"MANAGED" CAT COLONIES:
THE WRONG SOLUTION TO A TRAGIC PROBLEM
THE PROBLEM
How many homeless domestic cats are there in the U.S.? No one knows, but estimates range from 40 to 60 million! Stray (abandoned or lost) or feral (descendants of stray cats and shunning all human contact), these non-native predators often lead short, miserable lives, and can wreak havoc for populations of birds and other wildlife already under siege from many other threats.
Unchecked, cat populations can skyrocket. A female cat can have up to three litters per year, with four to six kittens per litter. Unaltered, free-roaming pet cats also contribute to the problem. Animal welfare groups work diligently to encourage people to adopt their pets from shelters, keep them indoors, spay or neuter their cats, and never abandon them. However, pet overpopulation remains a serious problem, and animal shelters must euthanize millions of homeless cats each year.
While domestic cats are solitary animals, aggregations or "colonies" often form around an artificial feeding source, such as garbage dumps or places where people deliberately leave food for them. Even well-fed cats are highly efficient predators. For example, exploding populations of stray cats and raccoons fed by humans reportedly have decimated a world famous heron and egret rookery of several thousand birds in Greynolds Park in Dade County, Florida. Songbird populations have also plummeted. People can no longer enjoy this park because of the defecation and spraying by cats.
TTVAR: THE WRONG SOLUTION
While many humane groups, conservation organizations, and local authorities agree that homeless cats should be humanely removed from the wild, some people advocate "managing" colonies of stray cats through a practice called TTVAR which stands for:
Trap: The cats are trapped and taken to a veterinarian or clinic.
Test: The cats may be tested for fatal feline diseases such as feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Cats testing positive for these diseases or seriously ill cats may be euthanized.
Vaccinate: The cats are vaccinated for rabies and possibly other diseases.
Alter: The cats are spayed or neutered.
Release: Kittens and recently abandoned or lost cats may be adopted. The remaining cats are released, usually back to the site where they were trapped, and given food and water daily. To identify cats in a managed colony, 1cm of the tip of one ear is often removed by the veterinarian.
Stray cat colony "management" varies, but versions of TTVAR are being practiced, sometimes with explicit legal authorization, in cities, suburbs, military bases, college campuses, parks, farms, wildlife refuges, and islands. Some TTVAR proponents oppose cat registration and spay/neuter requirements in their communities unless they are exempted. Some feeders use their own funds and/or secure donations or public funding from local governments.
AN INEFFECTIVE WAY TO END CAT OVERPOPULATION
Some TTVAR organizations claim to have trapped, neutered, and released thousands of cats over just a few years. TTVAR is especially popular in California and Florida, but interest is growing across the country. The founding theory behind TTVAR is based on perpetual management of cat colonies.
However, proponents often maintain that they dramatically reduce the colonies initially, the deaths of the released cats due to "natural causes" leads to further attrition, and finally the colony simply dies out. There is little data to substantiate such claims.
Cat colonies often serve as dumping grounds for unwanted cats and the food often attracts more cats. Breeding does not end; sometimes one female is left unneutered by design because some proponents want to maintain the colony. Colonies often contain cats too wary to be caught. Contrary to claims by feeders, colony cats do not keep other cats from joining a colony. Domestic cats are not territorial because they do not exclude other cats from a given area.
RISKS TO HUMAN HEALTH
Cat colonies, even managed ones, are a human health risk. Diseases that can be transmitted to humans, such as ringworm, cat scratch fever, and toxoplasmosis, cannot be controlled in managed cat colonies. Rabies is a very real threat, and raccoons and skunks are two of the most common carriers of the disease in wildlife. Raccoons and skunks are attracted to feeding stations, as well as foxes, opossums, skunks, and rats. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, cats are the domestic animal most commonly reported rabid in the U.S. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians recently passed a resolution opposing TTVAR because of these health risks.
DEADLY TO WILDLIFE
There is extensive documentation that free-roaming cats are prolific and efficient predators of birds and other wildlife, even if well-fed. The American Veterinary Medical Association’s position statement on managed cat colonies states, "The colony should be restricted to a well-defined relatively safe area, and not on lands managed for wildlife or other natural resources (e.g. state parks, wildlife refuges, etc.)." However, many TTVAR advocates insist that colony cats do not prey on wildlife, or prey only on undesirable rodents.
