-adoptable and are destroyed because there is literally nothing else to do with them. To describe what we do now as "catch and kill" is laughable.

I appreciate the companionship of a well socialized cat. Having cradled the dead and dying bodies of two of my brother's beloved pet cats in my arms, I feel fear when one of his present cats gets out and roams the neighborhood. I fear for the welfare of the cat, lest it get hit by a car, attacked by dogs or people, or poisoned in some way. I should feel fear because these are real threats and they are really not avoidable. Here's the nasty part. The correct policy will have been achieved when cat owners feel fear that their wandering cat will get swept up in a dragnet and, if micro-chipped, will show up at their doorway in the arms of a law enforcement officer who will issue them an expensive ticket along with their cat assuming they haven't racked up too many tickets already, or if not micro-chipped, will enter that portion of the system that may lead to euthanasia. If they haven't micro-chipped the cat, euthanasia. If they haven't given the right address in hopes of avoiding the expensive ticket, euthanasia. If they have more cats than they can afford the micro-chipping on, euthanasia. If they have more cats than they really care about, euthanasia. And frankly they will never know whether their cat didn't come home because it was swept up or because it got hit by a car. That is poetic justice. Why blame the system when there is an equal chance Fluffy didn't come home because you let her out and she got hit by a car?

This is why a true catch and kill policy will be hard to implement. Responsible people will have to stand up and say that they are prepared to be the reason Fluffy didn't come home, and pet owners will have to live with a level of concern for their pets that is uncomfortable. It would be nice to say that the Fluffys of the world would always get rescued and returned to their loving owners but there would always be the chance that they would fall through the cracks. That risk should be mitigated to the greatest degree possible but nevertheless will have to be accepted. It is no worse than the risk of getting hit by a car or attacked by a dog but there would be someone to blame besides yourself so blaming others would win out over the usual recourse of denial.

[waipili]

I have presented the horrifically ongoing high euthanisia numbers at HIHS for dogs and cats here on this island. Again, its not to discredit HIHS, its to bring to your awareness, and to ask you to please take ownship of animal overpopulation. HIHS ten years stats show without question that round up kills have never ever been the long term solution to decrease animal overpopulation. So what can you do about it? Become proactive, step forward to help the animals. How? Embrace 100 percent on getting these animals sterilized. This is no rocket science! Don't turn away and say its not your problem, because it is. As caregivers of this Earth, each of us has a responsibility to make things "Pono". For those who do not care about the animals, then think about the money, our county tax money should be better towards a humane Spay/Neuter program FOR ALL, then what is currently going on. Did you know that you have no voice to express your concerns about HIHS policy? I wish our community had an independently hired advocate for the animals or ombudsman, that would add checks and balances to a system that has almost 3 million of our county tax monies. Again, the animal overpopulation is all our problem, we can solve this, the solution is no cost or affordable spay and neuter for everyone. HPH is offering proactive solutions by spay & neutering "feral", feline colonies for free, please call me if you are the caregiver 968-8279. For those who want to become a volunteer and help us raise monies via yardsales, etc.,to pay for these services, or if you have yardsale items to donate, please call
968-8279. Having a no kill humane society shelter on this island is within your grasp, but it will take all of us, united in helping our community and animals for this to become a reality.

Protect Animals Rights:Kindness, Love & Respect