Help Save Feral Cats

[Kelemvor]

Got an email today and was asked to pass this along so here it is:
http://www.alleycat.org/savethiscat/

They want to get 50,000 people to view the video in 50 days. As of right now, they are at 9,449 in 5 days. You can't view the live total on the page, only on the actual video on Youtube...

Since 1990, Alley Cat Allies has educated the nation about stray and feral cats and promoted Trap-Neuter-Return, the only humane, effective method to manage their population.

Watch the video and then pass it along.

For more general info, visit their site here: http://www.alleycat.org/visitor.html

Thanks.

 

[angminas]

Thanks for posting that. I got my view in.

 

[Jeff7]

Does Drew Carey still carry on the tradition, and tell people to spay and neuter their pets?

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: Jeff7
Does Drew Carey still carry on the tradition, and tell people to spay and neuter their pets?

I think he does. Although I only saw the show once since he took over so I don't really remember for sure.

 

[Stumps]

I remember back in the 90's when the government here in Australia got the army involved in hunting and shooting feral cats...and other animals.

Damn they killed alot of cats back then.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

nvm

 

[Woland]

Yes?

 

[Geekbabe]

A worthy cause! Thank you for posting this!

 

[Kelemvor]

I guess I'll stick in my own personal story...

We moved into our house in 2001. We had 3 cats of our own and noticed 2 cats we'd see outside in our backyard. We started putting some food out for them to see if they'd eat it. THe next year, 2 cats became 4. The next year 4 cats became 9...

Some moved on, one had to be put down, but we took 7 or so of them to the Humane Society and had them fixed and then let them go again. We now don't get any more cats and still have 6 that hang out by our deck and such all the time. As soon as I go outside they come running. Five of them I can pick up and pet and such. They have a pretty good life.

If we would have just captured them and had them killed, other strays from around would have just kept reproducing and they woudl have moved into the area and we would have been right back where we started. But since our cats have their territory, no one else moves in and they can't reproduce any more so we're all fine.

 

[alkemyst]

While feral cats are usually never going to be pets, they do a lot of good in the population that goes on behind the scenes. Spay/Neuter and return to wild is growing in some parts of the country and successful.

There is a crazy cat sanctuary about 2hours from my house that I donate to: 10th Life, over 1000 cats.

 

[bignateyk]

When I grew up out in the country we usually just shot them. Thats mostly because there was a high incidence of rabies among them.

 

[OdiN]

Okay...those were not feral cats.

A feral cat would not be friendly towards anyone.

My dad once took a shotgun and shot off a shot to scare away a cat that was on our property once (no, he didn't shoot at it). The cat just ran straight at him to attack. THAT is a feral cat.

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: alkemyst
While feral cats are usually never going to be pets, they do a lot of good in the population that goes on behind the scenes.

Like what? I thought feral cats decimate species native to USA.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Okay...those were not feral cats.

A feral cat would not be friendly towards anyone.

My dad once took a shotgun and shot off a shot to scare away a cat that was on our property once (no, he didn't shoot at it). The cat just ran straight at him to attack. THAT is a feral cat.

They aren't at first but they can be over time. A feral cat is simply a wild cat with no human interaction. But over time, you can build their trust just like people do in the wild when studying other wild animals.

The cats we have were born by a barn in our backyard and were initially very scared of people. But over time, feeding, patience, etc.... Now they are much closer to being normal, friendly cats.

But if anyone other than my family goes outside, they still run away...

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: Mermaidman

Originally posted by: alkemyst
While feral cats are usually never going to be pets, they do a lot of good in the population that goes on behind the scenes.

Like what? I thought feral cats decimate species native to USA.

Where feral cat populations are out of control they do compete with other species usually more successfully...this is why sex altering is wanted.

They do a lot for controlling rodent populations.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: OdiN
Okay...those were not feral cats.

A feral cat would not be friendly towards anyone.

My dad once took a shotgun and shot off a shot to scare away a cat that was on our property once (no, he didn't shoot at it). The cat just ran straight at him to attack. THAT is a feral cat.

A feral cat won't charge a man. That was either a cat protecting it's young or crazed.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: bignateyk
When I grew up out in the country we usually just shot them. Thats mostly because there was a high incidence of rabies among them.