Some argue that colony cats are "wildlife," and colonies should even be maintained on public land. For example, in 1994 Alley Cat Allies sought an injunction to stop the National Park Service (NPS) from removing a stray cat colony from park land. It is against NPS policy to maintain domestic animals on park property. NPS removed 28 cats and two kittens (none were euthanized) from the park before the hearing, and the case was dismissed as moot. A legal decision in favor of the feeders could have set a precedent for all NPS lands.
Cat colonies maintained on public lands important to wildlife is an extremely heated issue in California. Recent efforts by cat feeders to officially allow TTVAR in wildlife areas include: East Bay Regional Parks; Coyote Point Park; Alameda Naval Air Station; and Bidwell Park. Alameda Naval Air Station is on a small island and is the site of an endangered Least Tern nesting colony, soon to become a wildlife refuge.
Colonies With Endangered Species Present:
Starting in 1989, the volunteer group ORCAT at Ocean Reef on North Key Largo, reportedly
trapped and had neutered approximately 200 cats a year for five years. However, the cat
population only grew larger. More intense efforts were needed, which led to the community
association-sponsored "Feral Cat Center" in 1995. In 20 months the center
trapped and treated 726 cats, with nearly half released back to the wild after being
vaccinated and altered. Another 187 cats were adopted out. Part-time staff now maintain 27
feeding stations spread over Ocean Reef's 4,000 acres. Ocean Reef's cat population is
considered "stabilized" at about 1,000. The Ocean Reef Club boasts a lush,
900-acre nature preserve. Ocean Reef is home of the federally endangered Key Largo woodrat
and Key Largo cotton mouse. It has been documented that domestic cats kill these species.
Colonies on Farms:
Caretakers of colonies often relocate their cats to farms if the original location is an
unsafe one. However, the relocated colony cats may already have rabies, and domestic
animals such as cows, horses and sheep are susceptible to this disease. Toxoplasmosis also
can cause sheep to abort their fetuses. Ground- nesting and feeding sparrows, quail, and
other birds experiencing population declines can often be found on farm land.
THE SUFFERING OF CATS DOES NOT END
Managed cat colonies are not a humane solution for the cats who still face a multitude of hazards and diseases.
· Cats who have been captured once are extremely hard to catch subsequently for revaccination.
· Not all feeders have the resources for testing and vaccination, and many debilitating and life-threatening illnesses cannot be treated on a one time basis, such as roundworm, ringworm, fleas, ticks, ear mites, abscesses, respiratory infections, urinary tract infections, and eye infections.
· Cats are also subject to other hazards, such as cars, attacks by other cats, wildlife or humans, poisoning, and leg-hold traps.
COLONY MANAGERS OFTEN CAN’T MANAGE
Colony feeders must constantly trap new cats and kittens. Feeders are often overwhelmed by the cost and responsibility. According to the Universities Federation for Animal Welfare report, The Fate of Controlled Feral Cat Colonies, "The most common complaint from members of cat action groups was that they had too few people or too little money to adequately manage their population of cats."
TTVAR clearly is not in the best interest of birds and other wildlife or the cats, and even overwhelms the ability of well-meaning people who genuinely want to alleviate animal suffering. It also undermines efforts to encourage responsible pet ownership by keeping cats indoors.
WHO OPPOSES TTVAR?
American Bird Conservancy, American Association of Wildlife Veterinarians, The American Ornithologists’ Union, The Cooper Ornithological Society, and National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians have passed resolutions opposing TTVAR. In addition, The Humane Society of the United States, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, and American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, are on record expressing concerns about this practice.
BETTER SOLUTIONS
Local officials and park managers often have the difficult task of finding solutions to cat overpopulation problems that satisfy cat feeders, conservationists, and the community at large. The following are recommendations:
· Educate the public that feeding stray cats is not the solution for cats, wildlife, or people.
· Enact and enforce legislation prohibiting abandonment of cats, and post warning signs in public wildlife areas.
· Prohibit the feeding of stray cats, including those in managed colonies, in public parks, wildlife refuges, or other public lands that serve as wildlife habitat, and publicize this information.
· Involve wildlife experts from nearby colleges, parks, or state/federal agencies, community health officials, veterinarians, conservation groups, and animal shelter facilities to work together to solve cat overpopulation problems in your area.
· Humanely remove stray and feral cats from communities, parks, and other public areas that provide habitat for wildlife and take them to a shelter.
· Educate cat owners to spay or neuter their cats from eight weeks to four month of age, and keep them indoors.