June is officially Adopt-A-Shelter-Cat-Month so it's an opportune time to examine an issue that has a direct bearing on the homeless cat population in this country. Earlier this year a Wisconsin man proposed that hunters, farmers and others in the state should be allowed to kill free-roaming cats. The ostensible purpose for this motion is to control their numbers and to protect birds and other wildlife. The proposal would classify feral cats as an unprotected species, and under this definition, any cat with no identification collar, and that appeared "unfriendly," could be termed "feral," and hunted and shot. Two other states, Minnesota and South Dakota, allow wild cats to be shot.
At a spring meeting of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, a citizens' advisory group traditionally dominated by hunters and outdoor enthusiasts, a majority of voters adopted the proposal. The results will be forwarded to the state's Natural Resources Board for deliberation, although it is the Legislature and the Governor that will have the last word on the plan. Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle has already said that it will not succeed. The San Francisco SPCA supports the governor in his opposition to this inhumane proposal.
The attempt to pass a law to legalize the killing of stray and feral cats has generated outrage from citizens and animal rights groups around the country. The fact that domestic pets, as well as other felines, could be caught in the hunters' sights is also cause for grave concern (The SF/SPCA recommends that domestic cats, for many safety reasons, be kept indoors.) In addition, many people have questioned the numbers of birds that are estimated to be killed each year by free-roaming cats, and have pointed out that West Nile virus and loss of habitat are greater threats to birds than cats. They have also noted that free-roaming cats play an important role in reducing rodent populations.
The San Francisco SPCA's Feral Cat Assistance program is committed to Trap/Neuter/Return (TNR) as the most humane and effective strategy for reducing feral and stray cat populations. The animals are trapped by volunteer members of the program, transported to The SF/SPCA Spay/Neuter Clinic, altered, ear-tipped for identification purposes, vaccinated, given routine medical care and then returned to their colonies under the supervision of dedicated caregivers. Over the years, caregivers have seen the numbers in their colonies stabilize or diminish in size; some colonies have been reduced to one or two aging felines. Combined with the absolute necessity for spaying and neutering all cats, both domestic and wild, The SF/SPCA believes that the success of TNR exposes the anti-cat measures advocated by some Wisconsin citizens for what they are, cruel and archaic.
