This post is about “crazy cat ladies”. You know: people who feed and monitor the health of numbers of stray cats. I’m not talking about the people who have eleventy-seven cats IN THE HOUSE, but those who, while they might have personal pets, also look out for cats who are more-or-less wild.
In Louisville, the truest friend of cat caretakers is Alley Cat Advocates. ACA helps caretakers trap feral cats, then spays or neuters them (the cats, not the caretakers) and releases them back into the wild.
Trap-Alter-Release is the best way to reduce the feline population. You would think, wouldn’t you, that trapping and killing the poor li’l furballs would be the best way to reduce their overall numbers, but no. The ACA website says:
In a study done by the San Francisco SPCA and the National Pet Alliance, they found that the cost to maintain a 1000 cat population using the trap/neuter/return method would cost $17,306 initially and $2,660 a year thereafter. To trap/remove/euthanize, the cost would be just under $80,000 initially and then just over $60,000 a year after that to keep the population under 1,000.
It makes cold, hard, business sense to do the nice thing! I love it when that happens!
If you don’t live in the Louisville, Kentucky area but you care for stray cats, visit Alley Cat Allies or do an internet search for Trap-Alter-Release or Trap-Neuter-Release.
A WRITING PROMPT FOR YOU: A character is overwhelmed with caretaking responsibilities.
MA
Jane
March 2, 2013 at 11:10amDitto, to all that. One more thing for here in Louisville:
Alleycats has now officially made a deal with the Metro Animal Control to recognize Alleycats as not the droids they’re looking for. When Alleysats rounds them up, the cats are fixed, given a rabies shot, and ear-clipped. Just the tippy bit off one ear. Now the gendarmes can spot the safely fixed and fed cats and RETURN them to their cat-lady friends. They keep a record of where cats are trapped, and if they find an ear-tipped cat, they contact Alleycats, who know where the cat-lady is in that neighborhood, and the little baby gets to go home again.
Alleycats functions entirely, I think, by the grace of many volunteers. They tell me the function of maintaining non-reproducing colonies is that they fill the niche and no more wild cats will move in. And if they do, don’t you know, they get trapped and fixed, too.
Marian Allen
March 2, 2013 at 12:41pmThat is just so BRILLIANT! I wish every place had this kind of forward-thinking program.
Jane
March 2, 2013 at 2:46pm@Marian Allen – They have a new, young guy at the Animal Control gig.
mary montague sikes
March 2, 2013 at 6:11pmOur little town in Virginia has a group doing just that. Imagine! Daughter, Amy, who doesn’t live here helps with promo and donations.
Monti
Marian Allen
March 2, 2013 at 6:23pmBless her heart! Is she the one who just lost her furbaby?
mary montague sikes
March 3, 2013 at 10:31am@Marian Allen – Yes. A couple of weeks ago, she also took in 2 diabetic foster cats to save them. The owner died and the person in her will who was supposed to care for them immediately dropped them at an animal shelter. Amy has a full-time job and is working on a PhD. Hopefully, she will find someone to give them a forever home. She says they are really sweet little cats.
Marian Allen
March 3, 2013 at 1:17pmFingers crossed for them! Caring for diabetic cats is expensive, but not difficult. The diabetic cats I’ve known seem to understand that the shots make them better, and they’ve been very cooperative and affectionate.