Where was this, rabies in feral cats is uncommon as rabies is not that common. Raccoons and skunks are the common carriers usually. Urban myth usually is feral cat rabies talk, however; it's possible in a certain geographically isolated area it could happen.

 

[0roo0roo]

ferral cats are like rats in the us, there are too many
and they spend their time killing millions of birds

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
ferral cats are like rats in the us, there are too many
and they spend their time killing millions of birds

That's not the issue. The issue is that if you kill off the cats from a certain area, all that happens is cats from other areas spread to take over the empty area. However, if you spay/neuter the cats from an area and put them back, then they still control the area but they can't reproduce so the numbers stop growing.

Cats breed almost as fast as rabbits so there will always be more cats to take the place of ones that just get killed out right.

 

[AznAnarchy99]

We started to feed a feral cat a few months ago. It hangs around the yard now. It used to be all bloody all the time and skinny. It would get in fights every night with other cats. Now its just a lazy ass and sits on the lawn all day but at least it kicks out all of the other cats =p

 

[WildHorse]

we had a whole park next to Hendry's beach dedicated to feral cats, with a big cat hotel and lots of grassy area & trees, next to raw hill land they could hunt in. The stupidd city ripped it out a while back.

This place has a maze of kitty tunnels high in the air throughout an avocado orchard where feral cats are captured, cared for & adopted out. I got 2 orange male cats here that were born under a barn in Santa Ynez.

 

[Stiganator]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
ferral cats are like rats in the us, there are too many
and they spend their time killing millions of birds

That's not the issue. The issue is that if you kill off the cats from a certain area, all that happens is cats from other areas spread to take over the empty area. However, if you spay/neuter the cats from an area and put them back, then they still control the area but they can't reproduce so the numbers stop growing.

Cats breed almost as fast as rabbits so there will always be more cats to take the place of ones that just get killed out right.

That's why you need to kill them all in a very large geographical area and maintain the eradication.

Do your part and try to destroy one feral cat a day.

Or we could use them as an export. Ship them to a country where they eat cats.

 

[Leros]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
ferral cats are like rats in the us, there are too many
and they spend their time killing millions of birds

That's not the issue. The issue is that if you kill off the cats from a certain area, all that happens is cats from other areas spread to take over the empty area. However, if you spay/neuter the cats from an area and put them back, then they still control the area but they can't reproduce so the numbers stop growing.

Your logic is faulty.

Their numbers will stop growing, then the cats from the other areas will move in to even things out.

 

[Kelemvor]

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Kelemvor

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
ferral cats are like rats in the us, there are too many
and they spend their time killing millions of birds

That's not the issue. The issue is that if you kill off the cats from a certain area, all that happens is cats from other areas spread to take over the empty area. However, if you spay/neuter the cats from an area and put them back, then they still control the area but they can't reproduce so the numbers stop growing.

Your logic is faulty.

Their numbers will stop growing, then the cats from the other areas will move in to even things out.

That's not how nature works. Every pride has their territory and they defend it. If you wipe out a group, there's none left to defend it so another group moves in. IF they are there but just stop breeding, they are still there and own the area. No other group will move in and the numbers stop growing.

Go read the site linked up top and do some research and you'll see hwo it really works.

http://www.alleycat.org/visitor.html

 

[Mermaidman]

Originally posted by: Kelemvor

Originally posted by: Leros

Originally posted by: Kelemvor

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
ferral cats are like rats in the us, there are too many
and they spend their time killing millions of birds

That's not the issue. The issue is that if you kill off the cats from a certain area, all that happens is cats from other areas spread to take over the empty area. However, if you spay/neuter the cats from an area and put them back, then they still control the area but they can't reproduce so the numbers stop growing.

Your logic is faulty.

Their numbers will stop growing, then the cats from the other areas will move in to even things out.

That's not how nature works. Every pride has their territory and they defend it. If you wipe out a group, there's none left to defend it so another group moves in. IF they are there but just stop breeding, they are still there and own the area. No other group will move in and the numbers stop growing.

Go read the site linked up top and do some research and you'll see hwo it really works.

He probably meant to ask what happens when the sterilized cats die. Wouldn't that leave a power vacuum for neighboring cats?