A TNR Colony Member Displaying Its Clipped Left Ear
Mr. Tommy Morson was quoted in today's TimesDaily concerning TNR programs. Just what is TNR? The initials stand for Trap-Neuter-Return, the "R" sometimes standing for release. Is there a difference? Very little. The neutered cats are almost always returned to the location of their capture. They are only relocated in a new area if their previous territory is no longer habitable for some reason.
Do such programs work? You Betcha! They decrease breeding, disease, fatalities, and the influx of new feral cats. Are there drawbacks? The only opposition to TNR programs come from the "birder" crowd. Do these cats ever kill birds? Unfortunately, the answer is yes, but...
A mother cat is twice as likely to kill prey as a spayed female. So what does the opposition want? Apparently they want all feral cats rounded up and euthanized. I assume you, the readers of this blog, don't want that or you wouldn't be reading to start with.
So what about what Mr. Morson said? Unfortunately, he mentioned the possibility of such cats starving. No cats are released to be totally on their own. Each colony has at least one person who regularly supplies food and water. I am the "mother" to one such colony, feeding seven to nine cats every day. All these cats have come from one grand dam, Callie, who has yet to be trapped, but keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer.
What can you do to help? Please contact PAWS concerning a donation to their TNR program. Also, watch for a new program that will help with transportation costs to locate cats to the Northeast where there is a waiting list.
The TNR CON-GAME
ReplyDeleteFACT: Trap & Kill failed because cats cannot be trapped faster than they exponentially breed out of control.
FACT: Trap & Sterilize (TNR) is an even bigger abject failure because they cannot be trapped faster than they exponentially breed out of control, and they also continue the cruelly annihilate all native wildlife (from the smallest of prey up to the top predators that are starved to death), and the cats continue to spread many deadly diseases that they carry today -- FOR WHICH THERE ARE NO VACCINES AGAINST THEM. Many of which are even listed as bioterrorism agents. (Such as Tularemia and The Plague -- Yes, people have already died from cat-transmitted plague in the USA. No fleas nor rats even required. The cats themselves carry and transmit the plague all on their own.)
FACT: Every last TNR cat dies a cruel and heinous death; under the wheels of a car, from other cat and animal attacks, finding environmental poisons, starvation, dehydration, heat exposure, freezing to death, infections, incurable diseases, parasites, etc., etc. And if very very lucky being humanely shot to death or re-trapped and humanely drowned (the two most common methods often employed on all farms and ranches to protect their gestating livestock's offspring and valuable native wildlife from dying from cats' Toxoplasmosis parasites).
FACT: Hunted To Extinction (or in this case, extirpation of all outdoor cats) is the ONLY method that is faster than a species like cats can exponentially out-breed and out-adapt to. Especially a man-made invasive-species like these cats that can breed 2-4X's faster than any naturally occurring cat-species.
FACT: Alley Cat ALL-LIES of NYC have only managed to reduce the number of feral cats in their own city by 0.08% to 0.024% (and as the months go on that percentage becomes even more insignificant), thereby allowing more than 99.92% to 99.976% to continually and exponentially breed out of control. Here's how Alley-Cat-ALL-LIES' deceptive math works: If you TNR 4 cats and 3 die from being flattened by cars, this translates to a 75% reduction of feral-cats worldwide. Alley Cat ALL-LIES can't even reduce the number of feral cats in their own city, yet they promote it as a worldwide solution. Then even bigger fools fall for it and promote it.
FACT: When researching all the most "successful" TNR programs around the globe, JUST ONE OF THEM has managed to trap more than 0.4% of cats in their area. Oregon's amazing 50,000 TNR'ed cats (the highest rate I found) is only 4.9% of all feral-cats in their state. Yet, by applying advanced population growth calculus on the unsterilized 95.1% of cats, they will have trapped only 0.35% of all feral-cats in their state sometime this year. <0.4% is a far cry from the required 80%-90% to be the least bit effective.
FACT: Their mythical "vacuum effect" is a 100% LIE. A study done by the Texas A&M University proved that any perceived "vacuum" is just the simple case that CATS ATTRACT CATS. Get rid of them all and there's no cats there to attract more. I proved this myself by shooting and burying hundreds of them on my own land. ZERO cats replaced them FOR OVER 2 YEARS NOW. If you want more cats, keep even one of them around, more will find you. That university study also found that sterilized cats very poorly defend any territory. Non-sterilized cats, being more aggressive, take over the sterilized cats' resources (shelter & food if any). If there is any kind of "vacuum effect" at all, it is that sterilizing cats cause non-sterilized cats to restore the reproductive void.
FACT: During all this investigation I have discovered something that is unfaltering without fail. Something that you can bet your very life on and win every last time. That being -- IF A TNR CAT-HOARDER IS TALKING THEN THEY ARE LYING. 100% guaranteed!
I'm happy to post opposing points of view; however, I can prove you wrong on one statement immediately. Not every TNR cat dies a horrible death.
DeleteMy own cat Fleur was adopted from the feral colony at the Rock Pile on the TVA reservation. The only "horrible" thing in her life is that her mother won't let her outdoors, and she has to suffer yearly visits to Dr. Gilbert and dine on the best Purina cat food. Yes, horrible...and Fleur isn't the only success story. I've found homes for at least some of my "strays."
It's a sad fact that all these cats eventually die, but they are well fed and happy. You suggest they be immediately trapped and put down. You don't even give them a chance. How sad that you feel that way.
Firenze, you haven't proved anything wrong. What part of the R in TNR do you fail to comprehend?
DeleteThis statement is proved wrong:
DeleteEvery last TNR cat dies a cruel and heinous death;
Obviously some later find homes, as did Fleur. "Hunted to extinction?" That's how you would handle the feral cat dilemma? Just what is "humane drowning?" I'd sooner use that resort to handle the illegal immigrant problem than do that to an innocent, the beautiful handiwork of a Heavenly Father.
Firenze, you would rather "humanely drown" a illegal immigrant HUMAN BEING than a feral cat??
DeleteWhile I don't believe that drowning these cats is the answer, I think we should all put our heads on straight, cats are ANIMALS, illegal immigrants are HUMANS.
It's like the story about saving starfish. Maybe you can't save them all, but you can same some. Thanks to all who help with the TNR programs.
ReplyDeleteNo offense, sir, but I find your solution disturbing. Your correct use of grammar tells me that you are intelligent. I feel certain that if you set your brain toward a more humane approach, you could come up with a more humane solution.
ReplyDeleteI offer you one logical proposal. I'm sure others can be found. We do live in an educated society after all.
If TNR had adequate funds and man power, all feral cats would be euthanized. Therefore, it would be logical to help them achieve that level of funding. This would alleviate an issue about which you apparently feel very passionate while allowing you to keep what sets you apart from other animals, your ability to analyze and have compassion on those smaller than yourself. I encourage you to be a wise and caring overseer rather than a cold tyrant.
If you will think about it, which species is more deserving of a bullet? An animal with intelligence who kills without mercy or remorse or an animal who lacks a cerebral cortex and is simply trying to survive? Surely we can use that cerebral cortex to come up with a humane plan of action.
Shoot to maim is punishable under the laws that define animal-cruelty. But shoot to kill is a perfectly legal way to humanely destroy an animal. The same laws that apply to methods of humanely hunting animals also applies to cats. Unlike your psychotic beliefs, the reality is that a cat is just another animal. It's NOT your baby, your child, your offspring. Even if you do view your cats that way, letting them roam free is no less criminally irresponsible than telling your child to go play in the freeway and then blaming the cars for their death. If you let your cat roam free, NO MATTER HOW IT DIES, that is YOUR fault and you can be charged with all laws that clearly define animal-neglect, animal-abandonment, and animal-endangerment.
DeleteWhile I would never advocate shooting a dog or cat in order to "control" animal population, you're correct that those who let their animals roam free are guilty of abuse if they live in a populated area. My two do not leave the house, not just for their own good, but also to protect my neighbors' property and the local bird population. Protect most rodentia? Not so much...
DeleteIf you don't condone shooting a dog or cat as a viable means of population control, then YOU would be the cause of feral dog populations, as well as feral cat populations.
ReplyDeleteThis is why feral dog-packs are a rarity in most rural areas. They are SHOT before things get that bad. Unfortunately, people moving to the country aren't aware of this so they refuse to do their civic and moral duty by destroying that dog or cat that is harming other animals. I keep a paintball-gun loaded with red-pellets for any stray dogs. Stings enough to teach a teachable dog, and leaves a nice signal on their coat. The first time they get the paintball gun. If that doesn't teach the owner and alert them to what could have really happened to their dog, then out comes the rifle next time. Cats aren't so easily forgiven, because from past experience I know that warning a cat-owner does no good. So out comes the rifle on the first sighting of a cat instead of the paintball-gun. People in rural areas who actually care about their animals keep them under supervision or they lose them -- permanently . You can tell who actually loves their animals -- their animals are still alive. If they don't keep their animal under supervision? They've proved their animal is 100% expendable and its life means nothing to them, so it means nothing to anyone else. It's the law of the land.
And if you don't support home rule for each county in order to mandate leash laws, you are part of the cause. How about it folks? Alabama is behind the times in this area.
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